Ranitomeya imitator's developmental life stages. Frogs of the related genus Phyllobates may derive their toxins from local melyrid beetles of genus Choresine. It probably gains its poison from consuming toxic insects or other invertebrates in the wild. Like other poison dart frogs, it does not produce toxin in captivity. It produces the potent pumiliotoxin B, but its small size limits the amount of poison it can secrete. imitator has a mild toxicity compared to other poison dart frogs. imitator, male calls vary little among different color morphs, however it has been suggested that color pattern is the principal component that drives speciation. Mating calls by males are an important factor in mating, and often need to be distinct in order to attract females of the same species. These transition zones have been particular areas of interest to study reproductive isolation and incipient speciation, and recent research suggests that color pattern is likely a driving factor in reproductive isolation, as some transition zones show evidence of assortative mating, where individuals of one morph prefer to mate with others of the same morph. While populations of different color morphs are concentrated in different areas of Peru, there are transition zones between populations where different color morphs may interact. imitator and is most often found in Dieffenbachia and Heliconia plants. Last, the banded morph, a mimic of Ranitomeya summersi, lives in much drier climates than the average R. The aradero morph is a lowland form that lives nearby another but does not resemble it. variabilis provides solely paternal care and is polygamous. imitator provides biparental care and is a monogamous species, while R. variabilis in coloration with its striped morph, the two species differ in many key aspects. The spotted morph mimics the highland spotted frog Ranitomeya variabilis with mainly blue-green coloration, but can be found in other forms, sometimes in yellow. The striped morph is the most widely spread, mimicking the striped Ranitomeya variabilis and can be found throughout the lower Huallaga River drainage in Peru. The geographic distribution of these morphs primarily includes geographically isolated populations in different areas of Peru, however there are a number of "transition zones" between populations where different color morphs interact. imitator populations that mimic closely related sympatric (existing in the same area) species: varadero ( R. imitator, different color morphs are present to mimic other poison frog species.
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