AmphibiaWeb - Aromobatidae
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Aromobatidae

139 species in 5 genera

Commonly Called Cryptic Forest Frogs, Cryptic Poison Frogs


Allobates femoralis
Photo by Alessandro Catenazzi
(Click for family gallery)

Native to Central and South America, the Aromobatidae are cryptic, forest floor dwelling frogs and are sister group to the colorful Poison Dart frog family Dendrobatidae. The species in this family were considered subfamilies of Dendrobatidae (Allobatinae, Anomaloglossinae, and Aromobatinae) until its recognition in 2006 by Grant et al. as a separate family. Blackburn and Wake (2011) in their survey of taxonomy no longer recognize these subfamilies.

In contrast to its sister clade, aromobatids are cryptically colored and lack toxic skin alkaloids. Most species deposit small clutches of eggs and display a high degree of parental care such as transporting tadpoles between water sources (e.g., small streamside pools, bromeliads, and leaf nests) or may lay trophic eggs to feed tadpoles. Many species are also known for their social behaviours such as males calling to defend territories or scarce resources such as ideal egg deposition and tadpole-rearing sites. Males may call throughout the day.

Written by AmphibiaWeb

Notable Family Characteristics

  • Mostly diurnal, with one known exception
  • Lack ability to sequester alkaloids in the skin (unlike sister clade Dendrobatidae). Some are known for their noxious odor.
  • Eggs are laid, hatch into tadpoles, and cared for by parents. Some have endotrophic tadpoles, which develop into froglets
  • Males may call and defend territories, such as limited egg deposition and tadpole-rearing sites
  • Morphological characters include moderate to extensive toe webbing
  • Distribution limited to the neotropical rainforests of Central and South America
Aromobatidae Richness map

Relevant Reference

Blackburn, D. C., and D. B. Wake. 2011. Class Amphibia Gray, 1825. Zhang, Z.-q. ed., Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness. Zootaxa 3148: 3955.

Grant, T., D. R. Frost, J. P. Caldwell, R. Gagliardo, C. F. B. Haddad, P. J. R. Kok, D. B. Means, B. P. Noonan, W. E. Schargel, and W. C. Wheeler. 2006. Phylogenetic systematics of dart-poison frogs and their relatives (Amphibia: Athesphatanura: Dendrobatidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 299: 1-262 [PDF]

Pough, F. H., R. M. Andrews, M. L. Crump, A. H. Savitzky, K. D. Wells, and M. C. Brandley. 2015. Herpetology. Fourth Edition. Massachusetts: Sinauer.

Santos, J.C. and Cannatella, D.C. 2011. Phenotypic integration emeges from aposematism and scale in poison frogs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 108, 61756180.

Santos JC, Coloma LA, Summers K, Caldwell JP, Ree R, Cannatella DC (2009) Amazonian Amphibian Diversity Is Primarily Derived from Late Miocene Andean Lineages. PLoS Biol 7(3): e1000056. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000056

Tarvin, R.D., Borghese, C.M., Sachs, W., Santos, J.C., Lu, Y., O'Connell, L.A., Cannatella, D.C., Harris, R.A., Zakon, H.H., (2017). "Interacting amino acid replacements allow poison frogs to evolve epibatidine resistance." Science 22 Sep 2017 : 1261-1266

