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| A dangerously toxic new frog (Phyllobates) used by Emberá Indians of western Colombia, with discussion of blowgun fabrication and dart poisoning. Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 161, article 2 |
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| Title: | A dangerously toxic new frog (Phyllobates) used by Emberá Indians of western Colombia, with discussion of blowgun fabrication and dart poisoning. Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 161, article 2 |
| Authors: | Myers, Charles W. Daly, John W. Malkin, Borys. |
| Issue Date: | 1978 |
| Publisher: | New York : American Museum of Natural History |
| Series/Report no.: | Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History ; v. 161, article 2 |
| Abstract: | "Phyllobates terribilis, a remarkably toxic new species of frog, is described from the vicinity of an Emberá Chocó settlement in lowland rain forest of Pacific coastal Colombia. It is the third frog definitely known to be used for poisoning darts; the other species are P. aurotaenia and P. bicolor. Toxicity of the skin secretions of Phyllobates, and frog-poisoned darts, is due primarily to batrachotoxin and homobatrachotoxin, steroidal alkaloids that are stronger than curare mixtures. Phyllobates terribilis produces relatively massive quantities of these compounds and is at least twentyfold more toxic than other poison-dart frogs. The new species is potentially dangerous to handle: One freshly caught frog may contain up to 1900 micrograms ... of toxins, only a fraction of which would be lethal to man if enough skin secretion came into contact with an open wound. A human lethal dose is indirectly judged as being somewhere in the range of 2-200 [micrograms], and the secretions also are i... |
| Description: | p. 309-365, [2] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. 363-365). |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/2246/1286 |
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