Classification
Order: anura
Family: dendrobatidae
Genus: phyllobates
Species: phyllobates bicolor
Habitat
This species is native to the north-west of South America. It can be found in warm rainforests, mainly in the west of Columbia.
Outward appearance
Males are 45-50 mm long, females get to be 50-55 mm. They are one of the biggest representatives of this family.
This species got its name due to the color: they are yellow or orange with black or dark blue legs. They are territorial and males have to protect their areas from rivals.
Character
In the wild those frogs are mostly terrestrial. They normally live alone and rarely in groups.
Maintenance care
Black-legged poison frogs need a tank with good ventilation and a high level of humidity. The best option is an all-glass tank or a tank put together with the help of silicon glue with one fourth of the cover and one third of a side wall made of capronic mesh.
The size of the tank will mostly depend on the plants that have to be there. The ambient temperature has to be around 27C at daytime and 23C at night. You can use a heat cord or heat pad.
Substrate is very important. Black-legged poison frogs have very tender skin, and gravel, stones or sand can damage it. It is recommended to use deciduous soil, coniferous soil and sphagnum in proportion 2:1:2. Part of the substrate can be covered with live moss.
You can use 2-3 different kinds of plants, e.g. spiderwort, selaginella, bromeliad etc. Frogs use the water accumulated in the leaves for bathing and for giving birth.
You should moist the sphagnum 2-3 times a week with boiled water.
Feeding
Unlike other amphibians, these frogs are very active and 3-4 days of starvation can make a healthy specimen very weak and even kill it. It is best to feed black-legged poison frogs with crickets, cockroaches and drosophila. Occasionally you can give it flies, spiders, woodlice, bloodworm. You shouldn’t give your frog bee moth more often than once a week since it leads to obesity. You should feed your amphibian twice a day. It is recommended that some food is always present in the tank.
Features
This is the second most toxic species after the golden poison frog. 150 microgram of its poison that contains batrachotoxin can kill an adult human from respiratory paralysis.
Diseases
It is a hardy species that rarely get ill. Average life span in captivity is up to 20 years.
Breeding
Groups of black-legged poison dart frogs gather to breed. Males are vocal and will call to females with a pleasing trill. Once a male catches the attention of a male, he courts her by gently carressing her body. If she is sufficiently impressed, she will allow the male to lead her to a suitable place for egg deposition. Amplexus takes place on the ground or on low-growing plants, and fertilization is external. The clutch size ranges from five to twelve eggs.
Like all members of its species group, Phyllobates bicolor have duel parental care. The eggs are laid between 1.2 and 1.5 metres from the ground, and are guarded by both parents. They are typically laid in shady areas where the air is moister. When the eggs hatch, they squirm into a tight ball around their parents. They are transported to water-filled tree hollows, where they complete their development while being guarded by either parent.
