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| Phyllobates terribilis (Myers, Daly, and Malkin, 1978) |
Phyllobates terribilis, the Golden Poison Frog or the Golden Dart Frog, is a poison dart frog endemic to the pacific coast of Colombia. J G Myers was employed by the Imperial Bureau of Entomology. Myers developed a special interest in Cicadas which flowered in the publication in 1929 of Insect Poison dart frog (also dart frog, poison frog or formerly poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of Frogs in the family Endemism is the Ecological state of being unique to a place Endemic species are not naturally found elsewhere The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. This amphibian of the dendrobatidae family is currently considered the most poisonous vertebrate worldwide. Prehistoric amphibian Amphibians (class Amphibia such as Frogs Toads Salamanders Newts Gymnophiona, Sirens and Poison dart frog (also dart frog, poison frog or formerly poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of Frogs in the family Vertebrates are members of the Subphylum Vertebrata, Chordates with backbones or spinal columns The grouping sometimes includes [1] The optimal habitat of P. terribilis is the rainforest with high rain rates (5 m. Rainforests are Forests characterized by high Rainfall with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm (68-78 inches or more), altitude between 100-200 m, temperature of 26°C, and relative humidity of 80-90%.
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Description
P. terribilis can reach a size of 5 cm in adulthood. The adults are brightly colored, without dark spots. The frog's color pattern is aposematic (which is a warning pigmentation to warn predators of its toxicity). The frog has tiny adhesive disks in its toes which aid climbing of plants. It also has a bone plate in the lower jaw, which gives the frog the appearance of having teeth, a distinctive feature not observed in the other species of Phyllobates. Phyllobates is a genus of Poison dart frogs native to South America, from Nicaragua to Colombia. The frog is normally diurnal (active during the day). Phyllobates terribilis occurs in three different color varieties or morphs:
Mint Green
This morph exists in the La Brea area of Colombia and is the most common form seen in captivity. The name "mint green" is actually rather misleading as the frogs of this morph can be metallic green, pale green, or white.
Yellow
The yellow morph of Phyllobates terribilis is the reason it has the common name, Golden poison dart frog. Yellow terribilis are found in Quebrada Guangui, Colombia. These frogs can be pale yellow to a deep, golden yellow color. A frog sold under the name "Gold terribilis" was once believed to be a deeper yellow terribilis. However, genetic tests have proven these frogs to be a uniform colored morph of Phyllobates bicolor. The Black-legged Dart Frog ( Phyllobates bicolor) also known as the bicolored dart frog or Neari in Choco is the second most toxic of the wild Poison
Orange
While not as common as the other two morphs, orange terribilis exist in Colombia as well. They tend to be a metallic orange or yellow-orange color, with varying intensity.
Reproduction
Sexual maturity is reached at around 13-18 months (sizes around 37mm for males, and 41mm for females). Mating occurs during the season of most intense rains (monsoon). A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months The male calls the female with a buzzing song, and the female deposits the eggs (13-14 eggs usually) under leaves, where the male fertilizes them. Both the male and the female check the eggs often, to maintain the humidity or to protect them from predation. After the eclosion the male carries the tadpoles on its back, until they finish their metamorphosis (about 2 months). A pupa ( Latin pupa for doll pl pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some Insects undergoing transformation A tadpole or polliwog (also pollywog, polliwig, polewig, or polwig) is the wholly aquatic larval stage in the life cycle of Metamorphosis is a Biological process by which an Animal physically develops after Birth or hatching involving a conspicuous and relatively
Feeding
The main natural sources of food of P. terribilis are the ants from Brachymyrmex and Paratrechina genera, but many kinds of insect and other small invertebrates can be devoured, specifically termites and beetles. There is also an ant from a different genus called "Yellow crazy ant" Anoplolepis gracilipes. An invertebrate is an Animal lacking a Vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal Species — all animals except those in the Chordate The termites are a group of Social Insects usually classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera (but see also taxonomy Beetles are the group of Insects with the largest number of known Species. This frog is considered the most voracious of the dendrobatidae family. [2]
In captivity, the frog is fed with Drosophila fruit flies, cochineals and crickets (Gryllidae), the larvae of various insects, and other small live invertibrate foods. Drosophila is a Genus of small flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "fruit flies" Cochineal is the name of both Crimson or Carmine Dye and the cochineal insect ( Dactylopius coccus) a scale Crickets, family Gryllidae (also known as "true crickets" are Insects somewhat related to Grasshoppers and more closely related to katydids An adult frog can eat food items much larger in relation to its size than most other frogs.
