The splendid poison frog (''Oophaga speciosa'') is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

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 ...

that was

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to the eastern end of

Cordillera de Talamanca The Cordillera de Talamanca is a mountain range that lies in the southeast half of Costa Rica and the far west of Panama. Much of the range and the area around it is included in La Amistad International Park, which also is shared between the two ...

, western

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 ...

. 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 were humid lowland and

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

Appearance

Male and female adult frogs measured 28-31 mm in snout-vent length. This frog was bright red in color.

Habitat

This frog inhabited in

cloud forests A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, ...

in the western Panama's Cordillera de Talamanca. It was diurnal and terrestrial. This frog was observed between 1140 and 1410 meters above sea level.

Life cycle

The male frogs fought each other for good foraging and egg deposition sites. The female frog cared for the eggs and tadpoles. She layed eggs on

leaf litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall, or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that has fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituen ...

. After they hatched, she carried the tadpoles to small pools of water that collect in plant leaves other parts. The female frog layed unfertilized eggs for the tadpoles to eat.

Extinction

The species was formerly common in its small range, but is now classified as extinct. Scientists cite the amphibian chytrid fungus that spread through in the region in 1996, a few years after the last recorded sighting of the splendid poison frog in 1992. Despite several comprehensive surveys in its range in subsequent decades, the species (which was easily visible and diurnal) has not been relocated and it was officially declared extinct in 2020. Because so many frogs were harvested for the international pet trade, scientists believe it may be possible that some remain alive in captivity.

References

External links

speciosa Amphibians of Panama Endemic fauna of Panama Amphibians described in 1857 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Talamancan montane forests {{Dendrobatidae-stub