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Pepper's Poison Frog
Ameerega pepperi
A large Andean dart frog characterized by bright cream or orange dorsal stripes on a pitch-black base. Highly territorial and sensitive to bacterial infections in suboptimal setups.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Dendrobatidae
Subfamily:Colostethinae
Genus:Ameerega
Species:Ameerega pepperi
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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: Native to the steep, humid valleys of the northern Peruvian Andes, particularly along the Huallaga River Canyon at intermediate altitudes. It is a terrestrial species that inhabits leaf litter and rock crevices near rivers and waterfalls.
Taxonomy and Genetics: A relatively large dart frog, reaching 3–4 cm in adult size. The body is pitch-black, marked with striking cream-white, silver, or orange-yellow longitudinal stripes depending on the geographical morph. Their limbs are muscular, adapted for leaping among rocks.
Behavior and Habits: Diurnal, active, and very energetic. They are bold but quick to retreat when startled, displaying powerful leaps. Males produce a loud, buzzing metallic call during the day to attract females. After egg-laying on land, males carry the tadpoles to water sources on their backs.
Morphology: Sexual dimorphism is subtle: adult females are typically larger, wider, and rounder when carrying eggs, while males are slightly smaller, more slender, and possess vocal sacs to emit mating calls.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Require a terrestrial forest terrarium of at least 60x45x45 cm. Provide a drainage layer (clay pebbles) topped with a moist organic substrate, covered in dry oak or catappa leaf litter, and include cork bark tubes and flat stones.
Lighting and Heating: Require moderate temperatures reflecting their Andean origin, ideally 24–25°C during the day. Avoid temperatures above 28°C. A night drop to 21°C is highly recommended. Low-level UVB (2–5%) lighting is beneficial.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain high relative humidity of 80–90% via daily misting. Efficient ventilation is critical to prevent stagnant, warm air, which causes lethal bacterial skin infections (Red Leg syndrome). Use dechlorinated water.
Feeding and Supplementation: Insectivorous. Feed small live insects such as fruit flies (Drosophila hydei/melanogaster), springtails, and micro-crickets. Dust prey with calcium, vitamin D3, and vitamin A supplements three times a week.
Compatibility: Highly territorial, particularly females, which may aggressively wrestle and stress out subordinate tankmates. Keep them in single pairs (one male, one female) in medium enclosures to ensure breeding success.
Health and Common Diseases: Sensitive to chemical toxins and dirty conditions. Avoid handling; contact with human skin oils can be fatal. Watch out for nose-rub injuries from glass banging if the frog is startled, and maintain strict hygiene to prevent sepsis.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to the steep, humid valleys of the northern Peruvian Andes, particularly along the Huallaga River Canyon at intermediate altitudes. It is a terrestrial species that inhabits leaf litter and rock crevices near rivers and waterfalls.
Origin
Selective breeding and cultivarsExtra-Amazon South AmericaEurope, Mediterranean, and West Asia
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 3.44 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 3.44 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 3.44 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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