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Harlequin poison frog

species of amphibian

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionDec 18, 2025
Entity authorityQ138853 ↗
Source-derived summary

The harlequin poison frog, also known as harlequin poison-dart frog (Oophaga histrionica), is a species of poison dart frog endemic to the Chocó region of western Colombia. The frog is normally found on the ground of tropical rain forests, among fallen limbs or leaf litter. Some frogs traditionally classified as Oophaga histrionica were separated as new species in 2018. These are Oophaga anchicayensis, Oophaga andresi and Oophaga solanensis.

Description

The harlequin poison frog has an average snout–vent length of 32.9 millimetres (1.30 in). The background coloration varies from light to dark brown, and there is usually a vivid spot on the dorsum.

Life history

The harlequin poison frog lives on the forest floor. The male calls from a low perch to advertise his presence. The male and female frog call to each other and touch each other before the female lays eggs among the leaf litter. When the eggs hatch, a parent transports the newly hatched tadpoles to a tiny water reservoir (often in the axil of a bromeliad).

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Harlequin poison frog” is species of amphibian. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Harlequin, poison and frog, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewUseful for establishing the present vocabulary of the subject while preserving a route back to the evidence on which that vocabulary rests. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2018—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, Harlequin, poison and frog is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “species of amphibian” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 18, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q138853. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2018.

Critical limits

A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

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  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Harlequin poison frog”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Harlequin poison frog primary sources, Harlequin poison frog archive and Harlequin research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Harlequin poison frog” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.