[4] It was discovered in the late 1980s by Rainer Schulte who later split it up into more subspecies; describing each as a specific color morph, and sometimes having a separate behavioral pattern.

[4] This frog has been found in primary and old-growth secondary rainforests between 200 and 1200 meters above sea level.

[8] Although R. imitator closely resembles R. variabilis in coloration with its striped morph, the two species differ in many key aspects.

[8] Last, the banded morph, a mimic of Ranitomeya summersi, lives in much drier climates than the average R. imitator and is most often found in Dieffenbachia and Heliconia plants.

[7] These transition zones have been particular areas of interest to study reproductive isolation and incipient speciation, and recent research suggests that color pattern is likely a driving factor in reproductive isolation, as some transition zones show evidence of assortative mating, where individuals of one morph prefer to mate with others of the same morph.

[10][11] Like most other Ranitomeya species, R. imitator has a mild toxicity compared to other poison dart frogs.

[13] Further, the occurrence of both of these factors supports the hypothesis that biparental care favors the evolution of monogamy, for which evidence has previously been restricted to other groups of vertebrates.

Upon hatching, the male will transport individual tadpoles to their own respective phytotelma, which are small pools of water within plants.

[15] Additionally, the male will strategically place tadpoles in certain rearing sites, specifically avoiding predators.

[18] Compared to many other dart frog species, Ranitomeya imitator has relatively large and stable wild populations.