Dendrobates auratus
Dendrobates auratus represents one of the medium to large size dart frogs that can be found from southern Nicaragua to northern Columbia. They are also found on the island of Tobago off the South American coast and a colony of auratus were established in Hawaii (Oahu) in the 1920s. This species shows tremedous variability across geographies and many different variants or morphs have been described. Auratus in general are very easy to care for and make good beginner frogs though their level of boldness or shyness varies across morphs making the more shy forms somewhat frustrating for beginners.
We have four different kinds of auratus. Our black and green auratus, Emerald and Selva, came from Quality Captives and as noted on the introduction page were our first dart frogs. We obtained them as froglets and installed them in a viv in our kitchen. They are very bold frogs and will sit and beg for food as people go past. While auratus can be very difficult to sex we believe they are both male. I have been privileged to hear Selva call on occasion. Our green and bronze auratus were purchased at the Midwest Reptile show and have been very prolific breeders. We obtained our 'Camo' Kaluha and Cream auratus as subadults from Robb Melancon. They are F2 generation, meaning that they are grandchildren of wild caught frogs. Finally, our group of six blue and black auratus were obtained from Bob Williams when they were only 3 weeks out of the water! They have grown up well and I can't wait to get them breeding.
Our auratus range from very bold (the green and black) to somewhat shy (green and bronze) to fairly shy (camo and blue/black). However, the blue and black auratus are becoming much bolder as they age and the camo can be seen on a daily basis. I have let the camo viv become quite overgrown which probably contributes to their being more visible.
We are breeding both the green and bronze and camo auratus morphs at this point in time. They normally will lay their eggs on a petri dish under the cocohut although the camo auratus have been known to lay some of their eggs up in the foliage. They (the camos) are excellent tadpole transporters and we frequently find tads in the water dish.
All of our auratus are housed in 29 gallon standard vivariums. We find this provides sufficient floor space while allowing for taller plants to be used in their setup.
Update September 15, 2007 - We have obtained a group of blue and bronze auratus produced by Robb Melancon at IAD in May 2007 and they are set up in a nice 29 gallon viv. This form of auratus appears to be fairly bold.
Our blue and bronze auratus are breeding regularly and we have a few froglets from them. We have found to date that most of the clutches contain a high percentage of infertile eggs which has limited production.
We have four different kinds of auratus. Our black and green auratus, Emerald and Selva, came from Quality Captives and as noted on the introduction page were our first dart frogs. We obtained them as froglets and installed them in a viv in our kitchen. They are very bold frogs and will sit and beg for food as people go past. While auratus can be very difficult to sex we believe they are both male. I have been privileged to hear Selva call on occasion. Our green and bronze auratus were purchased at the Midwest Reptile show and have been very prolific breeders. We obtained our 'Camo' Kaluha and Cream auratus as subadults from Robb Melancon. They are F2 generation, meaning that they are grandchildren of wild caught frogs. Finally, our group of six blue and black auratus were obtained from Bob Williams when they were only 3 weeks out of the water! They have grown up well and I can't wait to get them breeding.
Our auratus range from very bold (the green and black) to somewhat shy (green and bronze) to fairly shy (camo and blue/black). However, the blue and black auratus are becoming much bolder as they age and the camo can be seen on a daily basis. I have let the camo viv become quite overgrown which probably contributes to their being more visible.
We are breeding both the green and bronze and camo auratus morphs at this point in time. They normally will lay their eggs on a petri dish under the cocohut although the camo auratus have been known to lay some of their eggs up in the foliage. They (the camos) are excellent tadpole transporters and we frequently find tads in the water dish.
All of our auratus are housed in 29 gallon standard vivariums. We find this provides sufficient floor space while allowing for taller plants to be used in their setup.
Update September 15, 2007 - We have obtained a group of blue and bronze auratus produced by Robb Melancon at IAD in May 2007 and they are set up in a nice 29 gallon viv. This form of auratus appears to be fairly bold.
Our blue and bronze auratus are breeding regularly and we have a few froglets from them. We have found to date that most of the clutches contain a high percentage of infertile eggs which has limited production.
Last updated September 15, 2007