Uakari Poison Frog

Appearance

Ranitomeya uakarii is a small frog with a snout-vent length of about 15.4 mm (range: 13.04-16.16 mm). The head is slightly narrower than the body, with the widest part of the head occurring between the eyelids. The snout is rounded in dorsal view, slopes in profile, and is truncate ventrally. The canthus rostralis is rounded with a flat or slightly concave loreal region. The tongue is oval-shaped and small, and teeth are lacking. Eyes are very protuberant. The tympanum is round and partially concealed by skin posterodorsally. Hands are small with expanded discs are present on all fingers except finger I. Relative length of fingers is 3>4>2>. Finger III is twice as wide as distal end of adjacent phalanx. A large, round outer metacarpal tubercle is present on the base on the palm, and a smaller inner metacarpal tubercle is found on the base of finger I. Supernumerary tubercles, lateral fringes, and webbing are absent on the hands and feet. Limbs are short. Relative lengths of toes is 4>3>5>2>1. Moderate-sized inner and small outer metatarsal tubercles are moderately protuberant and rounded on the surface. Skin in preservative is completely smooth all over.

In life, coloration on the dorsum and upper flanks is black with a red-orange vertebral line and red-orange paired dorsolateral stripes. A yellow flank stripe is also present. Hands, feet, limbs, and belly are blue with small, finely reticulated black dots and larger spots. The throat is yellow with black spots and a large black gular spot. The iris is black. In preservative, the dorsolateral and vertebral stripes turn pinkish yellow, while the oblique lateral stripes and throat turn silver-white.

Distribution

This wide-ranging species can be found in the lowland Amazonian rainforests of Brazil (States of Acre and Amazonas), Colombia (Departments of Amazonas and Caquetá), Guyana (Potaro-Siparuni) and Peru (Regions of Huánuco, Loreto, Madre de Dios and possibly Ucayali) (Brown et al. 2011). It may also possibly occur in Bolivia (Department of Pando)(Brown et al. 2011).

Status

Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population and occurrence in a region where there is still a considerable area of suitable habitat available to the species.

Behavior

Males have been observed to carry one to four tadpoles to large phytotelmata (water bearing plants) such as bromeliads (Brown et al. 2006). This species breeds year round. Clutches vary between 2-7 eggs (average ~3) and if food and breeding pools are abundant, females can breed 1-4 times a month.

Habitat

It occurs in primary and old-growth secondary forests. It spends most of its time on the forest floor; however, it occasionally ventures a few meters into the canopy.