''Ameerega hahneli'' is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

in the family

Dendrobatidae Poison dart frog (also known as dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly known as poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the Family (biology), family Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central America, Central an ...

. It is found in the Amazonian lowlands of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana,

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

, and Suriname. It is named after Paul Hahnel, the collector of the

type series In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes t ...

Taxonomy

''Ameerega hahneli'' has been mixed with '' Ameerega picta'', and also considered its

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

. It may represent several species; '' Ameerega altamazonica'' has already been split off from the former ''Ameerega hahneli''.

Description

Males measure and females in snout–vent length. The back and limbs are finely granular and brown in colour, with or without black spots. The flanks are black and bordered above by a narrow, white or cream colored dorsolateral line that extends from the tip of the snout to the groin. There is also a white or cream coloured labial stripe that does not extend onto the arm. The venter is blue with black reticulations. There are yellow-orange oval spots on the ventral surfaces of the arms, inner surfaces of the shanks, and in the groin. The iris is dark brown.

Reproduction

Males are territorial. The territorial call is a long series of short "peep" notes, whereas the courtship call is similar but consists of only three notes. Females lay 6–33 pigmented eggs on the leaf-litter. Eggs hatch after 4–16 days and are carried on the back of their father to a creek. The tadpoles require running water.

Tadpole A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the Larva, larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully Aquatic animal, aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial animal, ...

s are brown, with a depressed body, and long tail. They

metamorphose Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically developmental biology, develops including birth, birth transformation or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through ...

after two months.

Habitat and conservation

''Ameerega hahneli'' is a common frog, apart from the

Guianas The Guianas, also spelled Guyanas or Guayanas, are a geographical region in north-eastern South America. Strictly, the term refers to the three Guianas: Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, formerly British Guiana, British, Surinam (Dutch colo ...

where it is uncommon. It occurs on the forest floor in the tropical rainforest. It is usually associated with fallen palm fronds, branches, and small gaps in the forest. They are active during the day and hide in low vegetation at night. It can be threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

, but the total population is stable and the species is not threatened. There is legal captive breeding for the international pet trade, but scientists do not consider this a threat.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1346482 hahneli Amphibians of Bolivia Frogs of Brazil Amphibians of Colombia Amphibians of Ecuador Amphibians of French Guiana Amphibians of Guyana Amphibians of Peru Amphibians of Suriname Amphibians of Venezuela Amphibians described in 1884 Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger Taxonomy articles created by Polbot