Dendrobates leucomelas Steindachner, 1864

Barrio-Amorós, César L., Rojas-Runjaic, Fernando J. M. & Señaris, J. Celsa, 2019, Catalogue of the amphibians of Venezuela: Illustrated and annotated species list, distribution, and conservation, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 180) 13 (1), pp. 1-198 : 51

Dendrobates leucomelas Steindachner, 1864

Holotype: NHMW 19188 .

Type locality: “ Colombia.”

Distribution: Regions 4, 5. Widespread south of the Orinoco (see map in Barrio and Fuentes (1999), Lötters et al. (2007), and Molina-Rodríguez and Kahn (2016)). Much more common in Venezuela south of the Orinoco (in Amazonas, Bolívar, and Delta Amacuro States), also present but scattered in southeastern Colombia, northern Brazil, and western Guyana.

Remarks: Different morphs recognized, but so far, not of taxonomic importance. The “sapito minero” has a key importance in some ethnic mythologies like the Ye’kwana ( Barrio-Amorós and Brewer-Carías 2008).

Selected references: Steindachner (1864); Ginés (1959); Rivero (1961, 1964b,d, 1967a); Heatwole et al. (1965); Silverstone (1975); Paolillo (1977); Hoogmoed and Gorzula (1979); Gremone et al. (1986); Rivero et al. (1986); Walsh (1994); Rodríguez and Rojas-Suárez (1995); Duellman (1997); Fuentes and Rodríguez-Acosta (1997); Barrio and Fuentes (1998, 1999a); Gorzula and Señaris (1998); Señaris and Ayarzagüena (2004 “2002”); Grant et al. (2006); Lötters et al. (2007); Barrio-Amorós and Brewer-Carías (2008); Barrio-Amorós et al. (2011b); Señaris et al. (2014); Molina-Rodríguez and Kahn (2016).