Most of the thumbnails have been reclassified into a separate genus, Ranitomeya, defined as "small, colorful frogs with a predominately smooth dorsal skin. The genus ranks among the evolutionary highly advanced poison frogs that do not execute a cephalic amplexus, have very small clutches with relatively large eggs from which large larvae emerge. The larvae are carried individually or in small groups of phylotomata and left to fend for themselves (with the exception of some species in the R, ventrimaculata group.) It goes on, but this is the newest proposal of dividing the species into more exacting places, and hasn't been universally accepted yet. But all of these are decidedly thumbnails, in that they are about the size of a thumb nail, but aren't obligate egg layers. The difference between the pumilio types, now under Oopaga or obligate egg feeders, and the thumbnails has always been that the other small frogs like pumilio couldn't survive without parental eggs, while those of the same size, called thumbnails, could live on parental eggs, or in some species were left on their own, but didn't need the eggs to survive if there were other sources of food. The Oophaga group cannot be raised without parental feeding and care, or at least with only rare and dubious success.



Here's a list of the Ranitomeya thumbnails: Ranitomeya minuta group incluces R. abdita, altobueyensis, bombetes, claudiae, fulgurita, minuta, opisthomelas, viridus, virolinensis. The Ventrimaculata group consists of; amazonica, biolat, duellmani, fantastica, flavovittata, imitator, (with many color variations) lamasi, (also variable colors) reticulata, uakarii, vanzolinii, variabilis, ventrimaculata. Other less known species are rubrocephala, and sirensis. That's one big collage. Check out POISON FROGS, Biology, Species & Captive Husbandry--(Lotters, Junger, Henkel, Schmidt) to see photos and descriptions of all of those I've mentioned. A university science library should have a copy of this book. You may be able to find some photos of the same species, but under the Dendrobates genus, in Jerry Walls' Jewels of the Rain Forest, which is a magnificent coffee table picture book of dart frogs. It is scientifically and information-wise, out of date, but the photos are beyond compare. If you are doing an art work collage, these two places will give you some good ideas of the beauty and diversity of these frogs to work from.
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Patty

Pahsimeroi, Idaho



Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)

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