''Allobates talamancae'' (common names: Talamanca rocket frog, striped rocket frog, Talamanca striped rocket frog) 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

Aromobatidae The Aromobatidae are a family of frogs native to Central and South America. They are sometimes referred to as cryptic forest frogs or cryptic poison frogs. They are the sister taxon of the Dendrobatidae, the poison dart frogs, but are not as tox ...

. It is found in northwestern

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

, western

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

, and southern

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

Description

''Allobates talamancae'' is a small, non-toxic frog, with males measuring in snout–vent length and females . The dorsum is smooth and dark brown in color. The flanks are black, bordered by tan or bronze line above and a white line below. The ventrum is white. The fingers and toes are unwebbed.

Reproduction

''Allobates talamancae'' lay the eggs in the leaf-litter, and both parents carry the

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 to streams where they complete their development in small, water-filled depressions.

Habitat, ecology, and conservation

''Allobates talamancae'' is found in a variety of habitats in very humid lowland and premontane habitats (secondary growth and plantations, swampy areas in

primary forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without Disturbance (ecology), disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organizati ...

, but not in open areas), usually close to streams. It can be found up to ( in Colombia)

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. Its diet consists of small arthropods. Adult frogs are found to aggregate, forming small groups, likely as an

anti-predator adaptation Anti-predator adaptations are mechanisms developed through evolution that assist Predation, prey organisms in their constant struggle against predators. Throughout the animal kingdom, adaptations have evolved for every stage of this struggle, na ...

. While it is a common species, its conservation is 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 ...

, introduction of alien predatory fish, and pollution.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2838486 talamancae Amphibians of Colombia Amphibians of Costa Rica Amphibians of Ecuador Amphibians of Nicaragua Amphibians of Panama Amphibians described in 1875 Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope Taxonomy articles created by Polbot