loma colubre

The Strawberry poison dart frog, now named Oophaga pumilio, was described for the first time in 1857 as Dendrobatus pumilio by Eduard Oscar Schmidt, a German zoologist. The species has been captive bred in the USA and Europe for more than 25 years.

The genus name “Oophaga” originates from the greek words “oon” (egg) and “phagos” (eater) and refers to diet of the tadpoles of this species. The tadpoles are obligate egg feeders, which means they feed exclusively on unfertilised eggs, supplied as food by the mother. The species specific name “pumilio” (latin for dwarf) refers to the small size of these frogs.