Vitt, L. J., and J. P. Caldwell. 2013. Herpetology. An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. Fourth Edition. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Genus Allobates (65 species)
Allobates albiventris no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates alessandroi no account photos no sound/video
Allobates algorei no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates amissibilis no account photos no sound/video
Allobates bacurau no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates bromelicola no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates brunneus account photos no sound/video
Allobates caeruleodactylus no account photos no sound/video
Allobates caldwellae no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates carajas no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates caribe no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates cepedai no account photos no sound/video
Allobates chalcopis account photos no sound/video
Allobates conspicuus no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates crombiei no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates femoralis account photos sound/video
Allobates flaviventris account photos sound/video
Allobates fratisenescus no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates fuscellus no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates gasconi no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates goianus no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates granti no account photos no sound/video
Allobates grillicantus no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates grillisimilis account photos no sound/video
Allobates hodli no account photos no sound/video
Allobates humilis no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates ignotus account no photos no sound/video
Allobates insperatus no account photos no sound/video
Allobates juami account no photos no sound/video
Allobates juanii no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates kamilae no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates kingsburyi no account photos no sound/video
Allobates magnussoni account no photos no sound/video
Allobates mandelorum no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates marchesianus account photos sound/video
Allobates masniger no account photos no sound/video
Allobates mcdiarmidi no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates melanolaemus no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates myersi account photos no sound/video
Allobates nidicola no account photos no sound/video
Allobates niputidea no account photos no sound/video
Allobates nunciatus no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates olfersioides account photos no sound/video
Allobates ornatus account photos no sound/video
Allobates pacaas no account photos no sound/video
Allobates paleci no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates paleovarzensis account photos no sound/video
Allobates picachos no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates pittieri no account photos no sound/video
Allobates ranoides no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates ripicolus no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates sanmartini no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates sieggreenae account no photos no sound/video
Allobates subfolionidificans no account photos no sound/video
Allobates sumtuosus no account photos no sound/video
Allobates talamancae account photos no sound/video
Allobates tapajos no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates tinae no account photos no sound/video
Allobates trilineatus no account photos no sound/video
Allobates undulatus no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates vanzolinius no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates velocicantus no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates vicinus no account no photos no sound/video
Allobates wayuu account no photos no sound/video
Allobates zaparo account photos no sound/video

Genus Anomaloglossus (32 species)
Anomaloglossus apiau no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus ayarzaguenai no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus baeobatrachus no account photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus beebei no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus blanci no account photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus breweri no account photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus degranvillei no account photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus dewynteri no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus guanayensis no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus kaiei no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus leopardus no account photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus meansi no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus megacephalus no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus mitaraka no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus moffetti account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus murisipanensis no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus parimae no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus parkerae account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus praderioi no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus roraima account photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus rufulus no account photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus saramaka no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus shrevei no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus stepheni account photos sound/video
Anomaloglossus surinamensis no account photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus tamacuarensis no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus tepequem no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus tepuyensis no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus triunfo no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus vacheri no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus verbeeksnyderorum no account no photos no sound/video
Anomaloglossus wothuja no account photos no sound/video

Genus Aromobates (19 species)
Aromobates alboguttatus no account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates cannatellai no account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates capurinensis no account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates duranti no account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates ericksonae no account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates haydeeae no account photos no sound/video
Aromobates inflexus no account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates leopardalis no account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates mayorgai no account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates meridensis no account photos no sound/video
Aromobates molinarii no account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates nocturnus account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates ornatissimus no account photos no sound/video
Aromobates orostoma no account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates saltuensis no account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates serranus no account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates tokuko no account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates walterarpi no account no photos no sound/video
Aromobates zippeli no account no photos no sound/video

Genus Mannophryne (21 species)
Mannophryne caquetio no account no photos no sound/video
Mannophryne collaris no account photos no sound/video
Mannophryne cordilleriana no account no photos no sound/video
Mannophryne herminae no account photos no sound/video
Mannophryne lamarcai no account photos no sound/video
Mannophryne larandina no account no photos no sound/video
Mannophryne leonardoi no account no photos no sound/video
Mannophryne molinai no account no photos no sound/video
Mannophryne neblina no account no photos no sound/video
Mannophryne oblitterata no account no photos no sound/video
Mannophryne olmonae account photos no sound/video
Mannophryne orellana no account no photos no sound/video
Mannophryne phylidros no account no photos no sound/video
Mannophryne riveroi no account photos no sound/video
Mannophryne speeri no account no photos no sound/video
Mannophryne trinitatis no account photos no sound/video
Mannophryne trujillensis no account no photos no sound/video
Mannophryne urticans no account no photos no sound/video
Mannophryne venezuelensis no account no photos no sound/video
Mannophryne vulcano no account no photos no sound/video
Mannophryne yustizi no account photos no sound/video

Genus Rheobates (2 species)
Rheobates palmatus no account photos no sound/video
Rheobates pseudopalmatus no account photos no sound/video


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