Breeding Phantasmal Dart Frogs (E.tricolor)

B

berksmike

New member
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
81
Reaction score
5
Points
0
Location
Liverpool, merseyside
Country
England
After a few weeks of calling a pair of my E. tricolors managed their first clutch over the summer. This is the newly laid clutch:

Eggs.jpg


Here they are at day 4. You can see the tadpoles differentiating from the yolk:

eggscloseupday4.jpg


Meanwhile Dad has been keeping a close eye on them:

guarding.jpg


guarding2.jpg


Here they are on Day 6:

Day6no2.jpg


Day6.jpg


And here's some from Day 9:

Day9.jpg


And here are the tadpoles. They were fed sera micron, tadpole food, and some freeze-dried bloodworm (not strawberries as the photo suggests - thats the cover of a book the tank is resting on)

Etricolortads.jpg


Here they are just about coming out the water - they have their characteristic stripes but haven't developed their red adult colours:

IMG_27902.jpg


IMG_2791.jpg




IMG_2807.jpg


And finally here they are now:

IMG_2826.jpg


IMG_2827.jpg
 
Congratulations Mike! Thats really exciting. So two questions for you. First, how long did you leave the tadpoles with parents, until hatch? To continue that question, did the parents display any egg care behavior? And second, of the original 16 eggs, how many made it to metamorphosis.

Congrats,
Alex
 
Hi

The male did show some guarding behaviour but got distracted by the females and left them.
I was a bit disappointed he showed no transporting instinct. But it was their first time so I'm sure they'll improve.
I transported them when they started attempting to wriggle off their leaf.
Of the 15 tadpoles 12 have morphed healthily.
 
Just another quick update - They are developing their third central stripe and beginning to look more like adults:

tricolornew.jpg


tricolornew2.jpg
 
Wow, very nice! Are those thumbnail darts?
 
Berksmike - thank you for posting this series of photos. I never cease to be amazed in observing sequential development.
 
I know what you mean.
Amphibian development has always fascinated me ever since I used to go dipping for frogspawn as a child in the spring.
 
AW: Breeding Phantasmal Dart Frogs (E.tricolor)

Hello,

i want to note, that the species of Epipedobates tricolor is splitted in two species.
Berksmike, the species you keep and breed is Epipedobates anthonyi (Lowland).
Epipedobates tricolor, the real one, is finding in the Highlands.

Greetings Ingo V.
 
Thanks for your comments Ingo.
I was under the impression that the two variants were not separate species and that anthonyi and tricolor were actually synonymous.
Taxonomy not my specialism so quite happy to be informed otherwise.
 
AW: Breeding Phantasmal Dart Frogs (E.tricolor)

Hi,

yes in the past the two names were synonymes, but newer genetic and biogeografic works (Graham et al. 2004) shows the differents and so now you have two valid species.

Greetings Ingo V.
 
That was a cool series of pics. Almost like time lapse. Now, tell us how ling it really too for theose lil guys to morph out.
BTW-What morph is that, SI?

Marc
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
     +1
    Unlike
  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
     +1
    Unlike
  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
     +1
    Unlike
  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
     +1
    Unlike
    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
    Back
    Top