Breeding Phantasmal Dart Frogs (E.tricolor)

[berksmike]

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:



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



Meanwhile Dad has been keeping a close eye on them:





Here they are on Day 6:





And here's some from Day 9:



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)



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









And finally here they are now:

[Otterwoman]

Again, another very cool series, with some really great shots!

[Alex Shepack]

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

[berksmike]

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.

[berksmike]

Just another quick update - They are developing their third central stripe and beginning to look more like adults:

[Mike]

Wow, very nice! Are those thumbnail darts?

[berksmike]

Hi

They are a smallish species compared to say tincs but I am sure they are not counted as a thumbnail species.

[Jan]

Berksmike - thank you for posting this series of photos. I never cease to be amazed in observing sequential development.

[berksmike]

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.

[Ingo]

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.

[berksmike]

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.

[Ingo]

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.

[berksmike]

Hi

Thanks Ingo - found a copy of this paper (link below) which I thought might be of interest to people.

http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/ee/graham..._1781_1793.pdf

[MarcNem]

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