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 AmphibiaWebNotable 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
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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