Poison
The Golden Poison Frog's alkaloid poison, one of a number of poisons common to dart frogs (batrachotoxins), prevents nerves from transmitting impulses, leaving the muscles in an inactive state of contraction. This article is about the chemical compounds alkaloids For the Pharmaceutical company in the Republic of Macedonia see Alkaloid (company. In the context of Biology, poisons are substances that can cause damage, Illness, or Death to Organisms usually by Batrachotoxins ( BTX) are extremely potent Cardiotoxic and Neurotoxic steroidal Alkaloids found in certain species of frogs ( A nerve is an enclosed cable-like bundle of peripheral Axons (the long slender projections of Neurons. Muscle (from Latin musculus, diminutive of mus "mouse" is contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the This can lead to heart failure or fibrillation. Heart failure is a Cardiac condition that occurs when a problem with the structure or function of the Heart impairs its ability to supply Fibrillation is the rapid irregular and unsynchronized contraction of the muscle fibers of the Heart. Alkaloid batrachotoxins can be stored by frogs for years after the frog is deprived of a food-based source, and such toxins do not readily deteriorate, even when transferred to another surface. Chickens and dogs have died from contact with a paper towel on which a frog had walked. The chicken ( Gallus gallus, sometimes G gallus domesticus) is a domesticated Fowl which is traditionally believed to have descended from The dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated Subspecies of the gray wolf, a Mammal of the Canidae family of the order Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon printing upon or packaging [3][4]
The average dose carried will vary between locations, and consequent local diet, but the average wild P. terribilis is generally estimated to contain about one milligram of poison, enough to kill about 10,000 mice. For other uses of the words gram or gramme see Gram (disambiguation. This estimate will vary in turn, but most agree that this dose is enough to kill between 10 and 20 humans. [5]
This extraordinarily lethal poison is very rare. Batrachotoxin is only found[6] in three poisonous frogs of Colombia (genus Phyllobates) and two poisonous birds of Papua New Guinea: Pitohui dichrous and Ifrita kowaldi. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. Phyllobates is a genus of Poison dart frogs native to South America, from Nicaragua to Colombia. Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Papua New Guinea (or ˈpæpjuːə in Tok Pisin: Papua Niugini) officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania The Hooded Pitohui, Pitohui dichrous is a Songbird of New Guinea with black and orange plumage The Blue-capped Ifrita ( Ifrita kowaldi) also known as the Ifrit, is a small insectivorous bird endemic to the rainforests of New Guinea Other related toxins are Histrionicotoxin and Pumiliotoxin, which are found in frog species from the genus Dendrobates. Pumiliotoxin251Dpng|thumb|right| Pumiliotoxin 251D]] Pumiliotoxins (PTXs are one of several toxins found in the skin of Poison dart frogs Closely related though Dendrobates is a genus of Poison dart frogs native to South America. [7]
The golden poison frog, like most other poisonous frogs, stores its poison in skin glands. The skin is the outer covering of living tissue of an animal (or plant Due to their poison, the frogs taste vile to predators; P. terribilis' poison kills whatever eats it, except for a snake, Liophis epinephelus. A snake is an elongate Reptile of the suborder Serpentes Like all reptiles snakes are covered in scales. This snake is resistant to the frog's poison, but is not completely immune.
