D. leucomaleus

The bumble bee dart frog
D. leucomelas the dart frog that started a thousand froggers.

D. leucomelas, like a bumble bee, is colored to catch the attention of the conscious and subconscious. A frog that draws ones eyes. Its' solid plumpness is classically froggy, its happy buzz of a call is loud enough to enjoy but not annoy.

The "bumble bee dart frog" always seemed to be a pitiful name for the marvelous D. leucomelas . It does convey the stunning tangerine and black coloring of this wonderful dart, but it misses the significance of this frog to the hobby. As Helen was to the Trojan war, so leucomelas is to the dart frog hobby. One particular picture in "The Care of Reptiles and Amphibians in Captivity" by C. Mattison has turned hundreds if not thousands of people onto the dream of having dart frogs. I was one of those people, shifting snakes and lizard into a minor interest and letting me know my frog dreams were possible.

The only negative thing about these little gems is their breeding habits. They take up to two years to become sexually active and even then they tend to be seasonal breeders. It' is likely connected to the more seasonal nature of their home range.