Difficulty: Advanced, due to the rarity of this species in captivity and the difficulties with breeding that many people have been experiencing. They are also a shy species that is not easily viewable. 

 

Location & History: Brazil, French Guyana, and Peru. Discovered Steindachner,1864, Verh. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien, 14: 260. (1)

 

Descriptions & Behavior: 17-30 mm. [Mine seem to be around this but I can never accurately measure, I could use a bit of input here from someone who has measured there frogs] Dendrobates Quinquevittatus have bright orange limbs speckled with small black dots. These limbs fade over time with age to a slightly duller orange. The torso of the frogis jet black with 5 whitish to "radioactive green" stripes (three on top and two the sides), and the belly is a reticulated pattern of the greenish color.

 

They can be a skittish frog, but often come out after misting. If they notice you staring at them they will shoot off, but if you approach slowly they typically don't notice. 

 

Quinquevittatus is often referred to, mistakenly, as a "thumbnail" group species. This is mainly due to the fact that the species group that the hobby's "thumbnail" species group was based off of was actually called the Quinquevittatus species group up until the recent past. After genetics work was done it turned out that Quinqs, as well as castis and galacs (mistakenly put in the Tinc species group) were, in fact, their own species group with the most obvious characteristic setting them apart was their white eggs that develop into black tadpoles.

 

General Care: 
Quinquevittatus can be kept similarly to other members of their species group and terrestrial thumbnails. They will use both the floor and the upper reaches of the tank. As quinquevittatus can be a shy frog, a densely planted tank with lots of leaf litter goes a long way towards seeing your frogs. They can be kept in groups with little aggression. Feed D. Quinquevittatus melanogaster flies and springtails. Giving them a layer of leaf litter not only helps them feel secure but also provides food for soil isopods, and the quinquevittatus can be found hunting in the leaf litter. 

 

This species also seems to love very high humidity. Temperatures between 70º and 80º F are ideal, with a drop of around 10º at night. 

 

There are two lines of quinquevittatus in the hobby. Phil Tan's German Line was just recently introduced to the hobby. The German Line Quinquevittatus mature earlier, have brighter colors, but have a higher rate of spindly leg among the tadpoles. The other is the Todd Kelley line, which has slightly duller colors and matures at around 2 years. They mature later but have a much lower rate of spindly leg once they begin to breed. 

 

Breeding & tadpole Care: 
Black fimcontainers added to the layer of leaf litter. 
Eggs are a off white in appearance ,clutches range from 2-7, and Morph out in 60-70 days. 

 

Start tads off on a simple diet of Algae for the first week . After which give them a much higher protien diet and feed them OFTEN they grow quickly unlike any other "thumbnail" species . Apearing more like a Tinctorius tadpole huge and robust . 

 

Pictures: