Living Beings
    Source-identified Dendrobates tinctorius; Blue color form photographed in a zoo; coloration varies among populations. Framed for display
    1 / 1

    Dendrobates tinctorius - Blue poison dart frog.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Blue color form photographed in a zoo; coloration varies among populations. Krigore · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Field guide · species

    Dyeing Poison Frog

    Dendrobates tinctorius (Cuvier, 1797)

    What does the authority mean?

    The authority credits the formal scientific description of the name. A year records publication of that description.

    The parentheses indicate that the original description used a different genus. Zoological naming rules ↗

    Check the recorded name and authority ↗
    AnimaliaAmphibiaAnuraDendrobatidae

    The dyeing poison frog is a day-active tropical frog with strikingly variable colors. Its parental care connects the forest floor with small pools held in plants and other natural containers.

    Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

    Compare species
    Tree of lifeScientific lineage
    1. LifeLife
    2. DomainEukaryota
    3. KingdomAnimalia
    4. PhylumChordata
    5. ClassAmphibia
    6. OrderAnura
    7. FamilyDendrobatidae
    8. GenusDendrobates
    9. SpeciesDendrobates tinctorius
    Advanced classification

    Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

    1. cellular organisms cellular root
    2. Eukaryota domain
    3. Opisthokonta clade
    4. Metazoa kingdom
    5. Eumetazoa clade
    6. Bilateria clade
    7. Deuterostomia clade
    8. Chordata phylum
    9. Craniata subphylum
    10. Vertebrata clade
    11. Gnathostomata clade
    12. Teleostomi clade
    13. Euteleostomi clade
    14. Sarcopterygii superclass
    15. Dipnotetrapodomorpha clade
    16. Tetrapoda clade
    17. Amphibia class
    18. Batrachia superorder
    19. Anura order
    20. Neobatrachia suborder
    21. Hyloidea superfamily
    22. Dendrobatidae family
    23. Dendrobatinae subfamily
    24. Dendrobates genus
    25. Dendrobates tinctorius species
    Open in taxonomy explorer ↗

    Physical traits

    Different populations have different combinations of blue, yellow and black. The blue animal illustrated here represents one color form, rather than the appearance of every member of the species.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Habitat and range

    Humid forest provides leaf litter, fallen wood and water-filled cavities. Canopy gaps can create valuable breeding opportunities.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Behavior and activity

    Adults move and forage during daylight. Courtship and competition occur within a small-scale landscape of shelters and suitable pools.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Reproduction and life cycle

    Eggs develop outside open water. Males carry hatched tadpoles to small aquatic nurseries; choosing a pool matters because tadpoles can cannibalize one another.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Geographic distribution

    Native to the Guiana Shield region of northern South America. The cited field studies document populations in French Guiana.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Ecological role

    Use of plant-held water links terrestrial adults to aquatic larval habitats. Pool availability and the presence of other tadpoles influence reproductive decisions.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Distinctive adaptations

    Parental transport allows larvae to reach isolated water bodies that they could not reach from the egg site themselves.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Evidence

    Sources

    Connected life

    No reviewed ecological connections in the collection yet.

    Explore network ↗