Epipedobates Zaparo at www.poison-frogs.com

Poison Frogs - Species - Epipedobates Zaparo

Discovery	Silverstone, Ph.A. (1976): A revision of the poison-arrow frogs of the genus Phyllobates Bibron in Sagra (family Dendrobatidae). Sci. Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. LA Cty. 25: 1-53.
Type locality	2 km west of Canelos, Provincia de Pastaza, Ecuador, 580 m'
Holotype	The holotype (number: KU 120669) of Phyllobates zaparo, collected by H.W. Henderson on 9 July 1968 and a syntype (number: KU 120670), coming from 'Sarayacu, on the Rio Pastaza, alt. 400 m. in Ecuador, collected by John D. Lynch, are located in the Museum of Natural History of the University of Kansas, in Lawrence, Kansas, USA. Two syntypes (number: UMMZ 129358) coming from 'Alpayacu, a small stream near Mera, Pastaza', ca. 100 m elevation according to Silverstone (1976) and collected by W. Clarke-McIntyre and number UMMZ 90370, collected near the Rio Pucuno, Napo system (alt. 300 m) are located in the Museum of Zoology of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. About fourteen syntypes of several locations in the drainage of the Rio Pastaza and the Rio Napo in Ecuador, collected by G. Ords, are located in the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, USA.
Etymology	Called after the Ziparo Indians from eastern Ecuador.
Classification	Epipedobates zaparo is a member of the Epipedobates petersi-subgroup of the Epipedobates petersi-group according to Schulte (1999).
Synonymy	Dutch name: Ziparo-gifkikker English name: Sanguine Poison(-arrow) Frog Phyllobates zaparo, Dendrobates zaparo
History	Silverstone (1976, Nat. Hist. Mus. LA Cty Sci. Bull. 27: 33-35) in his revision of Dendrobatidae described this species as Phyllobates zaparo. In Phyllobates he placed all frogs with: (1) small finger disks, (2) the first finger is shorter then or of equal length to the second and (3) with a partial or completely coloured back. Within the genus Phyllobates he placed four sub-groups, of which the Ph.bicolor-group, after re-classification by Myers (1987) is seen as the only real Phyllobates. Ph.zaparo was placed in the Ph.femoralis-group by Silverstone (1976: 27), together with femoralis, boulengeri, espinosai, tricolor and anthonyi. Since 1976 a lot more knowledge has been collected about the small colourful frogs from the western part of the Amazon drainage. First Myers' (1987) re-classification of the family Dendrobatidae, in which zaparo was added to the genus Epipedobates, with an additional twenty species. Jungfer (1989, Salamandra 25(2): 91) studied all small frogs with red, granular backs and described two new species (Epipedobates ardens and E.bilinguis) and thought them to belong to a group of related species, also known as the E.parvulus-group. To this group other species like Epipedobates canairachi (Schulte, 1989) and Epipedobates macero (Rodriguez & Myers, 1993) were counted as well. Schulte (1999: 214-216 and 261 e.f.) use the call of the males as distinctive characteristic to further divide this group. The species with a vibrating sound he placed into their own group the Epipedobates parvulus-group, that are more related to the species of the Epipedobates espinosai / tricolor group. The species with a two-tone call (E.petersi, E.zaparo, E.bilinguis, E.canairachi and E.macero) he placed in the Epipedobates petersi-subgroup of the E.petersi-group.
Physical description	E.zaparo is a medium sized species, females up to 30,5 mm. The males stay a bit smaller. The skin on the back and upper side of the limbs is strongly granular. The skin on the belly is smooth. Maxillaire and premaxillaire teeth are present. The snout is rounded seen from above and from the side. The tympanum is about half the size of the eye. The finger disks on the fingers are small and the first finger is longer then the second finger, webbings are absent, although between the toes 2, 3 and 4 rudimentary webbings are present. The granuli on the back are red to brown-red. The dorsal skin between the granuli is black, just like the flanks. The stripe on the upper lip is coloured green-yellow. The ventrolateral stripe is coloured white. The upper side of the arms are light brown with dark spots. The upper side of the hind legs is brown with black spots or black with a blue-grey marbled pattern. The belly and the underside of the arms are black marbled and marbled with pale blue-grey. The iris is black with a bronze ring around the pupil.
Distribution	The holotype was collected in the surroundings of Canelos, to the south-east of Puyo, in the river basin of the Rio Pastaza in Ecuador. Other syntypes have been collected in Sarayacu, further down stream on the Rio Pastaza and another series of syntypes from the Orcds collection from the U.S. Natural History Museum collected in the river basin of the Rio Pastaza in Ecuador. Some syntypes came from a river basin more to the north, the Rio Napo in Ecuador. Jungfer (1989) mentions E.zaparo in the river basin of the Rio Pastaza in Peru as well. Henle (1992: 104) mentions a specimen of this species from Capahuari Sur in the far north of Peru in the river basin of the Rio Pastaza. Rodriguez & Duellman (1994) mention a species from Peru as well. Duellman & Mendelson III (1995: 366) mention the locations San Jacinto and Teniente Lopez in the northern part of the department Loreto, in northern Peru. Schulte (1999, Pfeilgiftfrosche, "Artenteil Peru": 214-216) shows that the distribution area is spread more widely into Peru and mentions a finding near the road Iquitos-Nauta.
Biotope	The original biotope of Epipedobates zaparo is the undisturbed rainforest on the lower eastern slope of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru and the bordering Amazon low land rainforest. This species has been found on 230 to 1000m elevation. The species lives in the leave litter in the forest on a laterite (containing high amounts of iron, red.) bottom. Besides they have been found in secondary vegetation and abandoned cultivated areas like old cacao plantations. De Haas measured a bottom temperature of 25°C at a location of E.zaparo in Ecuador near Misahualli. The air temperature at 2 mtr was 28°C. Humidity between 80 and 90%.
Care and breeding	For a group of 4-5 animals a vivarium of 50 x 60 x 50 should be big enough. This vivarium can be decorated with moist absorbing material on bottom and walls, some pieces of wood and some tropical ferns, orchids and bromeliads. Spraying on a regular basis and a temperature of 25°C. The animals eat al kinds of small insects. The males have a characteristic two tone call. The 15-25 eggs are placed near the bottom in small hollows or between leaves. The eggs hatch after ca. 2,5 weeks, depending on the temperature. The larvae have a typical colouring (De Haas, 1999) and complete their metamorphosis in about two months. The froglets are about 5-6 mm in size. The froglets feed on small fruit flies and springtails and are fully grown in about a year.
Foto's	The foto's published here with permission from © Jan Verkade, from his CD Herpetofauna Ecuador
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