Play Ranitomeya fantastica Call
Known from varied habitats throughout northern San Martin and southern Loreto departments in north-central Peru, elevations from 150 m up to roughly 900 m. The highest morph diversity occurs in the transition zones between the lowlands and highlands around Tarapoto and Chazuta, though the Loreto lowlands near Yurimaguas also contain a variety of morphs.
Along with its wide distribution among habitat types comes substantial variation in life-history and reproductive ecology. Most morphs are semi-arboreal and found in primary forest, where they breed in tree-holes and bromeliads, though there are also a handful of terrestrial morphs.
This species has been a popular target for smugglers for several years. Smugglers have already severely compromised the nominal morph. Being now common in the hobby, the market for sustainably-harvested frogs has been drastically reduced. Also, the sustained smuggling pressure on the nominal morphs has diminished current populations to a shadow of what they formerly were. Most other morphs listed below have been discovered only within the last couple years and have already attracted the attention of smugglers.
Nominal species of the fantastica genetic group, sister to Ranitomeya benedicta. Brown et al. (2008) recently restricted this species so as to exclude populations from the lower Huallaga canyon and Pampas del Sacramento, which were described as R. summersi and R. benedicta, respectively.