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AmphibianTerrestrialIntermediate
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Green and Black Poison Dart Frog "Hawaiian"
Dendrobates auratus "Hawaiian"
A geographic color morph of the green and black poison dart frog introduced to Hawaii in 1932, famous for its brilliant metallic green and black pattern.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Dendrobatidae
Genus:Dendrobates
Species:Dendrobates auratus "Hawaiian"
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
80 - 100 %
Day temperature
22 - 26 °C
Night temperature
19 - 21 °C
UVB
None
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Dendrobates auratus 'Hawaiian' is a specific population introduced to the island of Oahu, Hawaii, in 1932 for mosquito control purposes. Originally native to Central America (from Nicaragua to Colombia), this variety has adapted perfectly to the humid tropical forests of Hawaii, living mainly in the damp leaf litter, around tree roots, and in shaded plantations.
Taxonomy and Genetics: It belongs to the family Dendrobatidae. It is a small terrestrial frog that reaches an adult size of 3 to 4 centimeters, with females generally being larger and rounder than males. It features smooth skin containing toxin glands that secrete toxic alkaloids in the wild (this toxicity is lost in captivity due to the change in diet).
Behavior and Habits: It is a strictly diurnal, active, and curious amphibian. In the wild, it spends the day searching for small insects among the fallen leaves. Although mostly terrestrial, it shows excellent climbing abilities, frequently using bromeliads and tall plants to rest or deposit tadpoles. Males are territorial and may engage in wrestling matches.
Morphology: The coloration of this Hawaiian morph is spectacular, featuring brilliant metallic green or blue-green spots and bands on a solid black or dark bronze background. The pattern is unique to each individual, acting like a fingerprint. Males have slightly broader toe pads on their front feet compared to females.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Terrarium Setup: Requires a humid, bioactive terrarium of at least 50x50x50 cm for a pair or small group. The setup should feature a drainage layer topped with organic soil, a thick layer of leaf litter (oak or magnolia leaves), cork bark tubes, and live plants such as bromeliads (essential for breeding), pothos, and tropical ferns.
Lighting and Heating: Lighting and Heating: Provide a 12-hour photoperiod using LED lights suitable for plant growth. Strong UVB is not required, but a low-output (2.0) UVB bulb is beneficial. Daytime temperatures should be maintained between 23°C and 26°C, with a slight drop to around 20°C at night. Avoid temperatures exceeding 28°C.
Humidity and Hydration: Humidity and Hydration: Humidity must be kept high, ideally between 80% and 95%. This is achieved by misting the terrarium 2-3 times daily with reverse osmosis (RO) water to prevent calcium spots on leaves and the frogs' sensitive skin. The substrate must remain damp but never waterlogged to prevent root rot and bacterial infections.
Feeding and Supplementation: Feeding and Supplementation: Feeds exclusively on small live insects. The staple diet in captivity consists of flightless fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster and D. hydei), springtails, and dwarf isopods. It is vital to dust the insects at every feeding with a high-quality calcium and vitamin D3 supplement, alongside multivitamins.
Compatibility: Compatibility: Best kept in pairs or small groups of the same species. They can be aggressive towards other Dendrobates species, so mixed-species setups are strongly discouraged. Multiple males can coexist if the terrarium is spacious and offers plenty of visual barriers, but close monitoring for stress is advised.
Health and Common Diseases: Health and Common Diseases: These frogs are highly susceptible to fungal skin infections (such as chytridiomycosis) and bacterial infections if hygiene and humidity levels are neglected. Another common risk is rapid dehydration due to excessive ventilation or failure to mist. Prevent waste buildup by keeping the clean bioactive cleanup crew active.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Dendrobates auratus 'Hawaiian' is a specific population introduced to the island of Oahu, Hawaii, in 1932 for mosquito control purposes. Originally native to Central America (from Nicaragua to Colombia), this variety has adapted perfectly to the humid tropical forests of Hawaii, living mainly in the damp leaf litter, around tree roots, and in shaded plantations.
Origin
Selective breeding and cultivarsExtra-Amazon South AmericaCentral America and CaribbeanTropical oceans and reefsCosmopolitan or introduced
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 4.2 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 4.2 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 4.2 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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