Dendrobates tinctorius “Azureus” dart frog breeding and egg development

This page takes you through my observations as I was introduced to the world of dart frog breeding. Our azureus pair were the first dart frogs we acquired, and the first that bred for us. It was a fascinating process that yielded one of my favorite projects, the daily photo journal of the development of an azureus froglet from deposition through the froglets emergence from water (referred to as out of water or OOW).

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Calling

Depositing

Developing

First daily photo journal

Our azureus laid approximately 5 eggs on Saturday July 14. The following images are taken in approximately 24 hour increments as the eggs developed. I focused on the front right egg since it was on the outer edge of the brom leaf and more accessible for photographing. It also seemed to be developing better than the egg on the left. Click on an image for a higher resolution view. And keep checking back for updates!

 7/147/15 [1]7/16 [2]7/17 [3]7/18 [4]7/19 [5]7/20 [6]
 week 1
 7/21 [7]7/22 [8]7/23 [9]7/24 [10]7/25 [11]7/26 [12]7/27 [13]
week 2
 7/28 [14]7/29 [15]7/30 [16]7/31 [17]8/1 [18]8/2 [19]8/3 [20]
 week 3

died after

hatching

   

Second daily photo journal

Following the death of the first tadpole after it’s hatch, we experienced limited success with the next few weekly clutches, raising approximately 12 tadpoles over the next few months. Success rates were roughly 1 to 2 tadpoles per clutch (4 to 6 eggs deposited). Starting in October, the success rates on developing eggs began to rise, and another progression was started.

 10/17 [1]10/18 [2]10/19 [3]10/20 [4]10/21 [5]10/22 [6]10/23 [7]
 week 1
 10/24 [8]10/25 [9]10/26 [10]10/27 [11]10/28 [12]10/29 [13]10/30 [14]
week 2
 10/31 [15]11/1 [16]11/2 [17]11/3 [18]11/4 [19]11/5 [20]11/6 [21]
 week 3
 11/7 [22]11/8 [23]11/9 [24]11/10 [25]11/11 [26]11/12 [27]11/13 [28]
 week 4
 11/14 [29]11/15 [30]11/16 [31]11/17 [32] 11/18 [33] 11/19 [34] 11/20 [35]
 week 5
scalechange
 11/21 [36]11/22 [37]11/23 [38]11/24 [39]11/25 [40]11/26 [41]11/27 [42]
 week 6
 11/28 [43]11/29 [44]11/30 [45]12/1 [46]12/2 [47]12/3 [48]12/4 [49]
 week 7
 12/5 [50]12/6 [51]12/7 [52]12/8 [53]12/9 [54]12/10 [55]12/11 [56]
 week 8
 12/12 [57]12/13 [58]12/14 [59]12/15 [60]12/16 [61]12/17 [62]12/18 [63]
 week 9Oct17-day61-1216_2138Oct17-day56-1211_2014Oct17-day63-1218_2147
 12/19 [64]12/20 [65]12/21 [66]12/22 [67]12/23 [68]12/24 [69]12/25 [70]
week 10Oct17-day64-1219_2150Oct17-day65-1220_2155Oct17-day66-1221_2156Oct17-day67-1222_2165Oct17-day68-1223_2168Oct17-day69-1224_2190Oct17-day70-1225_2214
 12/26 [71]12/27 [72]12/28 [73]12/29 [74]12/30 [75]12/31 [76]1/1 [77]
week 11Oct17-day71-1226_2218Oct17-day72-1227_2303Oct17-day73-1228_2341Oct17-day74-1229_2346Oct17-day75-1230_2350Oct17-day76-1231_2368Oct17-day77-0101_2376
 1/2 [78]1/3 [79]1/4 [80]1/5 [81]1/6 [82]1/7 [83]1/8 [84]
week 12Oct17-day78-0102_2377Oct17-day79-0103_2383Oct17-day80-0104_2390Oct17-day81-0105_2391Oct17-day82-0106_2397Oct17-day83-0107_2405Oct17-day84-0108_2407
 1/9 [85]1/10 [86]1/11 [87]1/12 [88]1/13 [89]1/14 [90]1/15 [91]
week 13Oct17-day85-0109_2411Oct17-day86-0110_2416Oct17-day87-0111_2423Oct17-day88-0112_2429Oct17-day89-0113_2443Oct17-day90-0114_2449Oct17-day91-0115_2484
 1/16 [92]1/17 [93]1/18 [94]1/19 [95]1/20 [96]1/21 [97]1/22 [98]
week 14Oct17-day092-0116_2488Oct17-day093-0117_2492Oct17-day094-0118_2501Oct17-day095-0119_2503Oct17-day096-0120_2520Oct17-day097-0121_2524Oct17-day098-0122_2533
 1/23 [99]1/24 [100]1/25 [101]1/26 [102]1/27 [103]1/28 [104]1/29 [105]
week 15Oct17-day099-0123_2534Oct17-day100-0124_2538Oct17-day101-0125_2541Oct17-day102-0126_2563Oct17-day103-0127_2573Oct17-day104-0128_2575Oct17-day105-0129_2581
 1/30 [106]1/31 [107]2/1 [108]2/2 [109]2/3 [110]2/4 [111]2/5 [112]
week 16Oct17-day106-0130_2588Oct17-day107-0131_2594Oct17-day108-0201_2598Oct17-day109-0202_2602Oct17-day110-0203_2604Oct17-day111-0204_2607Oct17-day112-0205_2610
 2/6 [113]2/7 [114]2/8 [115]2/9 [116]2/10 [117]2/11 [118]2/12 [119]
week 17Oct17-day113-0206_2618Oct17-day114-0207_2620Oct17-day115-0208_2631Oct17-day116-0209_2637Oct17-day117-0210_2649Oct17-day118-0211_2654Oct17-day119-0212_2656
 2/13 [120]2/14 [121]2/15 [122]2/16 [123]2/17 [124]2/18 [125]2/19 [126]
week 18Oct17-day120-0213_2666Oct17-day121-0214_2676Oct17-day122-0215_2684Oct17-day123-0216_2698Oct17-day124-0217_2733Oct17-day125-0218_2755Oct17-day126-0219_2763
        

Tadpole development – selected photos

Selected development shots of our first tadpole. It took quite a while for the rear legs to develop, then in the final month the process accelerated.

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