R. summersi, categorized as Endangered on the Red List, is known from only a few localities in central Peru near the Huallaga river valley. Some specimen were also discovered near Sauce and Chazuta in San Martin, Peru.
It is interesting that it is essentially a terrestrial frog, living near the humid ground. One reason for such behaviour might be that the forests where it is found are substantially drier than most other Ranitomeya habitats in central Peru.
This is one of the larger species of poison frogs, with some females reaching a size of 25.4 mm in length. While the ground color is black, the frog has a distinctive pattern, made up of yellowish-orange stripes on the head, back, limbs and ventral side.
Though moderately shy, this species can become more bold when breeding. Courting is initiated by the male with a buzzing call repeated for 5 to 10 seconds. The frogs lay 3 to 8 light grey eggs every 10 to 14 days on horizontal surfaces like overlapping leaves or leaf litter. Later, the male usually transports the larvae (2 or 3 at a time) to water. The larvae take about 70 to 90 days to fully develop.
