Phyllobates lugubris
Silhouette: Gabriela Palomo-Munoz · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
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 |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Striped Poison-Dart Frog sighting in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 44 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 18 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and July
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Striped Poison-Dart Frog in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against about 20% in March and April, the lowest months.
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.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Striped Poison-Dart Frog sightings, Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Bastimentos Island National Marine Park (Panama, about 30%) and La Amistad International Park (Panama) (Panama, about 10%).
Same family: Dendrobatidae
The closest relatives of the Striped Poison-Dart Frog that you can see in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (family Dendrobatidae, Poison Dart Frogs) are Strawberry Poison-dart Frog (about 80%), Green and Black Dart-poison Frog (about 70%) and Rainforest Rocket Frog (about 20%), 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 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (44 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.
