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Yellow-banded Poison Dart Frog (Guyana)
Dendrobates leucomelas "Guyana"
The Guyana Poison Dart Frog is a large-sized morph of Dendrobates leucomelas characterized by reduced black patterning and a more vibrant, expansive yellow coloration.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Dendrobatidae
Genus:Dendrobates
Species:Dendrobates leucomelas "Guyana"
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
70 - 100 %
Day temperature
22 - 26 °C
Night temperature
18 - 20 °C
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to northern South America, primarily southern Venezuela, Guyana, northern Brazil, and eastern Colombia. They inhabit humid tropical rainforest floors, but are also frequently found in drier gallery forests.
Taxonomy and Genetics: A member of the Dendrobatidae family, commonly known as the Yellow-banded Poison Dart Frog or Bumblebee Dart Frog. The 'Guyana' morph is a larger-bodied variety showing a reduced amount of black markings and a more vibrant, intense yellow base color compared to standard populations. They reach 3.8 to 4.2 cm in size.
Behavior and Habits: Bold, active, and highly visible frogs. They climb actively up branches and tank walls. Males are prolific singers, producing a loud, high-pitched warble resembling a canary's song, triggered by humidity spikes.
Morphology: Sexes are visually very similar. Females are slightly larger, wider, and heavier. Males are smaller and possess a vocal sac that becomes dark and wrinkled during breeding activity.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a tall terrarium with horizontal space (minimum 45x45x60 cm for a small group). Provide climbing branches, textured background walls, live bromeliads, and a deep layer of oak leaves.
Lighting and Heating: Prefers slightly warmer temperatures than other dart frogs, thriving at 24 to 27°C. Avoid temperatures above 28°C. Provide low-intensity UVB lighting to simulate dappled forest canopy light.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain target humidity levels between 75% and 85%. They tolerate minor humidity drops. A slightly drier winter period followed by increased misting in spring acts as a strong breeding trigger.
Feeding and Supplementation: Voracious ambush predators. Feed on wingless fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster and hydei), springtails, and pinhead crickets. Preys must be dusted with high-quality calcium and vitamin powders.
Compatibility: Outstanding social frogs. They can be safely kept in small groups (4-6 individuals) with very low levels of aggression, where males will compete through vocalization rather than physical fighting.
Health and Common Diseases: Hardy and suitable for beginners under proper hygiene. Monitor for obesity, as dominant females can overeat. Feed at multiple spots in the terrarium to ensure equal food distribution.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to northern South America, primarily southern Venezuela, Guyana, northern Brazil, and eastern Colombia. They inhabit humid tropical rainforest floors, but are also frequently found in drier gallery forests.
Origin
Selective breeding and cultivarsAmazon, Orinoco, and Guianas
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 3.75 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 3.75 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 3.75 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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