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Oophaga

Genus of amphibians From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oophaga
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Oophaga is a genus of poison-dart frogs containing twelve species, many of which were formerly placed in the genus Dendrobates.[1] The frogs are distributed in Central and South America, from Nicaragua south through the El Chocó to northern Ecuador (at elevations below 1,200 m (3,900 ft)).[1][2] Their habitats vary with some species being arboreal while other being terrestrial,[3] but the common feature is that their tadpoles are obligate egg feeders.[3][1][4][5] Most species in this genus are seriously threatened and O. speciosa is already extinct.[6]

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Etymology

Oophaga, Greek for "egg eater" (oon, phagos),[7][8] is descriptive of the tadpoles' diet.[9][10]

Reproduction

While presumably all dendrobatids show parental care, this is unusually advanced in Oophaga: the tadpoles feed exclusively on trophic (unfertilized) eggs supplied as food by the mother; the father is not involved.[1][4] Through the eggs, the mother also passes defensive toxins to the tadpoles: Oophaga pumilio tadpoles experimentally fed with eggs from alkaloid-free frogs did not contain alkaloids.[11]

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Species

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There are twelve species in this genus:[2]

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Captivity

Oophaga may be kept as pets by experienced amphibian keepers, but they are challenging to breed in captivity as only parents can feed and care for tadpoles.[3]

References

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