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Anthony's Poison Arrow Frog
Epipedobates anthonyi
Visually near-identical to E. tricolor, but generally a deeper reddish-purple base color. Incredibly hardy and active, it stands as the absolute perfect introductory dart frog for bioactive novices.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Dendrobatidae
Subfamily:Colostethinae
Genus:Epipedobates
Species:Epipedobates anthonyi
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
80 - 90 %
Day temperature
23 - 26 °C
Night temperature
18 °C
Ambient temperature
23 - 26 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Found in the humid tropical and premontane forests of southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru. They live mainly on the forest floor but can agilely climb low branches and vegetation.
Taxonomy and Genetics: A member of the Dendrobatidae family, commonly known as Anthony's Poison Arrow Frog. Historically confused with Epipedobates tricolor, it is distinguished by its color patterns and is much more prolific and hardy, making it one of the best dart frogs for beginners.
Behavior and Habits: Diurnal, highly active, and bold. Males are prolific singers, producing a loud, bird-like trilling call. They reproduce readily in captivity, laying eggs on smooth surfaces or leaf litter.
Morphology: A small species reaching 2-2.5 cm. Mature females are rounder and heavier than males. Males have a vocal sac that becomes dark and expands during calling.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a bioactive terrarium with dense planting (e.g. 45x45x45 cm for a small group). Provide climbing branches, pieces of bark, and a thick layer of leaf litter. Large-leafed plants like Pothos or bromeliads are ideal for egg-laying.
Lighting and Heating: Requires moderate temperatures of 23 to 26°C. Temperatures above 28-30°C are dangerous and can be fatal. A night temperature drop to 21°C is beneficial. Provide LED lighting and 5% UVB to prevent metabolic bone disease.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain high humidity levels of 80-90% through frequent misting with declorinated water. Ensure good ventilation to prevent stagnant air which leads to bacterial skin infections.
Feeding and Supplementation: Feed daily with wingless fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster or hydei), springtails, and pinhead crickets. Dust all prey items with high-quality calcium and vitamin D3 supplements at every feeding.
Compatibility: Excellent community frogs. They can be housed in small groups or harems with minimal aggression, as males compete through singing rather than fighting. Do not mix with other frog species.
Health and Common Diseases: Direct handling must be avoided as human skin oils can cause osmotic shock. Extremely sensitive to household chemicals and insecticides. Keep the enclosure clean to prevent bacterial infections.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Found in the humid tropical and premontane forests of southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru. They live mainly on the forest floor but can agilely climb low branches and vegetation.
Origin
Extra-Amazon South AmericaNorth AmericaEurope, Mediterranean, and West Asia
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 2.65 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 2.65 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 2.65 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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