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AmphibianTerrestrialIntermediate
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Strawberry Poison-dart Frog "Chiriqui"
Oophaga pumilio "Chiriqui"
Native to the Chiriquí region, this pumilio morph features bright colors with varying degrees of spotting. It is highly territorial and requires vertical space with live bromeliads.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Dendrobatidae
Subfamily:Dendrobatinae
Genus:Oophaga
Species:Oophaga pumilio "Chiriqui"
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
80 - 100 %
Day temperature
24 - 26 °C
Night temperature
22 - 23 °C
Ambient temperature
24 - 26 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
Basso
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to Panama, specifically from the Chiriquí region and adjacent islands. It inhabits tropical lowland forests, secondary forests, and humid cacao plantations, relying heavily on epiphytic bromeliads for shelter and reproduction.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belonging to the family Dendrobatidae. A tiny poison frog, with adults reaching only 1.8 to 2.5 cm in length. The digits are slender, adapted for climbing. This morph displays distinct color variations, often leaning towards green, olive, or yellow tones. Males feature a dark, expandable vocal sac under the throat.
Behavior and Habits: Diurnal, active, and agile. Males call from elevated leaves to establish territories and attract females. The female displays complex parental care: carrying tadpoles on her back to deposit them individually in water-filled bromeliad leaf axils and returning daily to feed them with unfertilized eggs.
Morphology: Difficult to distinguish visually. Females are slightly larger and rounder when gravid. Males possess a vocal sac under the throat, which appears as a slightly darker and looser skin patch, and are the only ones that call.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a vertically oriented terrarium (minimum 45x45x60 cm) with live plants, moss, and climbing branches. Live bromeliads (Neoregelia) are mandatory; their leaf axils store the water required for tadpole rearing.
Lighting and Heating: Maintain daytime temperatures between 24 and 26°C, tolerating short peaks of 27-28°C. Night temperatures should drop to 22-23°C. High-intensity lighting is needed for plant health, combined with a low-level UVB light source.
Humidity and Hydration: Requires very high humidity (85-100%). Their small size makes them vulnerable to rapid dehydration. Use an automated misting system to spray the terrarium frequently. Ensure that the central cups of the bromeliads remain filled with water.
Feeding and Supplementation: Feeds exclusively on micro-insects due to its small size. Provide springtails (collembola) and Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies. Dust all prey at every feeding with a high-quality calcium, vitamin A, and D3 supplement to prevent nutritional deficiencies.
Compatibility: Intraspecific competition is intense. Best kept in single pairs (1.1). Keeping multiple males or females in a standard enclosure leads to stress and aggressive wrestling, where subordinate frogs are chased and denied food. Do not mix with other species.
Health and Common Diseases: Fragile species suited for experienced keepers. Their high metabolism means they cannot tolerate fasting for more than 48 hours. Never handle with bare hands, as their skin is highly permeable to toxins, soaps, and oils. Ensure a continuous culture of live food is maintained.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to Panama, specifically from the Chiriquí region and adjacent islands. It inhabits tropical lowland forests, secondary forests, and humid cacao plantations, relying heavily on epiphytic bromeliads for shelter and reproduction.
Origin
Selective breeding and cultivarsCentral America and Caribbean
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 2.5 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 2.5 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 2.5 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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