Ranitomeya benedicta

species of amphibian

The blessed poison frog (Ranitomeya benedicta) is a frog. It lives in Peru.[2][3][1]

Ranitomeya benedicta
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Dendrobatidae
Genus: Ranitomeya
Species:
R. benedicta
Binomial name
Ranitomeya benedicta
Brown, Twomey, Pepper, and Sanchez-Rodriguez, 2008
Synonyms[2]
  • Ranitomeya benedicta Brown, Twomey, Pepper, and Sanchez-Rodriguez, 2008
  • Dendrobates benedicta Santos, Coloma, Summers, Caldwell, Ree, and Cannatella, 2009

The adult frog can be as big as 20.2 mm long from nose to rear end. This frog has a bright red head with a black body, eyes, and eyelids. The rest of the body has a blue pattern over the black color. The further south the frog lives, the more blue color it has on its legs, back, and belly.[3]

This frog lives in rainforests that have never been cut down and rainforests that were cut down and have had a long time to grow back. It lives in forests that are not too high up in the mountains. People have seen this frog between 150 and 405 meters above sea level. People see this frog in dead trees on the ground. This frog is awake during the day and lives on the ground.[1]

The male frog's voice sounds like a buzz. Scientists have never heard the frog call in the wild, but frogs in glass cages call all the time.[3]

The female frog lays 4-6 eggs at a time. After the eggs hatch, the adult frog carries the tadpoles to different pools of water.[1][3]

Danger

change

Scientists believe this frog is in some danger of dying out because human beings change the places where it lives, for example to make farms and get wood to build with. People also catch this frog to sell as a pet. People began to catch this frog not long after scientists wrote the first paper about it. [1]

At least one of the places this frog lives is a protected park: Cordillera Azul National Park.[1]

First paper

change
  • Brown JL; Twomey E; Pepper M; Rodriguez MS (2008). "Revision of the Ranitomeya fantastica species complex with description of two new species from Central Peru (Anura: Dendrobatidae)". Zootaxa. 1823: 1–24.

References

change
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020) [amended version of 2018 assessment]. "Blessed Poison Frog: Ranitomeya benedicta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T193431A177076109. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T193431A177076109.en. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Frost, Darrel R. "Ranitomeya benedicta Brown, Twomey, Pepper, and Sanchez-Rodriguez, 2008". Amphibian Species of the World, an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Evan Twomey (May 25, 2009). Kellie Whittaker; Brent Nguyen; Michelle S. Koo (eds.). "Ranitomeya benedicta Brown, Twomey, Pepper, & Sanchez-Rodriguez, 2008". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved July 1, 2024.