Abstract
Objective: food preference in captivity was determined with a free choice of ants, fly larvae, and termites as a viable alternative for the suitable, easily-executed ex situ management of Dendrobates truncatus. Methods/Statistical Analysis: 6 dietary offerings were tested: larval fruit flies, 4 species of ants and 1 termite species, on a group of ten D. truncatus individuals held in captivity. The diet was calculated with an average animal weight of 1.75 g (1.3-2.0) and an offer of 12% body weight, which is equivalent to 2.1g/day in total. For the comparison between the diets, Friedman’s ANOVA was applied; to compare the body weights, a t-test was used; and for size, ANOVA and Tukey test were used. Findings: The diet with significant acceptance was termites, with greater preference than the fly larvae and ants. There was trophic plasticity and the concept of extreme specialization of diet in captivity was confirmed. Application: the results suggest that this species can be maintained ex situ with low cost and a wide availability of food resources, which is an important alternative for conservation programs especially since this species is endemic to Colombia. Keywords: Dendrobates Truncatus, Feeding, Captivity, Management, Trophic Plasticity
Highlights
In the Dendrobatidae family, there are five genera in Colombia of the nine known worldwide: Colostethus, Dendrobates, Epipedobates, Minyobates and Phyllobates[1]; this amphibian family is exclusive to South and Central America[2].Dendrobates truncatus is the smallest species of the Dendrobates genus with a length between 20 and 30 mm[3,4] and a body weight ranging between 0.85 and 2.0 g
Friedman’s ANOVA (N = 4, df = 1) = 4.00 p = 0.045 showed that there is a significant difference when comparing the consumption of termites with that of fruit fly larvae; there were no significant differences when comparing the different species of the offered ants (N = 4, df = 3) = 5.363 p = 0.147
Trophic plasticity was established for D. truncatus kept in captivity, which has significant importance for ex situ conservation programs, especially since it is an endemic species
Summary
In the Dendrobatidae family, there are five genera in Colombia of the nine known worldwide: Colostethus, Dendrobates, Epipedobates, Minyobates and Phyllobates[1]; this amphibian family is exclusive to South and Central America[2].Dendrobates truncatus is the smallest species of the Dendrobates genus with a length between 20 and 30 mm[3,4] and a body weight ranging between 0.85 and 2.0 g. The base color is black with yellow stripes on the back and fringes or stippling on the back that are white or cream colored; the abdominal area usually has white spots This species is linked to soil with leaf litter and nearby bodies of water[3,5]. Its distribution extends from Chaparral in the Department of Tolima to the Caribbean coast and the northern lowlands of the Central and Western Cordilleras, west of the Gulf of Urabá[6]. It is located in dry forest areas of the Department of Sucre, such as Montes de María[10]
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