Lithodytes lineatus
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
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
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Peru · 2018
© Fabricio Gorleri · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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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 Yasuní National Park on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 49 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and December
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Antnest Frog in Yasuní National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and September, the lowest months.
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.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Painted Antnest Frog sightings, Yasuní National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (Ecuador, about 40%).
Same family: Leptodactylidae
The closest relatives of the Painted Antnest Frog that you can see in Yasuní National Park (family Leptodactylidae, Southern Frogs) are Smoky Jungle Frog (about 40%), Painted Forest Toadlet (about 30%) and Perez's Snouted Frog (about 10%), 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 Yasuní National Park (30 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.
