Epipedobates anthonyi Santa Isabel
Epipedobates anthonyi Santa Isabel (pronounced ehp-ee-pee-do-bay-tees) an-thou-nee-eye) dart frogs are chocolate-brown and cream striped frogs. These mid sized frogs have a loud call, much like a cicada, and are fairly easy to care for. They are bold and active during the day, making them very interesting to watch. They are great beginner frogs and like to be housed in groups.
Quick Stats:
Minimum Enclosure: 30cmX30cmX45cm (12”X12”X18”)
Heat: 18°C-27°C (65°F-80°F)
Humidity: 70-100%
Food: Juveniles D. melanogaster, Adults D. hydei, isopods, springtails.
Lifespan: 5-10 years, often 8
Description
Epipedobates anthonyi Santa Isabel dart frogs can be very slightly variable in their coloring. They are typically chocolate brown on the head, back, body, and legs, with stripes of cream running along their sides from nose or eye to back leg, and again below the eye down onto the back legs. The Santa Isabel anthonyi is a medium sized dart frog; the females are around 25mm (1 inch) and the males are smaller. Females often appear wider and longer than males. This species is fairly easy to sex, as females are much wider than males, especially right before laying eggs.
Distribution and Natural Habitat of Epipedobates anthonyi Santa Isabel
Epipedobates anthonyi Santa Isabel are native to Ecuador. These frogs can be found living on the ground near streams and ponds in the tropical forests that spread across this large region. Anthonyi is considered by the IUCN Red List as “Near Threatened” as of 2010, meaning there are a smaller number in the wild than would be preferred, and because of virus, logging, and collection for the dart frog hobby, numbers continue to decline.
Behavior
Like all anthonyi, the Santa Isabel frogs are diurnal meaning they are awake during the day. They are terrestrial and live in the understory of the jungles they inhabit. In the wild they are constantly foraging for small insects, invertebrates and arthropods in the leaf litter. Some of the plants in the jungles contain various alkaloids and toxins, the micro fauna eat these plants and in turn get eaten by the frogs. This causes a downstream effect and these amazing frogs have evolved to harness the toxins as a means of self-defence. A combination of their striking colors and the toxins stored in their glands help ward off potential predators. In captivity the anthonyi do not contain any of these toxins due to the diet provided to them. They don’t have access to the food they would be eating in the wild. Santa Isabel frogs live near streams and can be found soaking in shallow ponds or right on the edge of slow moving water. While being frogs they are not very good swimmers and great care should be taken when making a suitable vivarium for them to live in. Once mature, the males will boldly perch on a rock or log and call out to attract females. The anthonyi call is loud and unique, and sounds like an insect call. They sing “chi-i-i-i-i-i-rp” rapidly in succession for any mates to hear. When a female selects a male, she will caress and gently pet his back to tell him she is ready to mate. The male will then hop away to a nice quiet place, with the female close behind. Anthonyi Santa Isabel females and males typically get along well and this species does like to be kept in groups.
Life in the Vivarium
Like all dart frogs, anthonyi Santa Isabel require a humidity range of 70-100%. They can survive for brief intervals at 50% humidity if clean water is provided for them to soak in. You can place a bromeliad or small shallow dish of water in the enclosure or add a pond feature to achieve this.
“Santa Isabel” type frogs thrive at temperatures near 21°C (70°F) but can survive a range of 18°C-27°C (65°F-80°F). Never exceed 29°C (85°F) as this can be fatal to the frogs. Generally a heat source such as a pad or light is not needed on a dart frog vivarium, apart from any lighting for plants. Do not rely on sunshine from a window, because the sun through the glass will heat up to extremely unsafe temperatures very quickly. Keep note of any air conditioning or heaters used in your home as well, as they may affect the temperature in your frog cage.
It is possible to house a single anthonyi “Santa Isabel” in a 10 gallon aquarium, but we recommend that you use a minimum 45cmX45cmX45cm (18”X18”X18”) enclosure for a group– bigger is always better. This size vivarium is suitable to house 2-3 adult Santa Isabel frogs.
Santa Isabel frogs enjoy the company of other frogs of their species. These little guys and gals like to be kept in evenly matched groups of males to females. Occasionally an aggressive male may be a problem during breeding season, so he may need to be removed, but you should have no trouble keeping a colony of these frogs. Remember to provide enough space though. Ten gallons should be a minimum for 2-3 frogs, and add at least 1 gallon per additional frog.
It is common for a healthy anthonyi Santa Isabel to live over 10 years in a vivarium. Please consider this before deciding to take them home to your family. As with most amphibians they are considered a “hands off” pet similar to a fish. Due to their delicate and permeable skin, it is not advised to handle your frogs. The chemicals, oils and debris on your hands could prove fatal to your dart frog pet when it is absorbed through their skin. It is recommended that you wear powder free rubber gloves if you are required to handle your dart frogs. In an emergency, such as an escape from the enclosure, try to capture them as fast as possible (bare hands will do… if needed) as they will try to hide quickly, and unfortunately this will become fatal very rapidly.
Anthonyi Santa Isabel require small live prey to hunt. This is easily achieved by providing them with flightless or wingless fruit flies. Baby and juvenile Santa Isabel will eat Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies, and the adults will hunt for Drosophila hydei. But the flies on their own are a poor nutritional source. We recommend “dusting” your fruit flies with a high quality vitamin and mineral supplement. We use and recommend Dendrocare all in one vitamin/mineral supplement. You can combine and use other supplements available to you, however please ensure you research what ratio or frequency you can supply vitamins as some can be lethal in high dosages.
It is recommended to build a bioactive vivarium for your dart frogs. This is achieved by introducing isopods and springtails into the environment. These little land crustaceans (no they are not insects!) will eat the decaying and decomposing bio matter as well as any excess feces in the vivarium. Some of these micro fauna will be eaten by your dart frog, as a little snack.
As with all our frogs, we do not recommend that you house multiple species or morphs together. Please supply each group with a vivarium to call their own.
Breeding Epipedobates anthonyi Santa Isabel in Captivity
If you have provided all the necessary parameters to keep your anthonyi “Santa Isabel” happy and healthy, they are easy to breed in a vivarium. This makes them a popular choice for many dart frog enthusiasts. Eggs will be laid directly into a pond, under the water, so be sure to give females access to some still water. Clutches have been recorded to be up to 35 eggs, and typically contain over ten! The adult male should return frequently to his eggs to keep them moist and clean. Anthonyi Santa Isabel eggs are clear and gelatinous, making them excellent to watch develop into tadpoles. The eggs take approximately 10-15 days to fully develop. Then the tadpoles will take approximately 60-80 days to fully metamorphosize into colorful little froglets. Tadpoles will eat dead fruit flies and/or tadpole pellets.
Final Notes
Epipedobates anthonyi Santa Isabel are delightful, noisy, and pretty frogs. They’re always happy to entertain by chirping out a song and hopping around playfully. They look like sweet, bouncy little chocolates, but we expect they probably just taste like frog legs. (We haven’t tasted them, we promise!)
