Sanguine Poison Arrow Frog (Allobates zaparo)

Common Name: Sanguine Poison Arrow Frog, Zaparo’s Poison Frog, and Sanguine Poison Frog
Scientific Name: Allobates zaparo
Family: Dendrobatidae – Poison Dart Frog family
Locations: Ecuador and Peru
Size: 1.2 inches (30.5 mm)

The Sanguine Poison Arrow Frog is a diurnal (active during the day) species of frog. It can move around during the bright daylight without fear due to their bright colors that warn predators that they are poisonous. Surprise! They aren’t actually poisonous. They use batesian mimicry, where they look similar to other poisonous frogs but actually aren’t. The frog species it mimics are the Ecuador Poison Dart Frog (Ameerega bilinguis) and the Ruby Poison Dart Frog (Ameerega parvulus).  Interestingly,  in areas where both of the frogs inhabit, the Sanguine Poison Arrow Frog mimics the coloration of the Ecuador Poison Dart Frog, the less poisonous of the two.

The breeding for the Sanguine Poison Arrow Frog is pretty typical for any poison dart frog. The frogs lay their eggs on leaves and when the eggs hatch, the parents carry the tadpoles on their back to a body of water. It isn’t known which parent or if both parents carry the eggs over to the water.