What the sources say
Harlequin Poison FrogOophaga histrionica
Every figure, record and mechanism on the Harlequin Poison Frog profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 45 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.
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Source
01
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan
Oophaga histrionica. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.
- The page saysdoes not try to hide: it forages by day, relying on its warning colours
- The source says
These frogs are diurnal, being able to forage during the day without the threat of predators, due to the bright warning (aposematic) colors.
- The page saysIt measures only 2.5 to 3.8 centimetres long
- The source says
Harlequin poison dart frogs are small frogs, measuring only 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5 to 3.8 cm)
- The page saysas a bright orange frog with black web markings all over its body
- The source says
described the frog as bright orange with black web markings all over the body
- The page saysAnimal Diversity Web's 2001 account lists base colours of orange, yellow, red, white and powder-blue, with some colour forms varying from valley to valley
- The source says
there are numerous color morphs of D. histrionicus recognized, some varying from valley to valley. The morphs range in base colors of bright to dull orange, yellow, red, white, and powder-blue.
Note: 2001 is the account's own date: 'Trepanowski, P. 2001' and 'Last updated: 2001-12-10' on the page. Colour forms predate the 2018 split, so the page dates them - The page saysThe black webbing ranges from thin stripes to speckled, broken lines to an all-black frog with a few coloured spots
- The source says
The reticulated pattern can range from a standard thin stripe width to speckled, incomplete lines to an all black frog with a few colored spots
- The page saysthe bright markings probably act as a warning to potential predators
- The source says
The bright markings of D. histrionicus probably act as a warning to potential predators.
- The page saysThe frog does not make its toxin from scratch.
- The source says
This toxin is collected from the prey of these frogs and then deposited in their skin.
- The page saysit collects the toxin from its prey, mainly ants, termites, small beetles and other small arthropods in the leaf litter, and deposits it in its skin
- The source says
This toxin is collected from the prey of these frogs and then deposited in their skin. ... Their primary food preferences are ants, termites, small beetles, and other small arthropods found in the leaf litter.
- The page saysa highly toxic poison capable of repelling or even killing small predators
- The source says
produce a highly toxic poison capable of repelling or even killing small predators
- The page sayspotentially dangerous to people who handle the frog
- The source says
The skin toxins of this frog are potentially dangerous to humans who handle them
- The page saysthe skin toxin blocks nerve signals at the acetylcholine receptor of the neuromuscular junction
- The source says
The toxin found in their skin blocks neural transmission at the acetylcholine receptor of the neuro-muscular junction (Ryan, 1997).
Note: ADW's sentence follows one about poison dart frogs generally ('their skin'), so the body scopes it to poison dart frogs, not this species alone. - The page saysBreeding runs through the rainy season
- The source says
Poison dart frogs will breed throughout the rainy season.
- The page saysA male calls from a perch with a trilling buzz to draw in a female
- The source says
The males attempt to attract females by perching on a leaf and giving a trilling, buzzing call.
- The page saysshe lays her eggs on the surface of a leaf while he follows behind and fertilises them
- The source says
The female lays her eggs on the surface of a leaf while the male follows behind her and deposits his sperm.
- The page saysShe stays by the clutch to guard it
- The source says
the female will stay by her eggs to guard them
- The page saysAbout ten days later, the tadpoles break free of the jelly-like egg mass and swim onto her back using their tails
- The source says
After about ten days, the tadpoles break free from the jelly-like egg mass and use their tails to swim onto the mother's back.
- The page saysshe carries them one at a time to a separate pocket of water, usually pooled in a bromeliad's leaf axils
- The source says
The female will transfer the tadpoles one at a time to pockets of water, usually in the axils of bromeliads (air plants).
- The page saysThe tadpoles are obligate egg feeders: she returns every other day to lay infertile eggs in the water for them to eat
- The source says
D. histrionicus are obligate egg feeders, meaning to insure proper development, the tadpole must eat infertile eggs from its mother (Zamora et al 1999). The female will return to the bromeliads every other day and deposit these infertile eggs into the water.
- The page saysAfter three months of metamorphosis, the young frog climbs out of the bromeliad to start life on land
- The source says
The tadpoles need three months to complete metamorphosis. Once metamorphosis is complete, the juvenile frog will climb out of the bromeliad and begin terrestrial life on its own.
Note: sequence is the source's own: 'Once metamorphosis is complete' / 'After about ten days ... swim onto the mother's back' - The page saysAnimal Diversity Web's 2001 account placed the harlequin poison frog in rainforest from western Ecuador north through Colombia's Chocó region
- The source says
Dendrobates histrionicus is found in tropical rainforests from western Ecuador, north through the region of Colombia occupied by the Choco tribe.
Note: dated to the account's 2001 because the 2018 split narrowed the species - The page saysFrom its food.
- The source says
This toxin is collected from the prey of these frogs and then deposited in their skin.
- The page saysthe toxin is collected from the frog's prey, which is mostly ants, termites, small beetles and other tiny leaf-litter arthropods, and then deposited in its skin
- The source says
This toxin is collected from the prey of these frogs and then deposited in their skin. ... Their primary food preferences are ants, termites, small beetles, and other small arthropods found in the leaf litter.
- The page saysThe toxins are spread over the frog's entire surface.
- The source says
The skin toxins are located over the entire surface of the poison dart frogs.
