''Colostethus inguinalis'' is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...

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

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to northwestern and northcentral Colombia. Its vernacular name is common rocket frog, although this name can also refer to '' Colostethus panamansis'' that until 2004 was considered a junior synonym of ''Colostethus inguinalis''. Much of the older literature on ''Colostethus inguinalis'' is actually about ''Colostethus panamansis''.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females in snout–vent length. The tympanum is well-defined and pale anteriorly. An oblique lateral pale line extends halfway from groin to the eye- Adult males with solid black throat, with the black pigmentation usually extending onto the chest and the anterior belly; adult females have white (unpigmented) or faintly pigmented gray or brown chest. The toes are moderately webbed. Adult males have swollen third finger.

Habitat and conservation

''Colostethus inguinalis'' is a diurnal species of humid lowland forests at elevations of or

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

, depending on the source. It often occurs along rocky sections of forest streams. The eggs are laid in leaf litter; the adults carry the

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found ...

s to streams. It is an abundant species, but deforestation for agricultural development, logging, human settlement, illegal crops, and pollution resulting from the spraying of illegal crops is a major threat; it is suspected that the overall population is declining. This species can be found in a number of protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1343519 inguinalis Amphibians of Colombia Endemic fauna of Colombia Amphibians described in 1868 Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope Taxonomy articles created by Polbot