Ranitomeya variabilis, formerly known as Dendrodates variabilis, is a species of small poison dart frog distributed in northern Peru, along the eastern slope of Anes in the upper Rio Huallaga drainage basin. Its common name, Zimmerman’s poison frog, is named after Elke Zimmermann, a German zoologist who described the morph of this species and differentiated it from D. Ventrimaculatus. The species was formerly considered to be synonymous with Ranitomeya ventrimaculata. Ranitomeya variabilis usually has a bright yellow body with deep blue limbs, and black spots or stripes across the ventral side of the body. The colors change in some geographic locations. R. variabilis has different mimicry relationships with two other species. Like other frogs in the same family, R. variabilis has toxic skin alkaloid which repels potential predators. R. variabilis are cannibalistic even as tadpoles, so adult male parents may allow tadpoles to jump on their backs and transport them to less crowded areas. Adult R. variabilis use chemical cues to determine the presence of tadpoles and whether they are cannibalistic or not. Description Tadpoles Tadpoles have dark and slightly brownish bodies with incomplete wide dorsal gaps and emarginated oral discs. The black-brown color changes to a black-green pattern during metamorphosis. In preservative, the grey dorsal body color appears to be dark brown with darker spots. The lateral tail is still light brown. The posterior part of the tadpole body appears to be slightly opaque, and the intestine can be seen. The ventral fin is transparent with brown spots. Adults R. variabilis are characterized by a black spot on the tip of the snout and the black “Y” shaped pattern on their back. The species’ body color ranges from yellow to green and the body color terminates where the arms insert. Limbs are usually blue with black spotted pattern, throats are usually bright yellow, and the ventral side of their bodies are usually light blue. However, because Ranitomeya Variabilis is a polymorphic species with high genetic diversity, its pattern and color may change depending on the geographical location. Adult R. Variabilis contain two morphs: stripped and spotted morphs. The stripped morphs are commonly found in lowland regions whereas the spotted morphs are distributed among highland regions. Females are also significantly larger than males in R. Variabilis. Taxnonomy R. variabilis belongs to the genus Ranitomeya, a monophyletic evolutionary group. It is most closely related to the species R. Amazonica. The genus