- The page saysAfter hatching, the tadpoles ride on their mother's back and she ferries them one at a time to small pools, usually in the leaf axils of bromeliads
- The source says
use their tails to swim onto the mother's back. The female will transfer the tadpoles one at a time to pockets of water, usually in the axils of bromeliads
Note: sequence is the source's own: 'Once metamorphosis is complete' / 'After about ten days ... swim onto the mother's back' - The page saysThe tadpoles cannot develop properly without her unfertilised eggs, which she drops into each pool every other day
- The source says
meaning to insure proper development, the tadpole must eat infertile eggs from its mother (Zamora et al 1999). The female will return to the bromeliads every other day and deposit these infertile eggs into the water.
Note: paraphrase of 'to insure proper development, the tadpole must eat infertile eggs from its mother' - The page saysTurning into a frog takes them three months.
- The source says
The tadpoles need three months to complete metamorphosis.
- The page saysA rainforest frog just 2.5 to 3.8 centimetres long, painted like a warning label, its skin toxins collected straight from the ants, termites and beetles it eats
- The source says
measuring only 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5 to 3.8 cm) ... This toxin is collected from the prey of these frogs and then deposited in their skin.
Note: tagline - The page saysLeaf litter on the floor of humid tropical rainforest in Colombia's Chocó region
- The source says
north through the region of Colombia occupied by the Choco tribe ... are found on the floor of tropical rainforests where moist, humid conditions are present
Note: stats.habitat; Ecuador dropped with the 2018 split, the Chocó part is within the old range - The page saysAnts, termites, small beetles and other small arthropods found in leaf litter
- The source says
Their primary food preferences are ants, termites, small beetles, and other small arthropods found in the leaf litter.
Note: stats.diet - The page saysSkin toxins collected from its prey, able to repel or even kill a small predator
- The source says
capable of repelling or even killing small predators. This toxin is collected from the prey of these frogs and then deposited in their skin.
Note: stats.superpower - The page saysdangerLevel: High
- The source says
The skin toxins of this frog are potentially dangerous to humans who handle them
Note: Was Deadly. No cached source says O. histrionica can kill a person; SDZWA names the golden poison frog as the dart species. Dangerous when handled = High. - The page sayswhose male calls from a perch with a trilling, buzzing call
- The source says
The males attempt to attract females by perching on a leaf and giving a trilling, buzzing call.
Note: vibe.reason - The page saysdressed in neon warning colours
- The source says
due to the bright warning (aposematic) colors
Note: vibe.reason
Source
02
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Animals and Plants
Poison Frog. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Animals and Plants.
- The page saysPoison frogs are often called that because the Chocó people of western Colombia tip blowgun darts with frog toxin
- The source says
Poison frogs are often called poison dart frogs because the Choco people of western Colombia use the poison of one species, the golden poison frog, to coat the tips of the blow darts they use for hunting.
- The page saysSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance names one species as the frog they use, the golden poison frog, and says scientists know of only three frog species used for darts
- The source says
the Choco people of western Colombia use the poison of one species, the golden poison frog ... Scientists know of only three frog species used for this purpose
Note: Replaces ADW's 2001 claim that the Chocó tip darts with D. histrionicus secretions: the current institution page names only the golden poison frog
Source
03
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
Oophaga histrionica (Berthold, 1845). Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
- The page saysFirst described in 1845
- The source says
Oophaga histrionica (Berthold, 1845)
Note: ADW's prose says 1847 for the same Berthold description; ITIS (following Amphibian Species of the World, 2019) gives 1845, and the page follows the current taxonomic authority
Source
04
AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources
AnAge entry for Oophaga histrionica. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.
- The page saysthe AnAge ageing database records a maximum lifespan of 9.1 years in captivity
- The source says
Maximum longevity 9.1 years (captivity)
Source
05
Posso-Terranova & Andrés 2018
Posso-Terranova & Andrés (2018). Multivariate species boundaries and conservation of harlequin poison frogs. Molecular Ecology.
- The page saysOne Frog, At Least Five
- The source says
the existence of at least five different species in the histrionica complex
Note: heading - The page saysA 2018 study combining genetic, morphological and ecological data across the histrionica complex found at least five species inside it, three of them new to science
- The source says
we used next-generation targeted amplicon sequencing to obtain a robust genetic data set that we combined with patterns of morphological and ecological features. Our analyses revealed the existence of at least five different species in the histrionica complex (three, new to science)
Note: 2018 is the reference's publication year - The page sayssome in small isolated populations outside any protected area
- The source says
some of them, occurring in small isolated populations outside any protected areas
- The page sayssome of these species should be considered among the most vulnerable frogs in the Neotropics
- The source says
some of the Oophaga species should be considered among the most vulnerable of the Neotropical frogs
- The page saysWhen researchers compared DNA, anatomy and ecology across the frogs grouped under this name, they found at least five species, three of them new to science
- The source says
we used next-generation targeted amplicon sequencing to obtain a robust genetic data set that we combined with patterns of morphological and ecological features. Our analyses revealed the existence of at least five different species in the histrionica complex (three, new to science)
- The page saysSome live in small, isolated populations outside any protected area
- The source says
some of them, occurring in small isolated populations outside any protected areas
Source
06
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019
Oophaga histrionica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T144231367A144443857.
- The page saysThe IUCN lists Oophaga histrionica itself as Critically Endangered, assessed in 2019
- The source says
IUCN Red List category: Critically Endangered (CR). Oophaga histrionica (Berthold, 1845), IUCN taxon 144231367.
Note: 2019 is the assessment's year, from its DOI - The page saysCritically Endangered
- The source says
IUCN Red List category: Critically Endangered (CR)
Note: stats.conservationStatus
How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.