Phyllobates aurotaenia

The Kokoe Poison Dart Frog (Phyllobates aurotaenia) is the smallest of the three toxic members of the genus Phyllobates. While it is small, it is just as toxic as the Phyllobates bicolor when encountered in the wild. This is one of the more audible of the Poison dart frogs and has a call often described as beautiful and bird-like. The young frogs of the Phyllobates genus resemble this species, possessing black body with a green, orange, or gold U-shaped pattern starting at the snout. The two larger species' colors fill in the black, leaving a mostly solid colored frog while many P. aurotaenia retain this pattern into adulthood as well as small sky blue speckles on the black areas of the body. This species is found in the Atrato and San Juan drainages of Colombia. As a vivarium subject, this frog is an active animal that will make use of vertical space. Kokoe dart frogs are highly social frogs that require high humidity, cool temperatures, and larger prey items than many dart frogs. They do not engage in wrestling behavior among each other like other dart frogs. Males vying for a female will face off calling loudly until one will backs down. Unlike the other Phyllobates, these frogs will not breed in coconut shells; they prefer to lay their eggs inside a narrow tube (small film canisters, nut pods) on the ground. Kokoe dart frogs have 15–28 eggs at a time. They are found in green, red, narrow-banded orange or gold, and wide-banded orange or gold forms.

References

• http://www.poison-frogs.com/e02.html "Phyllobates Aurotaenia"

• Boulenger (2004). Phyllobates aurotaenia. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 23 September 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is near threatened.