Phyllobates lugubris
Silhouette: Gabriela Palomo-Munoz · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The lovely poison frog or lovely poison-arrow frog (Phyllobates lugubris) is a species of frog in the family Dendrobatidae. It is found on the Caribbean versant of Central America from southeastern Nicaragua through Costa Rica to northwestern Panama, with one record just west of the Panama Canal. Populations from the Pacific versant, formerly included in this species, are now identified as Phyllobates vittatus.
Adult males measure 18.5–21 mm (0.73–0.83 in) and females 21–24 mm (0.83–0.94 in) in snout–vent length. Maxillary teeth are present. The dorsum is black with a pair of dorsolateral stripes, typically pale yellow to gold or orange, running along the sides of the dorsum from near the hindlimbs to the snout. The limbs are usually mottled with yellow–greenish yellow. The ventral surfaces are mottled with extensive black pigment, often to an extent that gives nearly solid black appearance. While P. lugubris is normally toxic like other related species, some populations in Central America are not known to be toxic.
The male frog finds a concealed perch, such as in a watery area surrounded by vegetation. He then calls to the female frog. The female... Wikipedia →
Recording0:16
Costa Rica · 2022
© Marina Garrido · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monteverde Theme Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Striped Poison-Dart Frog sighting in La Amistad International Park (Panama) on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 32 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Striped Poison-Dart Frog in La Amistad International Park (Panama) on a given day, against under 5% in October, the lowest month.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Striped Poison-Dart Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Striped Poison-Dart Frog sightings, La Amistad International Park (Panama) ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica, about 40%) and Bastimentos Island National Marine Park (Panama, about 30%).
Same family: Dendrobatidae
The closest relatives of the Striped Poison-Dart Frog that you can see in La Amistad International Park (Panama) (family Dendrobatidae, Poison Dart Frogs) are Strawberry Poison-dart Frog (about 50%), Green and Black Dart-poison Frog (about 30%) and Rainforest Rocket Frog (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Striped Poison-Dart Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in La Amistad International Park (Panama) (34 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
