What is the scientific name of the golden poison frog?

The scientific name of the golden poison frog is Phyllobates terribilis.

The species was formally described in 1978 by herpetologists Charles W. Myers and Borys Malkin and biochemist John W. Daly. The name terribilis refers to the frog’s extraordinarily dangerous skin toxins.

Phyllobates terribilis is native to humid Pacific-coast rainforests in Colombia, especially the Chocó region. Its bright yellow, orange, or green coloration is aposematic: a warning to predators that it is poisonous. It is also called the golden dart frog or golden poison-arrow frog.

Its toxicity comes from batrachotoxins, alkaloids that disrupt nerve-cell sodium channels. Wild frogs acquire these chemicals through their diet, probably from particular arthropods. Captive-bred frogs raised without those food sources are generally non-toxic, a common point of confusion. The Emberá people of Colombia traditionally used the frog’s secretions to poison hunting darts.