Granular Poison Frog

The granular poison frog is native to Costa Rica and Panama. Its range extends from southwestern Costa Rica through the adjacent area of south-western Panama at heights of up to above sea level. It also occurs in Piedras Blancas National Park in south-eastern Costa Rica. It inhabits the leaf litter of the floor of humid low altitude forests.

The granular poison frog is a diurnal terrestrial species. Breeding takes place in the rainy season and the female lays groups of three or four eggs in curled up dead leaves, under stones, in twig forks and in leaf axils just above the ground. The male guards the eggs and keeps them moist with his urine. When they hatch, the female carries the tadpoles singly to temporary water bodies such as hollows in trees, leaf axils of species such as Dieffenbachia and to bromeliads, at heights of a metre or two off the ground. The volume of water in these cavities averages . The female feeds the tadpoles on an ongoing basis by laying unfertilised eggs in the water bodies.

The IUCN has listed this species as being "Vulnerable" because its range is relatively small, its numbers seem to be declining and it is threatened by destruction of its rainforest habitat. Threats to this species include habitat loss from agriculture for palm oil, bananas, and pineapples and associated pesticides. Capture for sale in the international pet trade may also cause local declines. This frog's range includes some protected parks: Reserva Forestal Golfo Dulce, Refugio de Vida Silvestre Golfito, and Refugio de Vida Silvestre Boracayán.