Tadpoles of the dyeing poison dart frog Dendrobates tinctorius (Cuvier, 1797) from eastern Amazonia

Abstract

The dendrobatid genus Dendrobates Wagler currently includes five species distributed from southern Nicaragua throughCosta Rica, Panama, and Colombia to the Guianas and adjacent Brazil (Frost 2023). Two species are found in Brazil:Dendrobates leucomelas Steindachner and D. tinctorius (Cuvier). The latter was originally described from “Amérique”,and a neotype was designed by Silverstone (1975) from the Rivière Matarony, French Guiana. In Brazil, it is found inthe States Amapá and Pará (Avila-Pires et al. 2010; Taucce et al. 2022). It is a diurnal species that inhabits the leaf litterof rainforests, and exhibits polymorphism with various distinct post-metamorphic color patterns (Rojas & Pašukonis2019). Due to its popularity in the pet trade it is listed under Appendix II of CITES. Adults deposit clutches in the leaflitter, typically containing 2–14 eggs that hatch within 14–28 days. Males then transport the tadpoles to small waterbodies, e.g., palm bracts, bromeliads, or tree holes (Born 1994; Born et al. 2010; Rojas & Pašukonis 2019). Tadpoleshave a varied diet, including detritus, insect larvae and other tadpoles, often conspecific. Metamorphosis typically occursbetween 90 and 120 days after oviposition (Masurat & WolfRudiger 1991; Born 1994; Rojas & Pašukonis 2019). Theexternal morphology of a tadpole from the western slope of Vier Gebroeders Mountain in Surinam was briefly describedby Hoogmoed (1969) as D. azureus Hoogmoed, which is now considered a synonym of D. tinctorius (Wollenberg et al.2008). Silverstone (1975) provided additional descriptions and illustrations of the body and oral apparatus of specimensfrom Serra do Navio (Amapá, Brazil). Lescure (1984) provided a draft of the oral apparatus and body, but without anymorphological description. Finally, the chondrocranium morphology of these tadpoles was described by Haas (2003).Despite previous studies addressing the external morphology of D. tinctorius larvae, there are still several aspects thathave not been adequately described, and some character-states require further examination. Thus, in the present study, theexternal morphology of D. tinctorius is redescribed following current standards for larval descriptions.