Ranitomeya summersi, sometimes referred to as Summers' poison frog,[1] is a species of poison dart frogs found in the central Huallaga River drainage and adjacent Cordillera Azul National Park in central Peru.[1][3] Before 2008, the species was considered a subspecies of Ranitomeya fantastica.[2] The IUCN considers it an endangered species because of limited habitat range, habitat loss, and collection for the pet trade.[1][4][5]

Ranitomeya summersi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Dendrobatidae
Genus: Ranitomeya
Species:
R. summersi
Binomial name
Ranitomeya summersi
Brown, Twomey, Pepper, and Sanchez-Rodriguez, 2008[2]
Synonyms

Dendrobates summersi (Brown, Twomey, Pepper, and Sanchez-Rodriguez, 2008)

They lay their eggs primarily in Dieffenbachia plants and in holes in trees.[4]

Morphology edit

Ranitomeya summersi is one of the larger species of poison dart frogs. It has an orange and black banded pattern and a large snout to vent length. Males and females exhibit no sexual dimorphism in snout to vent length, exhibiting a range from 15.5 mm to 20.4 mm. This species possesses a black marking over the eyes extending past the tympanum giving them the appearance of a mask. The species is a Batesian mimicry of Ranitomeya Variabilis. While Ranitomeya imitator can copy the appearance of R. summersi, R. summersi can be distinguished from the imitator by its soft buzz call which can only be heard less than 1 m away, and its dark mask which covers the tympanum. In contrast the Ranitomeya imitator calls are much louder and can be heard from 5 m away.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2018). "Ranitomeya summersi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T193430A89224207. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T193430A89224207.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Brown, Jason L.; Twomey, Evan; Pepper, Mark; Rodriguez, Manuel Sanchez (16 July 2008). "Revision of the Ranitomeya fantastica species complex with description of two new species from Central Peru (Anura: Dendrobatidae)". Zootaxa. 1823: 1–24.
  3. ^ Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Ranitomeya summersi Brown, Twomey, Pepper, and Sanchez-Rodriguez, 2008". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  4. ^ a b Twomey, Evan; Brown, Jason. "Ranitomeya summersi". Dendrobates.org. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  5. ^ "Red list changes highlight threats from over-exploitation". TRAFFIC. 10 November 2011.