''Ameerega trivittata'',Grant, T. et al., (2006).
Phylogenetic systematics of dart-poison frogs and their relatives (Amphibia: Athesphatanura: Dendrobatidae)
' (PDF). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 299, 1–262 formerly ''Epipedobates trivittatus'', 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 ...

commonly known as the three-striped poison frog. It is found in

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

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 ...

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, possibly

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 ...

, and possibly

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 ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

floors and intermittent freshwater

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

es. ''A. trivittata'' is diurnal and terrestrial. Its distinctive features include its large size (up to 50 mm), granular skin, lack of webbing between digits, and distinctive striped markings. The colour of these markings varies; typically the stripes are green, but yellow and orange specimens occur, as well. It lays terrestrial eggs, which are hidden in clutches under leaves. The males take care of the eggs and carry the tadpoles on their backs to pools once they have hatched. It 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 ...

Description

The male three-striped poison frog has a

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the mos ...

of about and the female reaches about . It has a slightly protruding snout with no teeth, finely granulated skin on its dorsal surface and smooth skin on its flanks and ventral surface. The digits are unwebbed and the first finger is longer than the second finger. The colouring of this species varies somewhat between locations but in general it has a black back and sides, a black belly suffused blue posteriorly and yellowish-green or light-brown limbs. Two yellowish-green lateral stripes run from the snout to the hind legs.

Biology

The three-striped poison frog is a diurnal, terrestrial species that is found among the leaf litter of the forest floor in both primary and secondary tropical forests. The main food of this frog is

ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

s which are plentiful on the forest floor. Males are territorial during the breeding season but females are not. The eggs are laid in small clutches underneath fallen leaves during the rainy season. They take about 15 days to hatch during which time the male guards them. He then carries them to a suitable ephemeral pool or water-filled crevice where the tadpoles develop for from 41 to 54 days before undergoing

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

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2842567 trivittata Amphibians of Bolivia Frogs of Brazil Amphibians of Colombia Amphibians of Guyana Amphibians of Peru Amphibians of Suriname Amphibians of Venezuela Amphibians described in 1824 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Fauna of Suriname