 D.auratus 'Costa Rica' |
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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. |
| Dendrobates auratus 'Costa Rica' |
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This month's frog is the Costa Rican form of D. auratus. D. auratus ranges from Nicaragua through Panama in Central America. Commonly known as the Green & Black Dart frog, D. auratus is actually quite variable in color and pattern. In general, animals that come from the Atlantic/Caribbean side of their range tend to be larger than those on the Pacific side. Since most D. auratus in captivity came in through commercial importers, it is almost impossible to get accurate collection data on each import. Throughout their range, there are animals that can appear to be from the same population, but without collection data, we can only hope that the animals from each importation were collected from the same sites. Whether or not the animals are truly from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, or Panama is also subject to debate. It is likely that the most recent imports originate from Nicaragua, since Costa Rica and Panama has been closed to export. |
| D.auratus 'Costa Rica' |
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Most Costa Rican D. auratus available these days are moderately large for D. auratus. In captivity, they seem much bolder than other forms such as the Hawaiian, and Blue forms of D. auratus. Costa Rican auratus have a very nice green coloration on lacquer black. The separation of green & black is "cleaner" than in some other auratus forms. The black doesn't bleed into the green areas (or vice-versa), thus the clean contrast makes the green stand out even more. Costa Rican auratus breed readily in captivity. The sexes can be determined by their front toe pads, with males having the larger of the two. The males will usually call from a hidden place, in hopes of attracting a willing female to breed. Receptive females will follow the male around, stroking his back until he leads her to a bower. Placing coconut shells with petri dishes under them is one way to encourage the frogs to breed where the eggs can be found. The tadpoles of D. auratus should be reared individually, outside the frog's enclosure. They can be raised on a diet of tropical fish food until metamorphosis, which should take about 6 to 8 weeks. Froglets can be raised together, and fed small food items such as pinhead crickets or fruit flies. Costa Rican D. auratus has been one of the standards
in dart frogs, and their hardiness and prolific nature makes this an
excellent frog to keep in any collection. |
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