| Discovery | Taylor, E.H. (1958): Additions to the known herpetological fauna of Costa Rica with comments on other species III. Kansas Univ. Sci. Bull. 39(1): 3-40. |
| Type locality | North of Rio Diquis, 4.8 km north of Palmar, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. |
| Holotype | Holotype (KLJMNH 43874) and 6 syntypes (KUMNH 43875-80) in the Museum of Natural History of the University of van Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, USA. |
| Etymology | Dendrobates= tree climber, granum (L.)= grain, granulum= small grains; ferre (L.)= carry; carrying grains, referring to the granular rough skin. |
| Classification | D.granuliferus is, together with D.pumilio and D.speciosus, a member of the Dendrobates pumilio-group. |
| Synonymy | English name: Granular Poison(-arrow) Frog German name: Granulierter Pfeilgiftfrosch |
| History | Taylor (1958: 10-13) collected the type material close to Palmar in south-west Costa Rica in 1952. He thought the species to be closely related to D.typographus, a name that is nowadays synonym of D.pumilio. Later authors like Savage (1968: 760) and Silverstone (1975: 36) all see D.granuliferus as a good species from the D.pumilio group. They both mention specimens with a yellow back from the northern part of the distribution area and see these as a colour variation. |
| Physical description | Small species at 19-22 mm. The skin on the back is highly granular. The top of the back is red, orange red, orange, yellow or green-yellow, depending on the individual variation and population. The top of the hind legs is green to blue-green. The belly is a lighter green to whitish. The eye is black. |
| Distribution | Taylor (1958) mentions this species only in the type locality. Silverstone mentions more localities south of Palmar Norte like Piedras Blancas, Golfito and on the Osa Peninsula. Besides he mentions a locality north of Quepos, about 100 km NW, of Palmar Norte, where animals with a yellow-orange back can be found in stead of the red variety. Jorgens (1994: 15) confirms this and mentions that the Rio Damitas (near San Rafael) is the northwestern border of the distribution area. The southeastern border of the distribution area is south of Golfito. Here the orange-red animals can be found. All locations are between 50 and 700 m elevation. |
| Biotope | The biotope of D.granuliferus are to be found in moist or wet lowland rainforest on slightly mountainous terrain. Here the live on the banks of small streams and on the sides of stream valleys. They live between rocks, fallen leaves and tree roots. Bromeliads are rarely found in the biotope, but a lot of Dieffenbachia longispata and Heliconia species, that might be used to drop the tadpoles. Air temperature is about 25°C during the day, but can be lower. Especially in the early in the morning the temperature can be about 20-22°C and the animals will still be very active. |
| Care and breeding | The vivarium for D.granuliferus has to be decorated like most poison frogs: moist absorbing material on the bottom and walls (fern root is the best); peat and/or leaves and/or fern root. Some pieces of wood and a small oak log with bromeliads to finish decorating. Make sure the humidity is high by regular spraying. Temperature during the day up to 25°C and dropping at night to 20°C. It seems to be recommendable to not have the vivarium too small. Meyer (1992), who bred D. granuliferus successfully, used vivaria of 80 x 40 x 40 cm for a couple or trio. The male takes care of the brood (2-5 eggs). The eggs hatch after 19 days and are brought to water in bromeliads, plastic film boxes or other small pools of water by the female (!) one by one. She returns to the tadpoles regularly to feed the with non-fertilised eggs. Metamorphoses takes 87-212 days (see Meyer, 1992 and 1993 for more detailed data). |
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