Diablito

Behaviour

These frogs use their tongue to catch insects. Ants form a major part of their diet, and the alkaloids from these  build up to form the Diablito’s own poison defences. In fact, in 2016 scientists discovered a new species of ant, Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri, by gently flushing out the stomach of a Diablito.

This frog has mating calls that are short and frequent, with an average of five calls per second. The males call from elevated perches and hold territories, though these may be just 5 metres from another male. At mating, the frogs will pursue each other, circling, crouching and touching.

Diablitos lay their eggs on plants, and the female looks after them carefully, moving them around and keeping them moist.  Once the tadpoles have hatched she transports them one at a time on her back, taking them to pools of water in bromeliad leaves. She continues to visit these pools regularly and lays further unfertilised eggs in them as a food supply for the tadpoles.

Habitat

This species lives in lowland and sub-montane rainforest on Colombia and Ecuador. It may survive in moderately degraded areas, at least in the more humid parts of its range. However, a recent study has suggested that in some areas it is actually a good indicator of primary forest and river habitat, and will not survive in secondary forests. This would have obvious implications for its likely conservation status.