Defining Characteristics: 

• Great beginner frog
• Contrasting white and brown pattern (sometimes with blue toes!)
• Shy
• Very easy to breed
• Quiet call
• Large
• Can be kept in groups
• This morph was bred in Europe. We imported the animals in December 2024 and they passed quarantine.

Name: Dendrobates auratus 'Pena Blanca'. Commonly called the Green and Black Poison Dart Frog. The species is commonly referred to as 'Pena Blanca' in the United States frog hobby. These animals descend from frogs collected from the Rio Cascajal locale. Simply calling the species 'auratus' is fairly common, as well. 

Recommended Vivarium Size & Setup: A 10 gallon aquarium is suitable for a single Dendrobates auratus 'Pena Blanca', but Josh's Frogs recommends a 20H or 18x18x18 glass terrarium for 1-3 frogs.

ABG mix or Josh's Frogs Dart Frog BioBedding in conjunction with our other bioactive layers (false bottom, substrate barrier, sphagnum moss and leaf litter) are great substrate options for your dart frog setup! Both of these mixes support microfauna populations, which help break down waste and mold within the tank.

Want to spice up your enclosure with live plants? Our experts have curated kits of easy-to-care-for and SAFE plants for your dart frogs. Check them out here!

Not sure how to set up a vivarium? Check out this video: Dart Frog Vivarium Set Up - Start to Finish

Temperature (°F): They can tolerate a temperature range of 65 to 80 degrees, but prefer temperatures in the low to mid 70s. Temperatures over 85° are dangerous. Measure temps with a digital thermometer.

Humidity: Like most poison dart frogs, auratus prefer a humidity range of 70–100%, but can tolerate humidity down to 50% for short periods of time if the frogs have access to water. Low humidity levels, especially without access to water, can quickly be fatal. Auratus in particular seem to enjoy a wetter environment and higher ambient humidity levels vs other species of poison dart frogs, and will be more active in a more humid environment, especially when provided with a water feature. In the wild, auratus are commonly found in association with streams.

Measure humidity with a digital hygrometer.

Size: Adult female Pena Blanca Auratus are larger, measuring in at approximately 1.5 inches. Male Pena Blanca auratus are a bit smaller, averaging about 1.25 inches at maturity. All of the Dendrobates auratus 'Pena Blanca' froglets Josh's Frogs sells are well started juveniles, and measure approximately 5/8” long.

Age: Dendrobates auratus 'Pena Blanca' is capable of living well over 20 years in captivity under ideal conditions, although a lifespan of 10 years is more common. In the wild, it is thought that auratus may live 4-6 years. All auratus for sale at Josh's Frogs are well started juveniles, and are 2-3 months old.

Feeding: Like most poison dart frogs, Pena Blanca auratus poison dart frogs prefer smaller foods. All of the auratus dart frogs Josh's Frogs sells will readily eat Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies.

Adult auratus will readily consume Drosophila hydei fruit flies and pinhead crickets. All ages of poison dart frogs will enjoy springtails and isopods. All feeder insects should be dusted with a vitamin/mineral supplement.

For more information on what poison dart frogs can eat, please read our blog: Feeding Dart Frogs: What, How Often, and How Much?

Sexing: Dendrobates auratus 'Pena Blanca' is not sexable until 10-12 months of age, and even at that age visual sexing is very difficult. Male auratus tend to be smaller than females, which often appear both longer and wider. Males also tend to have wider front toe pads and a less defined back arch than females.

Josh's Frogs sells 2-3 month old juvenile Pena Blanca auratus that are not sexable unless otherwise noted.

For more information on sexing poison dart frogs, please see our blogs: How to Visually Sex Dart Frogs: Part I & How to Visually Sex Dart Frogs: Part II

Color/Pattern: A typically white and brown/black poison dart frog, Dendrobates auratus 'Pena Blanca' can be very variable. Varying amounts of black to brown to bronze contrasts nicely with a bright, white or cream background. Pena Blanca auratus can have a more metallic blue coloration than other auratus morphs.

Josh's Frogs does not recommend, support, or endorse line breeding as we believe this leads to weaker captive animals and nature has done a wonderful job of creating an amazing variation in color and pattern of poison dart frogs already.

Social Behavior: These frogs do well housed in groups their entire life, as long as enough space is provided. Josh's Frogs recommends approximately 10 gallons per frog. As they reach sexual maturity at 10-12 months of age, the social dynamic in a group of Dendrobates auratus may change, and females may eat each other's eggs. Females may fight with each other over a mate. For that reason, many breeders recommend keeping auratus in pairs as adults. In our experience at Josh's Frogs, generally this aggression is minor, and auratus make a great group frog.

Josh's Frogs strongly recommends against housing different species/morphs of dart frogs - for the health of your pets, please avoid mixing!

Breeding: Pena Blanca auratus are relatively easy to breed. Sometimes they lay eggs frequently, only to stop and go months before laying another clutch. Like most Dendrobates, eggs are deposited on a smooth broad leaf, or on a petri dish under a cocohut. Most egg clutches consist of 4-6 eggs. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, which then take 60-80 days to complete metamorphosis into miniature versions of the adults.

Josh's Frogs recommends purchasing multiple frogs if you are interested in breeding them – this greatly increases the chances of getting a pair (male & female).

For more information on breeding and raising poison dart frogs, please read our blog: 5 Tips for Breeding Dart Frogs

Natural Range: Dendrobates auratus 'Pena Blanca' is native to Panama. Generally found in humid lowlands, Pena Blanca auratus seem to thrive in heavy layers of leaf litter, and are often found near streams or creeks. Specific locale data is not available, besides the fact that the founding members of this captive population were collected near the Rio Cascajal.

History in the Hobby: Pena Blanca auratus were introduced into the US hobby in 2016 via wild caught imports that came in through Strictly Reptiles. These frogs descend from those collected near Rio Cascajal in Panama.

Links of Interest:

• Auratus Care Sheet by Josh's Frogs
• Wikipedia entry on Dendrobates auratus
• Auratus information on AmphibiaWeb