Description

Dendrobates Leucomelas measure 3 to 4cm and have yellow/orange and black stripes on there back with black spots. The yellow/orange pattern consists of 3 parts: on the head and front legs, a wide stripe accross the body, the rear and hind legs. These yellow parts are usually covered with black spots. This pattern can change during the life of the poison dart frog. This poison dart frog usually lives in the northern part of South America (Venezuela, Guyana, Brasil - see map). Dendrobates Leucomelas' habitat varies from the rain forest to granite mountains where they live in big bromeliads. In those mountains the temperature can rise upto more then 40 degrees Celsius during the day, at night it will cool down to 15 degrees. The poison dart frogs can survive by hiding in the plants (bromeliads) and under rocks.

For more information on poison dart frogs of the Dendrobates genus, take a look at species.


Feeding

Dendrobates Leucomelas feed on small insects. In the wild they eat ants, termites, beetles, mites, larvae and flies, while in captivation they eat: fruit flies, springtails, pea aphids and small crickets. It is recommended to give vitamin supplements; I do this by dusting fruit flies with Herpetal's Amphib. Poison dart frogs will only eat moving food crossing their path. Since they cannot reach flying insects, it is important to only give them non-flying feeder insects. The fruit flies used to feed the frogs are genetically manipulated; they have wings but cannot use them. Breeding fruit flies, springtails and pea aphids is quite easy; for more information on how to do this, take a look at feeder insects.





Paludarium

Dendrobates Leucomelas need a warm environment: 24-26°C is the right temperature and they have to be kept in a large paludarium, at least 50x50x50 cm for a pair, for more frogs a larger territory is advised. Furthermore they need a water retaining backwall, some wood and stones, and a few plants like bromeliads.

The humidity has to be at least 80% by day upto 100% at night. To achieve this there are a few options. Create a water section in your paladarium and put a heating element in it to keep the temperature at 24 degrees Celsius. The water will vaporise and keep the humidity at level. Irrigate your paludarium; I sprinkle 3 times a day using an automated sprinkler with a timer. By sprinkling regularly, the sepals of the bromeliads are always filled with water. Make sure to keep some dry areas as well, as the frogs need those too. Some people imitate the seasons by sprinkling less or more during a few months, others just keep the humidity constant througout the year.

Poison dart frogs like shadow but the plants obviously need light to live. Fluorescent lamps are most commonly used (I use 2 T5 lamps), each day the light has to be on for 12 hours, this can be automated with a time switch. Poison dart frogs need hiding places, such as small plastic/coconut huts and leaves; I also use black film tubes (the kind that is used to keep 35mm analog film rolls in) - I often find my frogs hiding in them.

For more information on building and fitting a paludarium, take a look at techniques.





Behaviour / Breeding

Dendrobates Leucomelas is very active during the day. The male can be recognized by its 10 to 15 second calling, which is a clear, quite slowly vibrating high-pitch sound (it is often referred to as "whistling"). The mating ritual is quite exceptional: the male whistles trying to attract the female. If the female reacts to his call, he leads her to his mating place where she will put her eggs for him to fertilize; a plastic/coconut hut with a small petri dish inside is very suitable for this. From here on, the male takes care of the eggs, which hatch after 14 to 17 days. The male then takes the hatchlings (which are still larvae at that point) on his back and carries them to the water. This can be in a water-filled bromeliad sepal, but also the water section of your paludarium or a small water dish between some plants. This is where the male care ends, so the best thing to do is taking the larvae out of the paludarium to raise them elsewhere. Feed the tadpoles with a mixture of fish food with some vitamine powder and possibly some spirulina. A tadpole will grow, depending on temperature, for 2 to 3 months before leaving the water. At this point it is crucial to provide enough food; these small frogs mainly eat springtails and small fruit flies. It is recommended to raise small groups of frogs in smaller paludaria. Keep in mind that they eat a lot! After about a year they reach maturity and are ready for mating.

If you want to hear a male leucomelas calling, take a look at the video.





Disease and wounds

It is very important to keep track of your frogs' behaviour; in case of abnormal behaviour, don't hesitate to put that particular frog in quarantine. This will ensure the health of the other frogs as well as the recovery of the frog in question.

Small wounds can be disinfected with betadine (apply highly deluted or put a very small amount in a container with water). If the wound is already inflamed and infected with bacteria, it could be treated with Baytril (put 8 drops into 125ml of tepid water, bath the frog in it for 10 minutes and do this for the next 5 to 6 days).

There are two common sorts of bowel parasites: flagellates and nematodes. If the frog is listless, sits in the water a lot, hides and has a watery defecation, chances are that it's suffering from flagellates. These parasites live in the bowel system but mainly act when the frog's resistance is low. As a cure, use Flagalex: 1 part on 8 parts of tepid water. Put 1 drop of this solution on the wet back of the frog every day during 1 week. Spray the paludarium with a solution of 1 ml Flagalex on 5 liters of water. If the frog is listless but still eats and is losing weight nevertheless, it may be it's suffering from nematodes. You may want to try a treatment of Panacur: add 4 drops to 1 leter of water. Spray the paludarium once a day for 3 days, let it rest for 14 days and spray again for 3 days.

Of course it's best to consult a veterinarian specialized in poison dart frogs and have your frogs' droppings checked a few times a year.


Dendrobate poisonousness

Poison dart frogs have a peculiar defence mechanism: they secrete poison through their skin. Even today, the Cholo indians of Columbia put this poison on their arrows to hunt. They locate and catch the frogs by perfectly imitating their mating call. When handling the frogs, the indians protect their hands with leaves. The arrows tips are dipped in the backs of dead frogs before shooting them with their blow pipes. Even when kept dry, the arrows remain poisonous for decades. The poison is so powerful it can paralyse a jaguar within seconds.

Dendrobates are capable of absorbing alkaloids (naturally occurring chemical compounds containing basic nitrogen atoms) from their food. The constitution of the poison is mainly determined by the constitution of the food and the amount of alkaloids in it. These alkaloids have been found in tropical ants, beetles and millipedes (Diplopoda). When captured in the wild, these frogs can still produce a high concentration of poison for years, while only being fed fruit flies and other harmless insects.
Over 400 different alkaloids have been found in the skin secretion of dendrobates. Some of these have medical applications, such as atropin, codein and morphine. The most important dendrobate poison is batrachotoxin, which is one of the most poisonous natural substances; even cyanide is less poisonous! The poison is secreted through pores over the entire body. It affects the central nervous system and causes paralysation of muscles and nerves. Phyllobates terribilis also known as the golden poison frog or golden dart frog is the most poisonous of them all; the bright colour functions as a warning to its predators. Alkaloids also have a very bitter, unpleasant taste which makes poison dart frogs even less appealing as food. The bright colours, which warn predators of their poisonousness and unpleasant taste, enable the frogs to be active during the day.