| Photo Information |
Copyright: Thijs Hoomans (thijs)
![Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 36 W: 4 N: 42]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/s-n-s.gif) (168) |
| Genre: Animals |
| Medium: Color |
| Date Taken: 2008-01-27 |
| Categories: Amphibians |
| Camera: Fuji FinePix S5500 |
| Exposure: f/3.1, 1/80 seconds |
| More Photo Info: [view] |
| Photo Version: Original Version |
| Date Submitted: 2008-02-04 13:28 |
| Viewed: 1441 |
| Favorites: 1 [view] |
| Points: 12 |
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Back from Costa Rice, i present you my first post of this beautifull trip.
This frog is captured while i stayed a few days on the property of a lokal native with a great knowlidge of his nature. an extraordinairy experience.
I've been away for two weeks and i will absolutely post some more pictures.
Thank you for all the critiques while i was gone.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oophaga pumilio
"Blue Jeans" poison dart frog, Oophaga pumilio.
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Suborder: Neobatrachia
Family: Dendrobatidae
Genus: Oophaga
Species: O. pumilio
Binomial name
Oophaga pumilio
(Schmidt, 1857)
Synonyms
Dendrobates pumilio
The Strawberry Poison-dart frog, Oophaga pumilio is a type of poison dart frog found in Central America, with a high concentration within the nation of Costa Rica.
Oophaga pumilio is a species that exhibits a great deal of variation, comprising well over thirty different true-breeding color morphs. Aside from the obvious differences in coloring, morphs differ in habitat usage, size, vocalization, and degree of parental care. The "blue jeans" morph is the morph most popular among frog hobbyists and is generally depicted in most merchandise displaying O. pumilio. Most morphs of O. pumilio average between 18-20mm as adults.
The bright, aposematic warning colors displayed by O. pumilio are indicative of the presence of various toxins present in the frog's skin. These chemicals likely give the frog a bad taste, limiting predation. Oophaga pumilio does not possess any chemical capable of seriously harming humans, though a field worker described intense burning and mild swelling after getting skin secretions into a cut on his arm.
O. pumilio belongs to the Oophaga pumilio group, which consists of O. granuliferus, O. speciosus, and O. vicentei. The pumilio group is in turn closely related to the O. histrionicus group, which consists of O. histrionicus and O. duellmani. Collectively, this is referred to as the egg feeder group, due to their methods of parental care.
The Oophaga genus and the placement of this species into that genus is based on a study published in August, 2006 (Grant et al, 2006). Prior to that study, O. pumilio was classified as Dendrobates pumilio, and this previous classification is still the one most commonly used.
Reproduction and Parental Care
Oophaga pumilio and related frogs are notable in the amphibian world for exhibiting a high degree of parental care. After mating, the female will lay an average of three to five eggs on a leaf or bromeliad axil. The male will then ensure that the eggs are kept hydrated by transporting water in his cloaca. After about ten days, the eggs hatch and the female transports the tadpoles on her back to some sand-retaining location. In captivity, on rare occasions the male is observed transporting the tadpoles, though whether this is intentional, or the tadpoles simply hitch a ride, is unknown. Bromeliad axils are frequently used tadpole deposition sites, but anything suitable can be used, such as knots in trees, small puddles, or human trash such as aluminum cans.
Tadpoles are deposited singly at each location, as they are cannibalistic. Once this has been done, the female will come to each tadpole every few days and deposit several unfertilized food eggs. In captivity, tadpoles have been raised on a variety of diets, ranging from algae to the eggs of other dart frogs, but with minimal success. Because of this, O. pumilio group frogs are considered obligate egg feeders, as they are unable to accept any other form of nutrition.
After about a month, the tadpole will metamorph into a small froglet. Generally, they stay near their water source for a few days for protection as they absorb the rest of their tail.
Oophaga pumilio in Captivity
Oophaga pumilio is a popular frog in captivity, due to its striking colors and unique life cycle. They have been imported in vast quantities to the United States and Europe since the early 1990s, when they would typically be available for around $30 US each. However, these shipments have since stopped, and O. pumilio is much less common and available in reduced diversity. In Europe, O. pumilio is much more diverse and available due to an increased frequency of smuggling and the resulting offspring of smuggled animals. Smuggling of dart frogs is less common elsewhere, but still problematic as it kills large numbers of animals and frequently degrades or destroys viable habitat.[citation needed]
Recently, O. pumilio has been exported from Central America again in small numbers from frog farms. Because of this, pumilio have seen a huge increase in numbers in the dart frog community and is regularly available.
Bastimentos
Basti morphBastimentos pumilio or "Bastis" have recently been arriving in the United States as imports from frog farms. Bastis typically come in three morphs, being either red, yellow, or white, with black spots on the back and legs. They are all found together on Isla Bastimentos, and have been reported to be true breeding to a certain degree, despite the ease of mixing with the other varieties. |
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