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Stolle New Guinea Bush Frog
Asterophrys leucopus
A specialized microhylid frog (6.0 cm) native to New Guinea (Weyland Mountains and central highlands). Characterized by its large head, massive mouth, aggressive territorial behavior, and whitish hind toes and fossorial, leaf-litter dwelling habits.
- Taxonomy
- Class:AmphibiaOrder:AnuraFamily:MicrohylidaeSubfamily:AsterophryinaeGenus:AsterophrysSpecies:Asterophrys leucopus
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
80 - 95 %
Day temperature
21 °C
Night temperature
16 °C
Ambient temperature
21 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to New Guinea (Weyland Mountains and central highlands). It primarily occurs in the leaf litter of submontane forests under cool, foggy climatic conditions. It lives mostly concealed within leaf litter or burrowed inside moist soils.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belongs to the Microhylidae family, genus Asterophrys. This group consists of narrow-mouthed frogs highly adapted to specific fossorial or semi-arboreal microhabitats.
Behavior and Habits: Primarily nocturnal and secretive. It spends the daytime hours buried under the substrate or hidden beneath leaf litter, emerging to forage and breed during heavy seasonal rains.
Morphology: Features a plump, rounded body reaching about 6.0 cm. Skin texture ranges from smooth to warty with cryptic colors. Males are smaller than females and exhibit distinct vocal sacs during the breeding season.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Provide a horizontal terrarium with a deep (10-15 cm) layer of loose, damp substrate such as coconut fiber and sterile peat moss. Add cork bark hides, dry leaves, and flat shelters to create shaded spots.
Lighting and Heating: Maintain daytime temperatures around 21.0°C and night temperatures at 16.0°C. Provide a 12-hour light cycle; a low-intensity UVB source is recommended to support general health.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain relative humidity between 80.0% and 95.0%. Mist regularly with dechlorinated water and supply a very shallow water dish to prevent drowning risks.
Feeding and Supplementation: Strictly insectivorous. Offer gutloaded crickets, roaches, fruit flies, and small worms. Dust prey with high-quality calcium and vitamin D3 twice a week to support skeletal structure.
Compatibility: Best kept in a species-specific setup. Small groups of similar size can cohabitate, avoiding competition or accidental cannibalism.
Health and Common Diseases: Highly susceptible to bacterial skin infections (red leg disease) if ventilation is poor or the substrate is soiled. Regularly check skin condition and hydration levels.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to New Guinea (Weyland Mountains and central highlands). It primarily occurs in the leaf litter of submontane forests under cool, foggy climatic conditions. It lives mostly concealed within leaf litter or burrowed inside moist soils.
Origin
Africa and MadagascarAustralia, New Guinea, and Oceania
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- Insectivore
- This bush frog feeds on a variety of small forest-floor invertebrates, such as spiders, beetles, and ants. It employs a sit-and-wait ambush strategy to capture unsuspecting prey that wanders too close. Its cryptic coloration allows it to remain undetected while hunting.
- Life expectancy
- 5-8 years
- With proper care, the indicative life expectancy is 5-8 years.
- Adult size
- 4.5 cm
- The catalog's scalar value is 4.5 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 4.68 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.
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- Terrestrial
- They are predominantly terrestrial, living on the forest floor and navigating through dense leaf litter and ground vegetation.
- Activity cycle
- Nocturnal
- This species is primarily nocturnal, remaining hidden during the day in leaf litter or burrows and emerging at night to forage for food.
- Sociality
- Solitary
- It is predominantly nocturnal and highly secretive, usually hiding within dense leaf litter or under rotting logs during the day. Males emit characteristic sharp calls from concealed locations during wet, humid nights. They remain motionless to avoid drawing attention from visual predators.
- Reproduction
- Oviparous
- Like many microhylids in New Guinea, this species undergoes direct development. Females lay small clutches of large, yolk-rich eggs in moist, hidden terrestrial locations. Froglets hatch fully formed directly from the eggs, completely bypassing the free-swimming tadpole stage.
- Toxicity
- Toxic
- There are no records of severe toxicity for this species. It relies almost entirely on its superb camouflage rather than chemical defenses to evade predators. Its skin secretions are generally harmless to humans.
- Life stage
- Adult only
- The species hatches directly into miniature, terrestrial versions of the adult frogs. They never experience an aquatic tadpole phase. The juveniles slowly grow and forage within the moist undergrowth throughout their lives.
- Handling tolerance
- Display only
- Due to their sensitive skin and potential stress from handling, they should be considered a display-only species.
- Brumation
- Not required
- They do not require a brumation period, maintaining a steady metabolic rate year-round in their native tropical habitats.
- Molting
- Periodic
- Shedding occurs periodically and is facilitated by high environmental humidity; the shed skin is typically consumed immediately by the animal.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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