Dendrobates Variabilis at www.poison-frogs.com

Poison Frogs - Species - Dendrobates Variabilis

Discovery	Zimmermann, H. R E. Zimmermann (1988): Etho-Taxonomie und zoogeographische Artengruppenbildung bei Pfeilgiftfroschen (Anura: Dendrobatidae). Salamandra 24(2/3): 125-160.
Type locality	'Departamento San Martin, Peru' (Zimmermann und Zimmermann, 1988). Terra typica restricta: 'km 27 der Strasse von Tarapoto nach Yurimaguas' (Henle, 1992).
Holotype	Holotype (SMNS 7054) is located in the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde in Stuttgart, Germany, collected by Rainer Schulte in 1983. Syntype (ZFMK 40732) in the Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn, Germany.
Etymology	variabilis (Latin, adi.) = variable; referring to the great variance in size, shape and size and amount of spots on the body.
Classification	Dendrobates variabilis is a member of the D.quinquevittatus-group
Synonymy	English name: Variable Poison (-arrow) Frog / Zimmermann's Poison Frog German name: Variabeler Baumsteigerfrosch None. Caldwel 1 & Myers (1990, Amer. Mus. Novit. 2988: 16) thought D.variabilis to be a synonym of D. ventrimaculatus.
History	Helmut and Elke Zimmermann described this species in 1988 in their survey of Dendrobatidae based on feeding behaviour and distribution. The holotype was collected in 1983 by Rainer Schulte in the department San Martin in Peru. They were able to distinguish this species from the similar D. imitator by call and the round spot pattern on the head. With D. variabilis this is always a round black spot and with D.imitator it is two black spots. Caldwell & Myers (1990) saw D. variabilis for the time being as synonym of D. ventrimaculatus because they thought the physical description and type locality were not founded enough. Zimmermann & Zimmermann did not specify the type locality on purpose to avoid threat. Henle (1992) points out that vanishing biotope is one of the main threats for tropical frogs and not so much the capturing by traders. Important for protection is the possibility to determine the species and for hard to distinguish species the type locality is essential. The holotype of D.variabilis was collected by Schulte 27 km away from Tarapoto on the road to Yurimaguas.
Physical description	D.variabilis is a small species: 15.5 - 17.8 mm. The females are a bit bigger then the males. The back and flanks are slightly granular with an intensive green or green-yellow base and round, black spots some times flowing into each other. On its head D.variabilis always has a big black spot. The throat is green with some black spots and a blue-green belly with a large amount of black spots or speckles. The limbs are green that is black speckled.
Distribution	The only exact known location is the type locality: 27 km north-east of Tarapoto along the road to Yurimaguas. This location is on the eastern slope of the Andes in the upper Rio Huallaga drainage, a tributary of the Rio Ucayali-Amazon, in San Martin Province, central Peru. From this area there are more reports of frogs from the D.quinquevittatus-group (e.g. red D. imitator) but it is unclear to which species they belong and where the boundaries are between species like D. imitator, D. ventrimaculatus, D. fantasticus, D.vanzolinii, D. 1amasi, D.biolat, D.captivus and D.mysteriosus.
Biotope	The natural biotope is tropical mountain rain forest on the foot of the Andes, 500 tot 800 m elevation. Humidity is high and temperatures are between 23 and 25°C. The animals can be found in the vegetation. It seems to be a tree dwelling species, but exact data is not available.
Care and breeding	There is not a lot of experience with D.variabilis, but a small group of breeders in Germany, USA and The Netherlands are successfully keeping them. A vivarium of 40 x 40 x 60 cm (l x d x h) should be big enough for 4 -5 animals. Make sure the males do not get to close! Moist absorbing material on bottom and walls and decorated with some pieces of wood and bromeliads complete the interior. Offer the some plastic film boxes as hiding place and place to lay their eggs. Spraying on a regular basis to ensure high humidity an a temperature of about 25°C. They feed on small fruit flies, springtails and mites. Now and then dusted with vitamins. Breeding has been successful several times and is similar to other members of the D. quinquevittatus-group. Females are round, but the only sure distinction between males and females is the call of the male, a soft buzzing sound. When the female has eggs, she walks over to the calling male. The 2 to 10 eggs are usually laid on the leave of a bromeliad close to the edge of water. Supposedly the male leaves his sperm into the water. After 12-14 days the eggs hatch and are brought to the funnel of a bromeliad by the male. The larvae are released one by one, although more of them climb on his back. At 22-23°C metamorphosis takes about 8 weeks. The froglets can be raised on mites, springtails and small fruit flies. Within a year they are full grown and ready to breed.
Foto's	foto's published here with the kind permission of www.kwekerijrana.nl
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