
Dendrobates leucomelas, or the bumble bee dart frog, comes in orange or yellow with highly variable patterns of black spots and bands. This frog originates in northern South America, mostly Venezuela. They are non-toxic in captivity, due to a change in diet, and make great pets as long as you have a steady source of food for them. They will eat any small insects and I have found they prefer Drosophila melanogaster or similar sized morsels. Also of note to those who might want to keep them, they do require calcium supplements or they will suffer neurological malfunctions, possibly leading to death. I would suggest not feeding them ants of the subfamily Formicinae, as these ants are the suspected source of precursor molecules used to manufacture toxins.
You need links to all those fancy Latin names so that those of us who are ignorant can easily discover the meaning of them.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I thought Drosophila melanogaster was a very well known latin name. This is the species of fruit fly used in many early and contemporary genetics experiments and is probably the best known species of all insects. It is the model organism for all six-legged creatures (not including mutant frogs). A little known fact that not even the genetisists know, these flies actually belong to the Pomace Fly or Vinegar Fly family (Drosophilidae), not the Fruit Fly family (Tephritidae).
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