# Help IDing rescued frogs



## miculi100 (Nov 7, 2010)

Hello all! I guess this is actually a bit of an intro as well... I'm Rachel and I have had darts for several years, both leucs and azureus breeding pairs. I need some help IDing a pair of frogs I rescued today. 

Today somebody who heard through a friend of a friend that I had darts called me up and said they had "dwarf darts" and they needed to find them a new home as they were not eating the large crickets (aaack!!!  ) that they had been offering. So we met and I picked up their dwarf dart frogs. They had no idea about species or anything. The story I heard from them was that they got the frogs from a friend who brought them back from Panama (highly unlikely... but who knows maybe smuggled somehow? or more likely a huge mis-understanding! I am guessing the story was more like the friend went on vacation (to Portland Oregon or something) and brought back a pair of darts native to Panama... anyway who knows!) I am going to try to attach some pictures I just took of these guys. They are in an awful little tank and are really really skinny, but I am going to be moving them this evening to better quarters and they are already chowing on a bunch of fruit flies. Poor little things they look awful. I can't figure out what they are so if anyone has any good guesses I'd love to hear!

Thanks!
Rachel


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I know its a Mantella species but I couldn't tell you which one... I know very little about them. Maybe someone else could chime in here?


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## miculi100 (Nov 7, 2010)

You might just be right, Mitch. I spent hours looking at all the species I could come up with, thinking it was some Ameerega or Ranitomeya but mantella makes sense. Now, what kind of Mantella?


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## bobzarry (Mar 2, 2005)

I am no expert but looks like laevigata to me.


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## Logqan (Sep 24, 2008)

for sure laevigata I keep a breeding group of six. They are semi arboreal mantellas. They eat fruit flies well for me as well as bean beetles and pin heads. They love leaf litter to hide it if you can provide it.

They also do not need it to be that wet just high humidity


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## Baltimore Bryan (Sep 6, 2006)

Yes, they are mantellas. Mantellas are from Madagascar, not Panama. Here is some info on them: Mantella laevigata - Climbing Mantella M. laevigata is an interesting species as it tends to be more arboreal than other Mantellas and I think they also transport tadpoles to holes in trees, which is unique to the genus (correct me if I am wrong.) There is more info on them in the Mantella section of the "Other Amphibians" forum category. They will eat many things dart frogs do (small crickets, fruit flies, etc.) Get them fattened up a bit and you can try breeding them. Good luck!
Bryan


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Nice save! Please keep posting pics as they fatten up.


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## Logqan (Sep 24, 2008)

They wont actually transport the tads like some dart species but they lay in water holes in trees and bamboo holes as well. Mine wont use film canisters they prefer something more natural like seed pods or a halved coconut with some water in it (like a water dish)


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## miculi100 (Nov 7, 2010)

Thanks everybody! Now that I know what they are I'm off to learn all I can...
Thanks again, I'll try to post some pictures again soon as they fatten up!


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

There are color morphs of Mantella Expectata that look similar to those in your photos. Check with Rain_Frog (Doug). He's a Mantella expert.


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## laylow (Apr 6, 2009)

I love these frogs. They are one of my favorite mantellas. I bought 5 for a friend several months back and have wanted some for my own since! Awesome find, good luck with them.

Shaw


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## RarePlantBroker (Aug 3, 2008)

Some termites would really help fatten these guys up. My mantellas really like termites as a treat....


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## son of a addict (Jul 3, 2009)

I'm glad someone wiyh dart experince got the guys. I seen them on CL and tried for 3 days to get a hold of the person who had these.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Mantella laevigata, or highly stressed expecta who's color will return to normal, or possibly a morph I've never seen, but I'm 90+ percent Mantella laevigata


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