Phyllobates is the Amazonian frog genus that includes poison dart frogs traditionally used by some Indigenous peoples on hunting darts. The best-known species is Phyllobates terribilis, the golden poison frog of Colombia’s Pacific rainforest.
Certain Phyllobates frogs contain batrachotoxins, exceptionally powerful alkaloids that interfere with nerve and muscle function. Indigenous hunters traditionally applied frog secretions to blowgun darts, although practices and species vary by community. The toxins are associated with the frogs’ natural diet in the wild.
The common label “poison dart frog” covers several unrelated or distantly related frog groups, so not every brightly coloured species belongs to Phyllobates. Captive-bred frogs often lose or greatly reduce their toxicity when they no longer consume the relevant wild arthropods.