Species Highlight “Atelopus” with pictures

Here is a combined species highlight & Types with pictures for the Atelopus species on this lovely friday afternoon.

Found:

This species occurs in the Amazonian lowlands of Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. These toads are typically found in leaf litter near streams which allow for a slightly drier more airflow area.

Behavior:

These frogs can be found in the leaf litter scampering around. Females Atelopus’ follow a pattern where they live away from water until they are ready to breed. They will then travel to the water to breed. This causes a very high male ratio of about 25-30 males to 1 female.

Size:

Size around 1”

Temperature & Humidity:

These toads prefer slightly lower humidity than most darts. They also don’t like stagnant air. They also like some basking areas on rocks.

Feeding:

Atelopus loves ants, but will also feed on other small arthropods.

Breeding:

This species is hard to find a female, otherwise they seem to breed rather easily. Males will call to defend territories and it may escalate to wresting to establish dominance.

Threats:

According to the IUCN Red List, the Atelopus are a vunerable species. Their major threats are forest loss due to agriculture, logging and clear cutting. This species is listed as vunerable due to the projected population decline, estimated at 30% over the next 10 years.