ranitomeya imitator chazuta for sale (adult)

The reproductive and parental care behaviors exhibited by this species have been of great interest to a variety of researchers, namely because R. imitator is the first amphibian to show evidence of monogamy, and because it independently evolved biparental care.

 Further, the occurrence of both of these factors supports the hypothesis that biparental care favors the evolution of monogamy, for which evidence has previously been restricted to other groups of vertebrates. The parental care provided to R. imitator offspring has been demonstrated to be vital for offspring growth and success.

After mating occurs, the male will guard the fertilized eggs. Upon hatching, the male will transport individual tadpoles to their own respective phytotelma, which are small pools of water within plants.  Additionally, the male will strategically place tadpoles in certain rearing sites, specifically avoiding predators.

 After tadpoles are in their rearing sites, the male will call while next to tadpoles which signals to the mother to feed an individual. Tadpole begging, a behavior in which tadpoles vibrate their body, also encourages the mother to provide trophic (eggs specifically for nutrition) eggs.

Compared to many other dart frog species, Ranitomeya imitator has relatively large and stable wild populations. What threat it faces comes from habitat loss associated with farming, livestock cultivation, and logging. People also illegally collect and export this frog for the international pet trade. They have also been imported legally, and multiple captive-bred varieties exist in the pet trade.