Tiny dendrobatid (snout-vent length 17–24 mm; mass ≈ 1–2 g) with extreme colour polymorphism: the best-known morph shows a bright scarlet head + body contrasting with cobalt-blue limbs (“blue-jeans”), but populations range from solid orange to green-spotted yellow. Skin granular, loaded with lipophilic alkaloids that impart a slightly shiny texture. Iris dark bronze; tympanum distinct. Fingers unwebbed, toes basally webbed; adhesive discs enlarged for canopy climbing. Females 5–10 % larger than males. Tadpoles grey-brown, laterally compressed with transparent fins.
Females larger; males have swollen third finger pads and emit series of “buzz-chirp” advertisement calls.
Males 1.9 cm; females 2.2 cm SVL
1.5gr
4–6 yr wild; up to 12 yr captivit
4–6 yr wild; up to 12 yr captivit
4–6 yr wild; up to 12 yr captivit
≈ 10 mo (both sexes)
Extended rainy season (≈ February/March – October); peaks May–August
3–6 eggs clutch⁻¹; up to 4 clutches yr⁻¹ kept moist by the male
Tiny dendrobatid (snout-vent length 17–24 mm; mass ≈ 1–2 g) with extreme colour polymorphism: the best-known morph shows a bright scarlet head + body contrasting with cobalt-blue limbs (“blue-jeans”), but populations range from solid orange to green-spotted yellow. Skin granular, loaded with lipophilic alkaloids that impart a slightly shiny texture. Iris dark bronze; tympanum distinct. Fingers unwebbed, toes basally webbed; adhesive discs enlarged for canopy climbing. Females 5–10 % larger than males. Tadpoles grey-brown, laterally compressed with transparent fins.
Humid lowland and premontane rain forest (0–700 m) on the Caribbean slope and south-Pacific foothills; common in forest edges, cacao/shade-coffee plantations, and coastal thickets near bromeliad-rich trees
Diurnal leaf-litter insectivore specialised on mites & formicine ants—the dietary source of pumiliotoxins.
Social Structure & Behaviour
Territorial males (1–2 m²) call from low vegetation; engage in wrestling bouts.
Female inspects clutch daily; after hatching transports each tadpole on her dorsum to separate bromeliad axil.
Acoustic communication: single-pulse “buzz” (≈ 3.5 kHz) repeated every 6–8 s; visual flagging (arm-waving) in noisy streams.
Over 30 colour morphs documented in Costa Rica–Panamá, a textbook case of aposematic polymorphism.
Tadpoles are obligate oophages—they eat only unfertilised eggs supplied by the mother.
Skin alkaloids deter predatory spiders, but Parson’s leaf-nosed bat (Trachops cirrhosus) tolerates toxins.
Females choose nearest calling male, not the loudest—reducing predation risk during mate search.
Featured in 2019 Costa-Rican 2 000-colones bill celebrating biodiversity.
Shallow coral and rocky reefs, sand flats, seagrass beds and mangrove channels from intertidal pools to ≈ 70 m; in Costa Rica abundant around Isla del Caño, Golfo Dulce, Bahía Culebra, and Caribbean patch reefs of Cahuita.
Erect, phalloid basidiome 15 – 25 cm tall arising from an ovate “egg.” Stipe white, spongy, honey‑combed (2–3 cm Ø) supporting an olive‑brown, slimy gleba on a conical cap (4–5 cm Ø) with reticulate pits. A delicate white lace‑like indusium (8–20 cm long) hangs from beneath the cap, forming a cylindrical skirt that may reach the substrate. Volva thick, white; base rooting. Gleba emits strong carrion‑like odour to attract dipteran vectors. Spores hyaline, elliptical, 3.5 × 2.0 µm. Basidiome matures rapidly (≈ 10 h) and collapses within 1–2 days.