Ranitomeya benedicta

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Ranitomeya benedicta
Ranitomeya benedicta.jpg

Ranitomeya benedicta

Systematics
Subordination : Neobatrachia
Superfamily : Dendrobatoidea
Family : Poison Dart Frogs (Dendrobatidae)
Subfamily : Dendrobatinae
Genre : Ranitomeya
Type : Ranitomeya benedicta
Scientific name
Ranitomeya benedicta
Brown , Twomey , Pepper & Sanchez-Rodriguez , 2008

Ranitomeya benedicta is a frog from the tree dart frogfamily(Dendrobatidae), also called poison dart frogs. It is only known from a relatively small distribution area in the rainforest of the Amazon basin in Peru and was onlyspun off as an independent speciesfrom the species complex of the red-headed tree climber ( Ranitomeya fantastica )in 2008.

features

With a head-trunk length of 15 to 20 millimeters, Ranitomeya benedicta is one of the medium-sized poison dart frogs and one of the largest of the genus Ranitomeya . The males are smaller than the females, they can be 15 to 17.5 millimeters long. The females are 17 to over 20 millimeters long.

The main distinguishing feature from the other red-headed arborists is the color of the head. It is bright red with large, shiny black spots around the eyes. The populations of Ranitomeya fantastica have orange to light red heads with various smaller dark gray to black spots. Specimens with a purely bright red head were collected at the time the frog was first described in 1883, but were no longer found in later expeditions. In Ranitomeya benedicta , the two black spots, starting from the eyes, can merge on the head and form extensions towards the back, creating a w-shaped pattern. Part of Ranitomeya benedicta's back is also glossy black. The red color of the head and neck forms a broad, jagged transverse band between the black parts of the head and back in most individuals. The rear part of the back and the legs are covered by a more or less clear blue-green network on a black base color.

As with all Ranitomeya species, the first finger of the forelimbs is shorter than the second. There are no webs between the fingers or toes.

distribution and habitat

The distribution area of Ranitomeya benedicta is in the hot, humid lowland rainforests of the Pampas del Sacramento , which spread in the south of the Loreto region and in the east of the San Martín region in Peru . The Pampas del Sacramento are bordered by the Río Ucayali in the east, by the Cordillera Azul and the Río Huallaga in the west and northwest and the regularly flooded parts of the Pacaya-Samiria nature reserve in the north. The southern distribution extends at least to the Río Cushabatay , a tributary of the Ucayali. Further south, near the town of Pucallpa , no specimens of Ranitomeya benedicta were found.

The species occurs in this distribution area with an area of ​​around 19,000 square kilometers only at altitudes above 150 meters. The large tributaries of the Amazon, the Ucayali in the east and the Huallaga in the west of the area are an insurmountable barrier to the spread of Ranitomeya benedicta . The wide floodplains of the rivers are also unsuitable for the way of life of most poison dart frogs, which are adapted to life on the terra firme , the solid ground that is not affected by flooding. The phytotelmata of bromeliads filled with rainwater are sufficient for the development of the tadpoles .

The species was found up to heights of 315 m in the Huallaga Canyon and on the upper reaches of the Cushabatay up to 405 m. It cannot be assumed that it will be found in the Cordillera Azul at much higher altitudes, but no studies have been carried out there.

The type specimen is a female that was picked up in January 2006 near the small town of Shucushuyacu (also written Shucushyacu or Shucush-yacu) on the east bank of the Río Huallaga near Yurimaguas in Peru at an altitude of 196 m.

Way of life

The species Ranitomeya benedicta lives mainly in the higher tree layers of the rainforest and was therefore only discovered in 2005. It only descends on the forest floor to reproduce. There it moves very quickly and agile between the leaves of the fallen leaves.

Three to eight light gray colored eggs are laid by the females directly in the damp foliage. The tadpoles hatch after 12 to 16 days. These are then transported by the males into the water-filled funnels of the bromeliads growing as epiphytes on the trees , which in this area mainly belong to the genus Aechmea . Often long distances are covered, which these frogs can bring behind them even in the midday heat in order to reach more favorable places for the brood. The number of suitable bromeliad funnels is limited and appears to be the limiting factor for the density of the Ranitomeya benedicta populations . The development time of the tadpoles to the frog is 70 to 90 days.

In the northern part of the Pampas del Sacramento, the range of Ranitomeya benedicta overlaps with that of two related species, the belly-spot tree creamer ( Ranitomeya ventrimaculata ) and Ranitomeya imitator . The tadpoles of the belly spot tree climber in particular are known to devour smaller specimens of other species as well as their own species when there is a lack of food. In the area where Ranitomeya benedicta occurs sympatric with the belly-spot tree climber, this dominates in the breeding funnels.

Danger

Although Ranitomeya benedicta is listed in Appendix II of the Washington Convention on Endangered Species under the former name Dendrobates fantasticus , the frog is available in pet shops in Europe even though no export license has been granted.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Jason Lee Brown, Evan Twomey, Mark Pepper and Manuel Sanchez Rodriguez: A revision of the Ranitomeya fantastica species complex and two new species of poison frogs (Anura: Dendrobatidae) from the Rio Huallaga drainage in central Peru. Zootaxa, 1832, pp. 1-24, 2008
  2. ↑ Taxonomic Checklist of CITES listed Amphibians ( Memento of the original from December 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (PDF, p. 2)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cites.org
  3. ↑ Evan Twomey and Jason Brown: Ranitomeya benedicta at Dendrobates.org. Status: 2009

literature

  • Jason Lee Brown, Evan Twomey, Mark Pepper and Manuel Sanchez Rodriguez: A revision of the Ranitomeya fantastica species complex and two new species of poison frogs (Anura: Dendrobatidae) from the Rio Huallaga drainage in central Peru. Zootaxa, 1832, pp. 1–24, 2008 full text (PDF, English; 4.27 MB)

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