Coastal Rocket Frog vs Streamside Swordfern

Allobates bromelicola compared with Nephrolepis rivularis

Key Differences

• Coastal Rocket Frog is Vulnerable while Streamside Swordfern is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Rocket Frog	Streamside Swordfern
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Amphibia (Amphibians)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Anura (Frogs & Toads)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Aromobatidae	Nephrolepidaceae
Genus	Allobates	Nephrolepis
Species	Allobates bromelicola	Nephrolepis rivularis

Conservation Status

Coastal Rocket Frog

VU — Vulnerable

Streamside Swordfern

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Rocket Frog	Streamside Swordfern
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coastal Rocket Frog

Habitat

Typically found in freshwater habitats, moist forests, and wetlands.

Range

Found in Venezuela. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Streamside Swordfern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Colombia, and Cuba.

Coastal Rocket Frog

Coastal rocket frog (Allobates bromelicola) is a small terrestrial frog in the family Allophrynidae (formerly placed in Dendrobatidae), endemic to coastal lowland forests of Venezuela. Despite its placement near poison dart frogs, Allobates species are non-toxic. This species inhabits the humid leaf litter and bromeliads of coastal Venezuelan forests, where adults care for egg clutches and transport tadpoles to small water bodies including bromeliad phytotelmata. The genus Allobates is widespread across Amazonian and coastal South American forests, characterised by vocal males, ground-level activity, and close parental care. Coastal rocket frog is assessed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, primarily due to restricted range, habitat loss from deforestation for agriculture, livestock grazing, and urban expansion along Venezuela's coast. Climate change poses an additional threat through altered precipitation patterns affecting its bromeliad microhabitats. The species' specific association with bromeliads makes it particularly sensitive to vegetation structure loss. As with many narrowly endemic amphibians, ex-situ conservation programmes and improved habitat protection within its range are considered important management priorities.