The poisonous frogs are perhaps the only creatures to be immune to this poison. Batrachotoxin attacks the sodium channels of the cells and through the ages, the frog has evolved special sodium channels that the poison can not harm. Sodium (ˈsoʊdiəm is an element which has the symbol Na( Latin natrium, from Arabic natrun) atomic number 11 atomic mass 22
Since easily purchasable foods such as fruit flies and extra-small crickets are not rich in the alkaloids required to produce batrachotoxins, captive frogs do not produce toxins and they eventually lose their toxicity in captivity. In fact, many hobbyists and herpetologists have reported that most dart frogs will not consume ants at all in captivity, though ants constitute the larger portion of their diet in the wild. This is likely due to the unavailability of the natural prey species of ants to captive frog keepers. Though all poison frogs lose their toxicity when deprived of certain foods, and captive-bred Golden Poison Frogs are born harmless, a wild-caught poison frog can retain alkaloids for years. It is not clear which prey species supplies the potent alkaloid that gives golden poison frogs their exceptionally high levels of toxicity, or whether the frogs modify another available toxin to produce a more efficient variant, as do some of the frog's cousins from the Dendrobates family. Dendrobates is a genus of Poison dart frogs native to South America.
Thus, the high toxicity of P. terribilis appears due to consumption of a small insect or other arthropod, which may truly be the most poisonous creature on Earth. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Arthropods are Animals belonging to the Phylum Arthropoda (from Greek ἄρθρον arthron, " Joint " EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 [5]
Scientists have determined the mysterious insect probably is a small beetle from the family Melyridae. Beetles are the group of Insects with the largest number of known Species. The beetle produces the same toxin found in P. terribilis. The beetle family Melyridae is cosmopolitan. Its relatives in Colombian rainforests could be the source of the batrachotoxins found in the highly toxic Phyllobates frogs of that region. [8]
Poison frog and the indigenous people
P. terribilis is a very important frog to the local indigenous cultures, such as the Choco Emberá people in Colombia's rainforest. Emberá (also Embera, Chocó proper, Chokó, Cholo) is a group of Vernaculars belonging to the Choco Language Emberá is also a language group in Colombia & Panama Emberá languages. The frog is the main source of the poison in the darts used by the natives to hunt their food.
The Emberá people carefully expose the frog to the heat of a fire, and the frog exudes small amounts of poisonous fluid. The tips of arrows and darts are soaked in the fluid, and keep their venomous effect for over two years. [9]
Captive care
Like the other poison dart frogs, Phyllobates terribilis is harmless when raised away from its natural food source. They are a popular rainforest vivarium subject and are somewhat easier to feed than some dart frogs. A vivarium (Latin literally for "place of life" plural vivaria or vivariums) is an area usually enclosed for keeping and raising animals or Larger species of fruit flies, small crickets, waxworms, small mealworms, termites, and phoenix worms can be used if supplemented with calcium and other minerals. The temperature should be in the low to mid 20s (°C). They are sensitive to high heat and suffer from a condition called wasting syndrome if overheated for too long. They require high humidity as they come from one of the world's most humid rainforests. P. terribilis is not as territorial as most dart frogs and can successfully be kept in groups. However, they require a slightly larger enclosure due to their adult size, similar to the enclosure size used for Dendrobates tinctorius. Dendrobates tinctorius, also known by the Common name dyeing dart frog, is a species of Poison dart frog. Occasional disputes may occur, but injuries are rare, and deaths have not been reported as the result of such conflicts.
External links
- A dangerously toxic new frog (Phyllobates) used by Emberá Indians of western Colombia, with discussion of blowgun fabrication and dart poisoning - Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 161, article 2
- The True Poison-Dart Frog: The Golden Poison Frog Phyllobates terribilis
- Beetle May Be Source of Frog's Poison
References
- ^ Atlas Dr. Pez :: Phyllobates terribilis
- ^ Atlas Dr. Pez :: Phyllobates terribilis
- ^ ADW: Phyllobates terribilis: Information
- ^ WonderQuest: Most poisonous animal, Contentious ethanol debate, Do fish sleep?
- ^ a b Most poisonous creature on earth could be a mystery insect
- ^ www. chm. bris. ac. uk/motm/batrachotoxin/batrah. htm
- ^ Daly, J. W. & Witkop, B. 1971. Chemistry and pharmacology of frog venoms. In Venomous animals and their venoms. Vol II. New York: Academic Press
- ^ Most poisonous creature update: mystery solved
- ^ Atlas Dr. Pez :: Phyllobates terribilis
- Bolívar & Lötters (2004). Phyllobates terribilis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is endangered
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