I would consider Green Footed Leucs as the same category as standards and as well as Chocolates.I believe that chocolates and green footed leucs are a mutation that came up during captive breeding. There isn't sufficient evidence to categorized green footed leucs as their own morph. Some ppl also say that fine spotted leucs aren't consider a morph . The only true morph out of the luecs are the Guyana banded leucs and on top of that there are two different morphs of banded luecs i believe. The one that Joshs frogs sells, which the black bands grown thicker as they grow and the ones bj sells. There are some green footed leucs out there, but hard to find
Chris,
This is a common logical fallacy. The lack of sufficient evidence for one idea cannot be used as evidence that the inverse or alternative theory must be true. Thus, the lack of hard evidence that green-footed D. leucomelas are a separate population from standards cannot be used as sufficient evidence that the two should be mixed (just like the lack of hard evidence for the hypothesis of abiogenesis cannot be used as evidence that there is a God). In fact, I find it more prudent to assume (so long as data is unavailable) that green-footed leucomelas should be kept separate from standards, rather than keeping everything together, until new data is available.
"Chocolate" D. leucomelas is just a display of amelanism which shows up in many varieties of frogs in our collections. These should be bred back into their various populations.
Also, I might point out that "believing" something doesn't make that something any more true. Until you have some hard evidence on the matter, it would be good to avoid statements regarding "the only true morphs."
If I some how found a green footed or chocolate luc could they be put in the same cage as a standard, and could they breed with one and other?
Hi Trevor,
I'm afraid, from your question, that you're asking one thing and you're going to receive an answer that doesn't directly answer your question. So I'm going to answer the question you asked, and then the question many hobbyists on the board think you should have asked.
If you found green-footed leucs they _could_ be kept in the same vivarium (some hobbyists around the board are averse to the word "cage") as a standard and they _could_ interbreed. However, this isn't saying much. There are those who put leucomelas and auratus and tinctorius in the same vivarium, some have even had minimal problems with this set-up (although it is highly frowned upon by a vast majority on the board). And yes, leucs and auratus and tinctorius can interbreed.
The question many people would hope that you ask is not "can I," but "should I." And that question is a bit more difficult to answer simply based on the origin of the green-footed frog. If the green-footed leuc is just a recessive trait in standard leucs then you should breed the green-footed allele back into the gene-pool. If the green-footed leuc is from a separate locality then you should keep green-footed leucs separately from the standards. Because hard evidence concerning this (at least to my knowledge) is minimal, I would suggest keeping your green-footed leucs separate from your standard leucs (not that it would do much good, I have a feeling that most or all of the leucs in the hobby are all thoroughbreds at this point). Some people may differ from my opinion.
As far as the chocolates go, you can and _should_ breed them with your standard leucomelas. Failure to do so will likely ultimately lead to line-breeding, in-breeding, and possibly in-breeding depression.