Marañón poison frog

Scientific Name: Excidobates mysteriosus Animal Type: Amphibian Location: This species is currently known only from a single location in the vicinity of the town of Santa Rosa at the foothills of the Cordillera del Condor, north-eastern Peru at around 1,000m asl. Conservation Status: Endangered

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The Marañón poison frog is one of over 250 species of ‘Poison Frogs’. Its other common name, the Mysterious poison frog, and part of it’s scientific name Excidobates mysteriousus, comes from the fact that it was known only from a single immature specimen taken in 1929 for 60 years until in 1989 the herpetologist when Rainer Schulte and his party rediscovered the species in the Cordillera del Condor area at 600 to 1200 meters elevation.

This species is fairly large in size for a poison frog and adults can attain a length of 30mm. Its skin is granular (rough) and reddish brown in colour with white polka-dots. Their fingers and toes are also largely white.

The Marañón poison frog's habitat is relatively dry with a wide variation in temperatures from 13° - 32°C. They can usually be found here in the axils of the leaves of the spiny bromeliad plant Aechmea, where it also breeds and lays its eggs which can number up to 13 in a clutch. Sadly much of the area is deforested and populations are only known from forest remnants that remain on some steep cliffs and slopes.

Poison frogs in this family (Dendrobatidae) can only be found in tropical South America, north up to Nicaragua. Also known as poison arrow frogs or poison dart frogs, they get these names from the fact that some South American tribes use species of these frogs to tip their darts for hunting. The poison paralyses the hunted animal almost instantly. The area where the dart has hit the animal is then quickly cut out to prevent the poison being passed on when the meat is eaten.

Poison frogs are often beautifully coloured to warn potential predators that they are poisonous. Poisonous frogs can also be found in Madagascar in the genus Mantella. They have similarly bright colours and share similar breeding and feeding techniques.

Poison frogs are notably good parents. Not only do some species move their tadpoles on their backs to find the best home for them but some species even feed their tadpoles with infertile eggs. We have also discovered this remarkable behaviour in our Mountain chicken frogs.

At Durrell the Marañón poison frog can be found in the Reptile and Amphibian Conservation Centre where they co-habit with Martinique Anoles (Anolis roquet summus) and the Golfodulcean poison frog (Phyllobates vittatus). Their enclosure is well planted with bromeliads to replicate their wild habitat and to provide them with a natural place to lay their eggs.

References

Lötters, S., Jungfer, K0H., Henkel, F. W. and Schmidt, W. 2007. Poison frogs: Biology, Species & Captive Husbandry. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.

Stuart, S.N., Hoffmann, M., Chanson, J.S., Cox, N.A., Berridge, R.J., Ramani, P. and Young, B.E. (eds) 2008. Threatened Amphibians of the World. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Walls, J. G. (1994). Jewels of the Rainforest: Poison Frogs of the Family Dendrobatidae. J.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey.

Photo by Dan Lay - www.dan-lay.com

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