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Brazil-nut Poison Frog
Adelphobates castaneoticus
The 'Brazil-nut Poison Frog'. Famous in the wild for depositing its tadpoles in empty, flooded Brazil nut shells fallen to the ground. Dark-colored with intricate orange-yellow spots.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Dendrobatidae
Subfamily:Dendrobatinae
Genus:Adelphobates
Species:Adelphobates castaneoticus
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
80 - 100 %
Day temperature
24 - 28 °C
Night temperature
22 - 24 °C
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: A rare and endemic species from the humid, hot primary lowland rainforests of Pará state, Brazil (deep Amazon Basin). It is a terrestrial inhabitant of the dark forest floor, sheltering among roots, leaf litter, and empty fallen shells of the Brazil nut (*Bertholletia excelsa*), which it uses for egg deposition and as natural micro-pools for its tadpoles.
Taxonomy and Genetics: A small, stocky, and rounded species, measuring 2–2.5 cm in adult size. The body is a glossy pitch-black with irregular, bright markings of bone-white or warning yellow-orange. Females are larger and have noticeably rounded abdomens when carrying eggs, while males are slightly smaller and more slender.
Behavior and Habits: Peaceful but extremely shy and reclusive. Unlike their larger relatives, they avoid open areas and quickly retreat under leaves or coconut shells when disturbed. The males have a very soft, faint call resembling a weak insect buzz, used during courtship.
Morphology: Sexual dimorphism is subtle, mostly visible in body size and shape: adult females are larger, rounder, and heavier, whereas males are smaller, more slender, and produce vocalizations during the breeding season.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Primarily terrestrial. A terrarium with a footprint of 45x45 cm is ideal for a pair or a small group. Provide a 5–10 cm drainage layer (clay pebbles) topped by a moist substrate, covered with leaf litter (oak or catappa) and empty Brazil nut shells for shelters.
Lighting and Heating: Require temperatures of 25–27°C during the day, avoiding spikes above 29°C which can be fatal. A nighttime drop to 21°C is beneficial. Low-level UVB (2–5%) lighting is highly recommended to prevent metabolic bone disease.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain relative humidity at 80–90% with regular misting. Good ventilation is crucial to prevent stagnant conditions and respiratory or skin bacterial infections (such as Red Leg syndrome). Use dechlorinated water or reverse osmosis water.
Feeding and Supplementation: Strictly insectivorous, consuming small live prey like fruit flies (Drosophila hydei/melanogaster) and micro-crickets. Dust prey with high-quality calcium and vitamin D3 supplements three times a week to prevent nutritional deficiencies.
Compatibility: Peaceful and social, they can be kept in small groups (e.g. one male and two females). They do not display the intense territorial aggression seen in some other dart frogs, though minor sparring may occur.
Health and Common Diseases: Highly sensitive to skin toxins, chemicals, and handling. Avoid touching them; residues on human hands can cause fatal chemical poisoning or severe shock. Watch for signs of lethargy, skin lesions, or neurological issues caused by substandard water quality.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
A rare and endemic species from the humid, hot primary lowland rainforests of Pará state, Brazil (deep Amazon Basin). It is a terrestrial inhabitant of the dark forest floor, sheltering among roots, leaf litter, and empty fallen shells of the Brazil nut (*Bertholletia excelsa*), which it uses for egg deposition and as natural micro-pools for its tadpoles.
Origin
Amazon, Orinoco, and GuianasNorth AmericaEurope, Mediterranean, and West Asia
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 2.27 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Toxicity
- No verified data available
- Life stage
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 2.27 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 2.27 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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