Every month, we will be featuring a different frog with expanded information and special prices. Please check back monthly to find out what will be the next Frog of the Month.

The Frog for April is the “Campaña” form of Dendrobates auratus. “Campaña” is a brown & white form of D. auratus. These frogs originate from an area around the Rio Campaña in Central Panama, West of the Canal Zone. In the past they have been called simply “Brown & White auratus” and more recently, “Kahlua & Cream”. There has been some confusion about whether or not “Campaña” is a “new” form, but Campaña D. auratus has been in the hobby for many years. They have been bred both in Europe and the U.S. for some time, but possibly due to its cryptic appearance, were not widely known. Some of the confusion may have also stemmed from the fact that there was another population of “Brown & White auratus”. The original site for this second population is supposed to be at, what is now, the end of the runway at the Panama International Airport. They were once represented in the European hobby, and with any luck, may still hidden away in European collections. It is not likely, however, that this form still exists in the wild due to the development in that area. If nothing else, there are a few pictures out there of this form. Unfortunately, we do not have one. As far as the current hobby is concerned, Campaña, Kahlua & Cream, Brown & White, most likely refers to the same form. To our knowledge, there is no other Brown & White auratus represented in the Hobby at this time. The only other brown & white form that was known is quite possibly (and sadly) extinct. We also want to mention that Brown & White is not to be confused with Black & White, which is an entirely different form found East of the Canal Zone.

Campaña D. auratus are highly variable in patterning. The patterns range from virtually solid brown on the plain end, to a marbled, chocolate brown and creamy white pattern in the most outstanding animals. Solid brown, brown & green, and brown & white frogs have all been found together at the same site. When bred in captivity, all “Campaña” adults can produce a range of patterned to patternless froglets. At the time of metamorphosis, the neonating tadpoles show their patterns in brown & white. However, before emerging from the water, some turn to brown & green, while others look dark brown. In our observations, many froglets that start out brown & green eventually turn brown & white. The brown & white color pattern can start to appear again when the froglet is about 3-5 months out of the water. Strangely, in brown & green froglets, the green eventually becomes the brown coloration, whereas the brown gradually becomes the white coloration. This color and pattern change does not end within their first year. We currently have a two-year-old frog that is still changing in color and pattern. The animal started out brown & green, and eventually turned brown & white, with a large, blotchy pattern. This large pattern has now been changing to what might end up being a tighter pattern, and the white is getting lighter.

“Campaña auratus” are very hardy terrarium specimens. They are rather subtle in appearance and do not fall into the “normal” frame of what dart frogs are known for, but their intricate patterns definitely make them highly desirable, as does their ease of maintenance and breeding. Housing a group of these diversely patterned animals together in a suggestively planted terrarium can really show off the beauty of this frog.