Because of the needle-like form, large numbers in the tissue of, say, a leaf can render the leaf unpalatable to herbivores (see Dieffenbachia and taro).
When they hatch, the female carries the tadpoles singly to temporary water bodies such as hollows in trees, leaf axils of species such as Dieffenbachia and to bromeliads, at heights of a metre or two off the ground.
The name of the village is Arawak for "the place with the itching bush." The "bush" referred to is a wild arum (Dieffenbachia paludicola) having irritating juice.