Ranitomeya ventrimaculata (Shreve, 1935)

Species Activity Pattern

Ranitomeya ventrimaculata is a diurnal frog species.

Adult Size

Adults reach a size of roughly 20 millimetres (0.79 in), and males are smaller than females.

Dorsal Coloration

Its base body color is black, with yellow lines or dots on the back.

Ventral and Leg Coloration

The belly is bluish or grayish with scattered black patches, which gives the species its specific epithet "ventrimaculatus"; the belly color extends into a net-like pattern on the legs.

Native Habitat Range

This diurnal frog is native to the Amazon region, where it lives in primary rainforests with deep leaf litter and thick understory.

Elevation Range

It has been recorded at elevations between 200 and 500 meters above sea level.

Age to Adulthood

Individuals of R. ventrimaculata reach adulthood at 6 months of age.

Egg Laying and Fertilization

Females lay between four and eight eggs, attaching them to leaves below the water level; the eggs are then fertilized by the male.

Tadpole Hatching and Transport

Tadpoles hatch 12 to 16 days after laying, after which the male carries them one at a time to small bodies of water such as puddles.

Tadpole Transport Rationale

Because the tadpoles are omnivorous and cannibalistic, they are separated from each other during this transport.

Metamorphosis Timeline

Metamorphosis into fully formed frogs is complete 60 to 80 days after hatching.

Post-Metamorphosis Juvenile Behavior

After metamorphosis, juvenile frogs become independent of their parents, but generally stay close to them.

Skin Secretion Defenses

R. ventrimaculata secretes poison through skin glands, which protects the frog from fungi, bacteria, and predators.

Aposematic Coloration

Its bright aposematic coloration also warns predators to avoid the frog.

Toxin Strength Context

Because of this, it is often grouped with the poison dart frogs, though its toxin is relatively weak.

Poison Source

The frog obtains its poison by eating a species of mite.