Dye frog

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dye frog
Dyer's frog (nominate form)

Dyer's frog (nominate form)

Systematics
Subordination : Neobatrachia
Superfamily : Dendrobatoidea
Family : Poison Dart Frogs (Dendrobatidae)
Subfamily : Dendrobatinae
Genre : Tree climber ( dendrobates )
Type : Dye frog
Scientific name
Dendrobates tinctorius
( Cuvier , 1797)

The dye frog ( Dendrobates tinctorius ) is a species from the genus tree climber ( Dendrobates ) within the family of the tree diver frog (Dendrobatidae).

Appearance

There are many different forms (morphs, variants) of Dendrobates tinctorius , which differ in size and color. The male grows up to 5 cm, the female even up to 6 cm.

The nominate form has blue legs that are drawn with black dots. The back and top of the head have a basic black color with yellow stripes. The ventral side is light blue and has black dots. The blue form without yellow components was previously regarded as a separate species, Dendrobates azureus . However, recent studies have shown that the animals are just another color variant of Dendrobates tinctorius .

  • Two color variants (left: blue tree climber )

  • Yellow and black dye frog

  • With a large proportion of black

  • Dyer's frog ( Dendrobates tinctorius "New River")

Occurrence

Its home is the tropical rainforests in the lowlands of Guyana , French Guiana and Suriname, as well as in northern Brazil . The dye frog is mostly found on the floor of the tropical rainforest. It lives there in the leaf layer, where it likes to hide under leaves, as well as small caves and crevices and feeds on small insects.

Reproduction

After oviposition, which usually takes place in caves, the five to ten eggs are fertilized by the male and after the tadpoles hatch , which usually takes place after 12 to 16 days, the male carries them into small bodies of water (puddles, leaf axils, etc.). The development of the larvae to the adult frog is complete after 60 to 80 days.

Poison

The dye frog secretes poison through skin glands, which protects against fungal and bacterial attack. In addition, the poison protects against predators, which are also deterred by the bright colors of the frog. Because of this property, it is counted among the poison dart frogs, but the dye frog is only slightly poisonous compared to the "real" poison dart frogs such as Phyllobates terribilis .

Terrarium keeping

The dye frog is a popular terrarium animal along with many other representatives of the poison dart frogs . It is easy to reproduce and its attitude is less demanding than other poison dart frogs . As a rule, the dye frog is kept in special, commercially available dendrobat terrariums, which are planted with small bromeliads, ferns, mosses and tendrils that are native to rainforests on the substrate with appropriate drainage. These so-called rainforest terrariums usually have to be heated in order to reach the temperatures required for animal welfare . The lighting is provided by daylight fluorescent tubes or metal halide lamps. In order to achieve the necessary humidity for plants and animals and to stimulate the mating behavior of the frogs, regular irrigation of the terrarium , automated or manual, is essential. Ultrasonic nebulizers are sometimes used to increase the humidity. The fertilized eggs of the animals are either removed from the terrarium and artificially brought to maturity or left in the terrarium for the parent animals to raise naturally.

literature

  • Dirk Wagner: The dye frog - Dendrobates tinctorius . Natur und Tier Verlag, Münster 2008, ISBN 978-3-8665-9069-4 .
  • Tobias Eisenberg: The blue poison dart frog - Dendrobates tinctorius "azureus". Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2008 ISBN 978-3-9372-8504-7 .
  • Wolfgang Schmidt, Friedrich-Wilhelm Henkel: Practical guide poison dart frogs. 2nd edition, Edition Chimaira, 2008 ISBN 978-3-9306-1291-8 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Matt Jolman: Dendrobates_tinctorius at Animal Diversity Web, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 2000. Accessed November 2, 2013.
  2. ↑ Dendrobates tinctorius in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2010. Posted by: Philippe Gaucher, Ross MacCulloch, 2004. Accessed November 2, 2013.
  3. ↑ Caring for Your Dyeing Dart Frogs ( Dendrobates tinctorius ) , keeping and breeding of dye frogs at Aqua-Terra-Vita (English). Retrieved November 2, 2013.

Web links

Commons : Dyer's Frog ( Dendrobates tinctorius )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files