Colostethus
Encyclopedia
Colostethus is a large genus
of poison dart frog
s native to Central
and South America
. There are currently over eighty species in this genus. Unlike most members of the family Dendrobatidae, members of the genus Colostethus are not usually brightly colored or poisonous. Colostethus is paraphyletic as presently delimited, because although all species have a common ancestor, not all species descended from that ancestor are included in Colostethus. Current evolution
ary studies will likely result in splitting of Colostethus into segregate genera in the near future.
Since a 2006 review, Hyloxalus
has absorbed many of the species, while Silverstonei aggregated three.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of poison dart frog
Poison dart frog
Poison dart frog is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to Central and South America. These species are diurnal and often have brightly-colored bodies...
s native to Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. There are currently over eighty species in this genus. Unlike most members of the family Dendrobatidae, members of the genus Colostethus are not usually brightly colored or poisonous. Colostethus is paraphyletic as presently delimited, because although all species have a common ancestor, not all species descended from that ancestor are included in Colostethus. Current evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
ary studies will likely result in splitting of Colostethus into segregate genera in the near future.
Since a 2006 review, Hyloxalus
Hyloxalus
Hyloxalus is a genus of poison dart frogs. The genus is distributed in Central and South America, from Panama south to Peru , along with Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador. Species also inhabit the eastern foothills of the Andes in Bolivia to Venezuela, east to the upper Amazon Basin...
has absorbed many of the species, while Silverstonei aggregated three.