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Diablito Poison Frog
Oophaga sylvatica
A moderately sized South American poison frog native to the Chocó region. Known for its striking red-and-black aposematic pattern and complex parental care.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Dendrobatidae
Subfamily:Dendrobatinae
Genus:Oophaga
Species:Oophaga sylvatica
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
80 - 95 %
Day temperature
23 - 26 °C
Night temperature
18 - 21 °C
Ambient temperature
23 - 26 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 50 L
UVB
None
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to the wet lowland tropical rainforests of southwestern Colombia and northwestern Ecuador (Chocó bioregion). They inhabit the damp forest floor among deep leaf litter and buttress roots of large trees.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belonging to the family Dendrobatidae. Commonly known as the Little Devil Poison Frog, it is highly prized for its vibrant aposematic color pattern and complex obligate egg-feeding reproductive strategy.
Behavior and Habits: Diurnal and primarily terrestrial, though they will climb low branches. Males call from fallen logs or roots. Females show dedicated parental care, transporting tadpoles to tiny water bodies (phytotelmata) and feeding them with unfertilized trophic eggs.
Morphology: Reaches 2.5–3.8 cm in length, making it larger than Oophaga pumilio. Females are generally slightly larger and wider than males. Males display calling behavior and possess a vocal sac under the throat.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: A spacious terrestrial/semi-arboreal rainforest terrarium (minimum 60x45x45 cm) is recommended. Use a bioactive substrate topped with a thick layer of leaf litter and damp moss. Provide large cork bark hides and robust plants, including large bromeliads.
Lighting and Heating: Keep temperatures at 23–26°C during the day, dropping to 20–22°C at night. Avoid temperatures above 27°C. A low-output (2–5%) UVB source is highly recommended.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain high humidity of 80–95%. Spray the enclosure daily with clean, dechlorinated water. Good ventilation is required to prevent stagnant, moldy conditions.
Feeding and Supplementation: Feed a variety of small insects: fruit flies (both Drosophila melanogaster and the larger D. hydei), springtails, dwarf isopods, and pinhead crickets. Dust food with calcium and vitamins containing D3 three times a week.
Compatibility: High intraspecific territoriality. Best kept in compatible pairs (1.1). Do not house multiple males together in standard-sized terrariums. Never mix with other poison frog species.
Health and Common Diseases: Highly susceptible to heat exhaustion. Dirty conditions can lead to bacterial skin infections (red leg syndrome). Handle only when necessary with wet, powder-free gloves.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to the wet lowland tropical rainforests of southwestern Colombia and northwestern Ecuador (Chocó bioregion). They inhabit the damp forest floor among deep leaf litter and buttress roots of large trees.
Origin
Selective breeding and cultivarsExtra-Amazon South AmericaEurope, Mediterranean, and West Asia
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 3.8 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 3.8 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 3.8 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.
Related species
Recommendations grouped by close relatives, companion choices, and similar care.
