Splash-backed poison frog
Adelphobates galactonotus · also called Splashback, Splash-back dart frog, Galac
A striking, robust dart frog with a solid black body and a contrasting saddle of bright color (orange, yellow, blue, mint, or white) across its back. It is a hardy intermediate species that does well in small groups in a planted vivarium.
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Quick facts
| Size | Medium-large dart frog; about 3.5-4.5 cm (1.4-1.8 in). |
| Lifespan | 8–15 years |
| Social needs | group |
| Native region | Lowland Amazon rainforest south of the Amazon River in eastern Brazil (Para state) |
| Origin | New World |
| Climate | 🌴 Tropical |
| Family | Dendrobatidae |
| Genus | Adelphobates |
Part of the Poison Dart Frogs
Small, brilliantly colored diurnal frogs of the family Dendrobatidae from Central and South America. Captive-bred individuals are non-toxic because their alkaloid defenses come from wild ant- and mite-based diets. They thrive in planted, high-humidity bioactive vivaria and are display-only animals that should not be handled.
Habitat & space requirements
From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
Color & pattern variants
Natural variants occur in the wild; selectively bred (man-made) variants were developed in captivity.
representativeOrange
Bright orange dorsal saddle over a black body; one of the most frequently imported and captive-bred locality forms of *A. galactonotus*.
Tip: A terrestrial, leaf-litter species — give a deep litter layer and broad horizontal floor space rather than a tall planted wall; humidity 80-100% holds the orange best.
representativeYellow
Vivid yellow dorsal saddle on a black body, a distinct locality color form rather than a bred mutation.
Tip: Keep bloodlines pure by locality — never cross Yellow with Orange or Blue stock, as random color-form hybrids have no trade value and muddy the line.
representativeBlue
Pale to sky-blue dorsal coloration over black, a scarce and high-demand locality form.
Tip: Blue lines are limited and often inbred — source from at least two unrelated breeders to avoid the spindly-leg and reduced-clutch problems that plague tightly-bred dart morphs.
representativeMint / White
Pale mint-green to near-white dorsal forms over black bodies, among the most coveted natural color variants.
Tip: The pale dorsum makes carotenoid intake critical — dust feeders with a quality supplement and offer a varied feeder mix or the white can dull to dirty grey over time.
representativeRed / Tangerine →
Deep red-orange to tangerine saddle form, sometimes sold separately from the standard Orange for its richer, more saturated tone.
Tip: Color saturation is partly diet-driven; provide a carotenoid-rich supplement on flightless fruit flies to push the red deeper rather than letting it fade toward pale orange.
representativeFine Spot / Splash →
Forms where the dorsal color breaks into a finely speckled or splashed pattern instead of a solid saddle, giving the species its common name.
Tip: Pattern is heritable but variable within clutches — select breeders from the most heavily splashed siblings if you want to fix the look, and house in trios for reliable pairing.