''Ranitomeya benedicta'', sometimes called the blessed poison frog, is a species 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 found in the lowland rainforest of the Pampas del Sacramento in southern Loreto and eastern San Martín Region, northeastern Peru. Before 2008, the species was considered a subspecies of ''

Ranitomeya fantastica ''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 classi ...

''. The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

considers the species vulnerable because of limited habitat range, habitat loss, and collection for the pet trade.

Morphology

''Ranitomeya benedicta'' is one of the larger species of thumbnail poison dart frogs. It has a red head and a large snout to vent length which helps distinguish it from other ''Ranitomeya'' such as the smaller red-backed poison frog. Males can reach approximately 16.5 mm in length from snout to vent, while the larger females can reach approximately 18.4 mm with some reaching 20.2 mm. Besides their red head they also possess black markings over their eyes which resembles a W-shaped mask and have black colored limbs, dorsum, and venter with a blue reticulated pattern. In some populations, however, the reticulated pattern might not appear, instead showing some of the limbs or parts of the dorsum only being uniformly blue. While ''Ranitomeya fantastica'' might resemble this species, this species contains a head that's clearly red while R. fantastica head contains colors that are closer to a bright orange coloration.Brown, Jason L.; Twomey, Evan; Pepper, Mark; Rodriguez, Manuel Sanchez (16 July 2008). "Revision of the ''Ranitomeya fantastica'' species complex with description of two new species from Central Peru (Anura: Dendrobatidae)". ''Zootaxa''. 1823: 1–24. https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.1823.1.1

Habitat

This frog inhabits lowland

primary rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropical rainforests or ...

and older secondary rainforest. It has been observed between 150 and 405 meters above sea level. It has been seen in tangled branches and in dead trees on the ground. This frog is diurnal and partially terrestrial, though small-scale farmers and loggers have seen the frog jumping away when the trees are felled.

Life cycle

The male frog's voice sounds like a buzz. Scientists have never heard the frog call in the wild, but frogs in

terrariums A terrarium ( terraria or terrariums) is a glass container containing soil and plants in an environment different from the surroundings. It is usually a sealable container that can be opened for maintenance or to access the plants inside; howeve ...

call at all times of day. The female frog lays 4-6 eggs per

clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does th ...

. After the eggs hatch, the adult frog carries the tadpoles to different pools of water in bromeliad plants.

Threats

The IUCN classifies this frog as vulnerable to extinction because of habitat loss. Much of its range is uninhabited and not subject to deforestation, but parts of it are, especially in favor of agriculture and logging. People also began to capture this frog for the international pet trade shortly after the original description was published, in some cases cutting down trees to search the bromeliads for frogs to sell. It is also reared legally in captivity. The frog's range includes at least one protected park:

Cordillera Azul National Park Cordillera Azul National Park () is a protected area in Peru. It protects part of the Ucayali moist forests ecoregion. History In 1963, the Biavo-Cordillera Azul National Forest was established, spanning 2,178,000 hectares. In 1997, this area ...

References

Ranitomeya Endemic fauna of Peru Amphibians of Peru Frogs of South America Amphibians described in 2008 {{dendrobatidae-stub