El Cope
This is a site specific morph of auratus from the area of El Cope, Panama. Understory Enterprises has been the primary source of the morph in the North American hobby. This morph is large and bold, showing a pattern of turquoise with dark bronze spots and blotches.
These were collected in the 1990's by Ian Hiler from quite high elevations in Panama. At the time of collection, the habitat was shared by Atelopus zeteki. Ian talked about how badly this morph reeked of Alkaloids in the field and said they are likely the most poisonous Dendrobates (nothing in comparison to Phyllobatid poison, though). There is reference to two lines in the hobby, Aquarium of the Americas/Hiler line and those from UE. In reality, all of these are the same. UE obtained Aquarium of the Americas line at some point and began selling them which led to them being called "UE" line. In 2025, JoshsFrogs brought in European imports of this morph. This is a significant addition to the hobby as it allows for the opportunity to pair up unrelated animals for decades more of genetic viability.
These were collected in the 1990's by Ian Hiler from quite high elevations in Panama. At the time of collection, the habitat was shared by Atelopus zeteki. Ian talked about how badly this morph reeked of Alkaloids in the field and said they are likely the most poisonous Dendrobates (nothing in comparison to Phyllobatid poison, though). There is reference to two lines in the hobby, Aquarium of the Americas/Hiler line and those from UE. In reality, all of these are the same. UE obtained Aquarium of the Americas line at some point and began selling them which led to them being called "UE" line. In 2025, JoshsFrogs brought in European imports of this morph. This is a significant addition to the hobby as it allows for the opportunity to pair up unrelated animals for decades more of genetic viability.
