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AmphibianTerrestrialIntermediate
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Bumblebee Toad
Melanophryniscus stelzneri
The Bumblebee Toad is a tiny, strictly diurnal South American amphibian known for its walking gait. When threatened, it arches its back to display vivid warning colors of red, black, and yellow.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Bufonidae
Genus:Melanophryniscus
Species:Melanophryniscus stelzneri
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
60 - 80 %
Day temperature
20 - 25 °C
Night temperature
15 - 20 °C
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to the damp grasslands, rocky steppes, temporary flooded pastures, and high-altitude shrublands of central and northern Argentina, extending into Uruguay and parts of Paraguay. They dwell primarily among dense grass and flat stones, emerging in large numbers during warm summer rains to forage and breed.
Taxonomy and Genetics: A member of the Bufonidae family under the genus Melanophryniscus. Commonly referred to as the Bumblebee Toad or Stelzner's Toad. It is a miniature toad species, reaching an adult size of only 2 to 3.5 centimeters, with females being significantly larger and rounder than the calling males. Their skin is dry and bumpy.
Behavior and Habits: Unlike most amphibians, this species is strictly diurnal and terrestrial. Instead of hopping, they walk around the substrate, actively searching for small prey. When confronted by a threat, they perform a defense posture called the 'Unkenreflex', arching their back to display the bright orange-red warning colors on their palms.
Morphology: Features a plump, rounded body structure. The base color is a deep velvety jet-black, covered dorsally with bright yellow or orange spots. The undersides of the feet, palms, and parts of the lower belly are a brilliant fire-red or bright orange, contrasting sharply with the black body to signal toxicity.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a horizontally oriented terrarium, with minimum dimensions of 60x45x30 cm (24x18x12 inches) for a small group. The substrate should consist of damp organic soil, coconut fiber, and a layer of dried leaf litter. Provide flat pieces of cork bark and smooth stones as hiding spots. A very shallow water dish is mandatory, as they are poor swimmers.
Lighting and Heating: Because they are strictly diurnal, they require bright daytime lighting including a 5% UVB source, which is critical for vitamin D3 synthesis and bone development. Maintain daytime temperatures between 22 and 25°C (71-77°F). A significant nighttime temperature drop to 16-18°C (60-64°F) is highly beneficial. Avoid temperatures exceeding 28°C (82°F).
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain moderate humidity levels, between 50% and 70%, replicating temperate grasslands. Mist the terrarium lightly once a day with dechlorinated water, preferably in the morning to simulate dew. Good ventilation is crucial; stagnant, wet conditions will quickly lead to fatal bacterial skin infections.
Feeding and Supplementation: Strictly insectivorous, feeding on tiny insects due to their small mouth size. Offer small crickets, Drosophila fruit flies, springtails, and pea aphids. Food should be dusted with calcium and vitamin D3 supplements at least twice a week to prevent metabolic bone disease and support their active metabolism.
Compatibility: Highly peaceful and gregarious. They can be safely kept in small groups or colonies of their own species in a well-sized terrarium. They show no territorial aggression. Do not mix them with other amphibian or reptile species, as this can cause immense stress and increase the risk of disease transmission.
Health and Common Diseases: Wild-caught specimens possess skin toxins accumulated from their natural diet, while captive-bred individuals lose this high toxicity. However, they should still not be handled with bare hands due to skin sensitivity. Overheating above 28°C (82°F) is a major risk, leading to rapid dehydration and respiratory failure.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to the damp grasslands, rocky steppes, temporary flooded pastures, and high-altitude shrublands of central and northern Argentina, extending into Uruguay and parts of Paraguay. They dwell primarily among dense grass and flat stones, emerging in large numbers during warm summer rains to forage and breed.
Origin
Extra-Amazon South America
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 3 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 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 3 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.
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Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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