Green-and-black Poison Dart Frog

D. auratus has the typical appearance of the members of its family; males average 0.75 in (1.9 cm) in snout–vent length, while females are slightly larger, averaging 1 in (2.5 cm) or longer. D. auratus is one of the most variable of all poison frogs in color and pattern. This variation is to some extent individual, but also depends heavily on exact location. Despite the common name green-and-black poison dart frog, some variants have no green or no black; a few, like the brown and cream-white Campana variant, may have neither green nor black. However, most often, green-and-black poison dart frogs have a highly variable, spotted or banded pattern in vivid mint-green coloration, but this can also be a darker green, forest-green, lime, emerald, turquoise, or even blue, whitish or pale yellow. Mixed with this are splotches of dark or dull coloring, most often blackish, but ranging from whitish-brown and bronzy brown to dark brown and pure black. The amount of dark or dull coloring varies greatly (certain variants are entirely black, or dark with only a few small green spots or streaks) and may appear as large or small spots or blotches, or as a dappled or "splashed" pattern.

The green-and-black poison dart frog is found in humid lowland and submontane forests at altitudes of 0–1,000 m (0–3,280 ft) in southeastern Nicaragua on the Atlantic slope, eastern Costa Rica on the Atlantic slope and in the southwest on the Pacific slope, widely in Panama, and into far northwestern Colombia in the Chocó Department. An introduced population exists on Oahu, in Hawaii; the species was intentionally introduced there, in 1932, for mosquito control. Later on, it seems to have also become established on Maui.

D. auratus is semi-arboreal, hunting, courting, and sleeping in the trees. Like other dart frogs, they spend much time in the shallow pools of water created in the cup-like leaves of bromeliad plants. The same plants often serve as nurseries for tadpoles. The small pools offer little access to nutrients so the tadpoles often engage in cannibalism. As it is a tiny frog, it cannot obviously leap from branch to branch in the treetops, thus it returns to the ground when it wants to travel. Once on the ground, frogs may travel several miles in an effort to breed, find feeding grounds, or to take care of tadpoles. To assist in climbing, the frog has small, sucker-like discs on the ends of its toes, which create a slight suction as the frogs climb, making their grip mildly adhesive.