Classification: Introduced Species An introduced populations exist on Oahu; the species was purposefully introduced there in 1932 for mosquito control. Later on, it seems to have also become established on Maui.

Description: The green-and-black poison dart frog has the typical appearance of the members of its family. Males average 0.75 inches, while females are slightly larger, averaging an inch or longer. The green-and-black poison frog typically has mint-green coloration; however, this pigment can also be forest, lime, emerald green, turquoise, or even cobalt blue or pale yellow. Mixed with this typically green are splotches of dark color, ranging from wood brown to black. The green-and-black poison dart frog is one of the most variable of all poison frogs in appearance; some have black or brown splotches, others are dappled, or have "splashes" of black, like Oophaga sylvaticus.

Habitat: Green and Black Poison Dart Frogs inhabit tropical and subtropical rainforest trees and the leaf litter on the damp rainforest floor, usually in areas that are near small streams or pools.

Range: The green-and-black poison dart frog is found in the humid lowlands from southeastern Nicaragua on the Atlantic slope and southeastern Costa Rica on the Pacific coast through Panama to northwestern Colombia (Choco Department).

Found in these States: HI

Diet: They feed mostly on spiders and small insects, which they capture with their sticky tongues.

Reproduction: Unlike all poison dart frogs, green-and-black poison dart frogs gather in large groups before mating. They squabble over territories; eventually, each individual male frog clears a small patch for himself. Females wander among the males, with the latter then attempting to impress the former with their bird-like mating calls. Once a male has caught the attention of a female, he leads her to a site he has selected for egg deposition. The female lays her eggs, which he then fertilizes. In about 14 days, these hatch into tadpoles. Their parents, typically the male, then carry the tadpoles into the canopy, with the tadpoles sticking to the mucus on their parents' backs. The parents then deposit their tadpoles into the small pools of water that accumulate in the center of bromeliads, and guard the tadpoles while they feed on algae and small invertebrates that inhabit the tiny pool.

Status: Green And Black Poison Frog Dendrobates auratus has most recently been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2019. Dendrobates auratus is listed as Least Concern.

Subspecies: None

Taxonomy: