Lithodytes lineatus
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Lithodytes is a genus of frogs in the family of Leptodactylidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species, Lithodytes lineatus, also commonly known as the gold-striped frog or painted antnest frog. It is found in tropical South America where it lives in humid forests among the leaf litter. These frogs build foam nests at the edge of temporary pools, and the tadpoles develop within these. The frogs also associate with certain leafcutter ants (Atta cephalotes) and breed inside their nests without being attacked by the ants.
The female Lithodytes lineatus grows to a length ranging from 38 and 52 mm (1.5 and 2.0 in), and the male is slightly smaller. It has a slender body and blunt snout. The overall color is black apart from a pair of yellow lateral stripes running from the snout to the groin, where there is a red or orange patch. The limbs are brown banded with black.
This frog is similar in appearance to the brilliant-thighed poison frog (Allobates femoralis), Ameerega hahneli, and the Amazonian poison-dart frog Ameerega picta. By mimicking the appearance of the toxic species, Lithodytes lineatus avoids detection by predators.
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Ecuador · 2025
© Marc Anderson · XC1002278 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Recording0:30
Peru · 2018
© Fabricio Gorleri · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:10
Ecuador · 2026
© Alex Bentley · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 4 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Antnest Frog sighting in Manu National Park on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 25th most-seen of the 67 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Antnest Frog in Manu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to June, the lowest months. That is one of Manu National Park's wettest months, with about 240 mm of rain against 60 mm in August.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Painted Antnest Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Painted Antnest Frog sightings, Manu National Park ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (Ecuador, about 40%), Yasuní National Park (Ecuador, about 20%) and Tambopata National Reserve (Peru, about 20%).
Same family: Leptodactylidae
The closest relatives of the Painted Antnest Frog that you can see in Manu National Park (family Leptodactylidae, Southern Frogs) are Peru white-lipped frog (about 30%), Madre de Dios Thin-toed Frog (about 30%) and Freiberg's Foam-Frog (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Painted Antnest Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Manu National Park (24 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.
