''Dendrobates'' is a genus of

poison dart frog 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 Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central and South America. These species are ...

s native to Central and South America. It once contained numerous species, but most originally placed in this genus have been split off into other genera such as ''

Adelphobates ''Adelphobates'' is a small genus of poison dart frogs. They are found in the central and lower Amazon basin of Peru and Brazil, possibly Bolivia. It was originally erected as a sister group to the ''Dendrobates'' and ''Oophaga'' genera. The vali ...

'', ''

Ameerega ''Ameerega'' is a genus of poison dart frogs in the family Dendrobatidae. These frogs live around rocks that are nearby streams. They are found in central South America north to Panama. It contains many former species of the genus ''Epipedobates' ...

'', ''

Andinobates ''Andinobates'' is a genus of poison dart frogs from Ecuador, Colombia and Panama. It contains species formerly classified in the genus ''Dendrobates'' and in 2006 transferred to the genus ''Ranitomeya''. In 2011 Twomey, Brown, and their colleag ...

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Epipedobates ''Epipedobates'' is a genus of poison dart frogs native to northern South America (Colombia and Ecuador) west of the Andes, including the western slopes. Common name phantasmal poison frogs has been suggested for the genus. Taxonomy ''Epipedobat ...

'', ''

Excidobates ''Excidobates'' is a genus of poison dart frogs endemic to the Marañón River drainage in Peru and Ecuador, South America. At one time members of this genus were classified as ''Dendrobates ''Dendrobates'' is a genus of poison dart frogs n ...

'', ''

Oophaga ''Oophaga'' is a genus of poison-dart frogs containing twelve species, many of which were formerly placed in the genus ''Dendrobates''. The frogs are distributed in Central and South America, from Nicaragua through the Colombian El Choco to nor ...

'', ''

Phyllobates ''Phyllobates'' is a genus of poison dart frogs native to Central and South America, from Nicaragua to Colombia. There are 3 different Colombian species of ''Phyllobates'', considered highly toxic species due to the poison they contain in the wil ...

'' and ''

Ranitomeya ''Ranitomeya'' is a genus of dart poison frogs found in Panama and South America south to Peru and Brazil, possibly into Bolivia. Taxonomy In 2006 Grant ''et al.'' revised the systematics of poison dart frogs and placed many species formerly cla ...

'' (essentially all the brightly marked poison dart frogs; i.e. excluding the duller genera in the family like ''

Colostethus ''Colostethus'' is a genus of poison dart frogs native to Central and South America, from Panama south to Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru. Their common name is rocket frogs, but this name may refer to frogs in other genera and families, foll ...

'' and ''

Hyloxalus ''Hyloxalus'' is a genus of poison dart frogs, family Dendrobatidae. The genus is distributed in Central and South America, from Panama south to Peru (along the Pacific coast), along with Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. They also inhabit the ea ...

''), leaving only five large to medium-sized species in the genus ''Dendrobates''. All the other genera used to be grouped in with ''Dendrobates'' because it was previously thought that all brightly colored poison dart frogs came from the same ancestor but this has since been proven to be incorrect. ''Dendrobates'' and ''Phyllobates'' evolved conspicuous coloration from the same common ancestor but not the same as any of the other genera listed above. There is accumulating evidence that ''Dendrobates'' are diet specialists and sequester the toxin found on their skin from their diet. It has been found that diet specialization evolved in tandem with conspicuous coloration in the case of ''Dendrobates''. The generic name ''Dendrobates'' is derived from the Greek words δένδρον ''dendron'' "tree" and βάτης ''batēs'' "one that treads", meaning ‘tree climber’.

Species

References

External links

Poison dart frogs Amphibians of Central America Amphibians of South America Amphibian genera Taxa named by Johann Georg Wagler {{Dendrobatidae-stub