This view of D. imitator gives a good idea of the metallic green colouring of
the dorsal region.
Photo J. Skillcorn
Dendrobates imitator
John Skillcorn
Last update: 17 August, 2002
Dendrobates imitator is a very beautiful little animal which, in the early 1990's at least, was not often seen in the UK. I was lucky enough to obtain a pair at one of the Dutch Frog Days that are held in Holland twice a year. They were reputedly wild caught, and this fact went a little against a rule which I have since adopted. I endeavour whenever possible to obtain captive-bred animals, hoping to alleviate any pressure on wild populations by so doing.
This is not an exhaustive study of the breeding habits of this species, nor is it a definitive account of the frog's maintenance in captivity. It is, however, a report from memory going back some eight years or so but is, I feel, nonetheless accurate for that. One sees little in the texts about this frog, so perhaps this will help to generate some interest in at least one of the smaller species.
The frog is very
small, less than an inch in
overall length. It is primarily black but has a fine, metallic-green
tracery over the dorsal region, with blue marbling on the hind legs.
However, this colouring and patterning seems to be very variable, rather like
the variability in D. pumilio though, it must be said, nowhere near as
much as in that species. The
identifying characteristic (or so I am lead to believe) is the double black blotch on the snout.
(Have a look at the photos on INIBICO's
Website: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Jungle/6403/photos.html
This view of D. imitator
gives a good idea of the metallic green colouring of
the dorsal region.
Photo J. Skillcorn
If one looks closely at the snout
of this animal, it is just possible to see the
double-blotch of black
which is one of the distinguishing characteristics
of this species,
setting it apart from D. variabilis below.
Photo J. Skillcorn
In habit they are extremely arboreal, never willingly coming down to the 'ground'. As a result, they are to be observed perched on plant leaves, leaping from leaf to leaf in a very dainty way. They are good feeders, and spend a lot of time hunting food amongst the plants. Being so small, they naturally require food of a suitable size. Springtails, Drosophila and hatchling crickets serve them well, as would most other tiny insects. They will also take white worms so long as these are placed on leaves within easy reach. Food supplements are, of course, most important if one is to breed these animals and keep them in good condition.
These
two photographs of D. variabilis above were taken by
Jun
Matsuzono of
http://www.wildsky.net/ a
Website well worth a visit.
They clearly show the single spot on the nose of
the animal, and
there is also a difference in colouring, D. variabilis having
slightly broader
banding on the dorsum.
Their vivarium was very thickly planted, with actively growing climbing plants such as Scindapsus and Tradescantia. The floor was inert gravel and there was a waterfall arranged in one corner to keep up the humidity and to circulate the air. A third of the top of the vivarium was covered in nylon mesh and the front consisted of double sliding glass doors. I think the whole thing was around a meter long and half a meter high. Heating was with Ultratherm heating mat connected to an electronic thermostat. The mat was placed underneath the vivarium where it heated the water circulating in the waterfall arrangement.
The male actively called, was repetitive and loud
for the size of frog.
You can hear the call at this Webpage: www.herpetofauna.hpg.com.br/Pages/dendrobatesimitator.htm
I never found more than two eggs per clutch. They were invariably stuck to the side of the vivarium and so it was decided not to try to remove them for artificial incubation.
Photographs of the eggs may be seen here: www.wildsky.net/seicho/yamagishiimitatoregg.htm
However, out of the many clutches produced only a few proved fertile. One egg did, however, develop into a young, healthy frog, so I had to be content with that. This one tadpole gave me a bit of a problem at the start, however.
I noticed the male carrying the tadpole around on his back, and so I caught him up, placed him in a small plastic box containing a little water and expected the tadpole to swim off in due course. Nothing of the sort happened, and for hours the tadpole remained fixed securely to its parent's back. Plan two was to release the parent into its vivarium after having installed a bromeliad with water in its central vase. This did the trick, and within ten minutes the frog made a bee-line to the plant, sat in the centre and within seconds the tadpole was free.
From then on it was a fairly simple matter to rear the tadpole. It was fed on TetraMin flake and had its water changed twice a day. It was kept in around 100 mls. of soft water and grew steadily. The legs appeared with no sign of the dreaded spindle leg, and the young frog - although tiny - fed actively on springtails. It was soon feeding on Drosophila and hatchling crickets, and from that moment on it was maintained exactly as were its parents.
For those people who have an interest in the smaller species of frogs, and who have access to specimens, then this frog is well worth the effort. Although not prolific breeders (not in my experience, anyway) they are not impossible and will reward anyone who is willing to try to give them the arboreal conditions they need.
