A DNA sequence variation dataset across the understudied Andean poison frog genus Andinobates

The poison frog family Dendrobatidae has radiated into over 300 species throughout the past 30 million years, occupying the majority of neotropical forest habitats. Species in this group have diversified widely in multiple aspects of their biology such as predator avoidance and parental care strategies, reproductive ecology, chemical ecology, and elevational range. This diversification has been marked by dozens of historical dispersal events between the Northern Andes and their adjacent lowland forests (Amazonia, Chocó, Interandean valleys), as well as substantial in situ diversification in montane areas (Andes, Guyana Shield). Among the most striking events of montane dispersal and diversification is the genus Andinobates which appears to have colonized the Andes from the Chocoan lowlands in Northern South America in the late Miocene, and subsequently undergone a striking diversification both in terms of lineages and phenotypes (e.g. coloration), as well as elevational and ecological niches. Despite their clear potential as a system to understand the role of mountains in biological diversification, Andinobates have historically received little to no attention from biologists. In fact, most species in the genus were only described in the past 15 years. Here, we present a mtDNA dataset composed of 417 sequences at three loci for 202 individuals of most known species of Andinobates, including potentially undescribed ones. This dataset expands the available genetic data for this genus by an order of magnitude in terms of individuals and geographic localities. Although limited in the extent to which it can be used for population genetic inferences, mtDNA remains a powerful means by which initial hypotheses can be generated in molecular ecology and biogegoraphy, among other fields. We anticipate this dataset will ignite the generation of new research projects focused on Andinobates, propelling this group as a model system to shed light on the processes through which topography drives diversification. Please cite this data paper when reusing the dataset.