Encyclopaedia
AmphibianTerrestrialIntermediate
©AI Generated·Proprietary
Ecuadorian Poison Frog
Ameerega bilinguis
A highly active terrestrial frog, known for the bright yellow and red spots on its flanks and back. An excellent display animal for spacious terrariums.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Dendrobatidae
Subfamily:Colostethinae
Genus:Ameerega
Species:Ameerega bilinguis
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
80 - 100 %
Day temperature
24 - 28 °C
Night temperature
21 - 24 °C
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Distributed in the humid lowland rainforests of the Ecuadorian Amazon and Peru. It lives in the leaf litter, near small streams and damp root systems.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Family Dendrobatidae. Commonly known as the Ecuadorian Poison Frog. Its scientific name "bilinguis" refers to the dual notes in the male's call. It is a prized species among experienced hobbyists.
Behavior and Habits: Active diurnal species. Very lively, they spend their day foraging in the leaf litter. Males produce a metallic, double-note call to attract females. Eggs are laid on dry leaves, and males carry the hatched tadpoles on their backs to nearby pools.
Morphology: Small frog, reaching about 2.5 cm in length. Features a striking color pattern: a dark body with bright red or orange spots on the back, yellow spots on the limbs, and a marbled turquoise-blue belly. Females are slightly larger and rounder than males.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a terrestrial terrarium of at least 60x45x45 cm. Provide a thick drainage layer (clay balls) covered with organic soil and a dense layer of leaf litter (oak or Catappa). Include cork bark and coconut shells for hiding and nesting.
Lighting and Heating: Maintain temperatures between 25-27°C during the day, dropping to 21°C at night. Provide 5% UVB lighting to prevent metabolic bone disease. Temperatures above 30°C are lethal.
Humidity and Hydration: Keep humidity levels high (80-90%) with daily misting using reverse osmosis water. Good ventilation is essential to prevent stagnant conditions and bacterial diseases like Red Leg syndrome.
Feeding and Supplementation: Strictly insectivorous. Feed daily with small prey like fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster and D. hydei) and springtails. Dust prey with calcium and vitamin D3 supplements three times a week.
Compatibility: Best kept in single pairs (1 male, 1 female) due to female territoriality and physical competition. Avoid mixing with other dendrobatid species to prevent stress or hybridization.
Health and Common Diseases: Avoid direct handling as soap residues and oils on human skin are highly toxic. Panicked frogs can suffer snout-rubbing injuries from colliding with the glass. Maintain strict enclosure hygiene.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Distributed in the humid lowland rainforests of the Ecuadorian Amazon and Peru. It lives in the leaf litter, near small streams and damp root systems.
Origin
Amazon, Orinoco, and GuianasEurope, Mediterranean, and West Asia
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 2.26 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 2.26 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 2.26 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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