Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2007-09-03
Page range: 31–47
Abstract views: 23
PDF downloaded: 1

Two new canyon-dwelling frogs from the arid sandstone Isalo Massif, central-southern Madagascar (Mantellidae, Mantellinae)

Forschungsinstitut und Naturhistorisches Museum Senckenberg, Sektion Herpetologie, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325, Frankfurt a.M., Germany
Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali, Sezione di Zoologia, Via G. Giolitti, 36, I-10123, Torino, Italy
Amphibia Gephyromantis Mantidactylus Mantellidae New species Madagascar Isalo Arid environments

Abstract

We describe two new mantellid frogs of the subfamily Mantellinae from the arid sandstone Isalo Massif, central southern Madagascar. The first - assigned to the genus Gephyromantis, subgenus Phylacomantis - is a stream frog living in open canyons and associated gallery forest, and is phylogenetically related to G. corvus and G. pseudoasper. It has a larger maximum SVL than G. corvus (43 mm vs. 38 mm in the examined males) and is featured by a mostly contrasted and lighter dorsal pattern. Its advertisement call also differs from that of G. corvus in having more numerous and slightly longer notes per call composed of seven to ten sub-units, a clear harmonic structure, and a wider frequency spectrum with a higher dominant frequency. The second new species belongs to the genus Mantidactylus, subgenus Brygoomantis. It shares morphological and life history similarities with species of the subgenus Ochthomantis, in having comparatively expanded fingertips and leading a rupicolous and scansorial life.

References

  1. Anonymous, [Projet ZICOMA] (1999) Les zones d’importance pour la conservation des oiseaux à Madagascar. Projet ZICOMA.

    Anonymous, [Association Nationale pour la Gestion des Aires Protegées] (2003) Plan de gestion du réseau national des aires protégées de Madagascar. Revised version. Antananarivo, Madagascar, ANGAP & Ministère de l’Environnement.

    Andreone, F., Cadle, J.E., Glaw, F., Nussbaum, R. A., Raxworthy, C. J., Vallan, D. & Vences, M. (2005a) Species review of amphibian extinction risks in Madagascar: conclusions from the Global Amphibian Assessment. Conservation Biology, 19, (6), 1790–1802.

    Andreone, F., Glaw, F, Vences, M., & Vallan, D. (1998) A new Mantidactylus (Ranidae: Mantellinae) from south-eastern Madagascar, with a review of Mantidactylus peraccae (Ranidae: Mantellinae). Herpetological Journal, 8, 149–159.

    Andreone, F., Mercurio, V., Mattioli, F. & Razafindrabe, T. J. (2005b) Good news for three critically endangered and traded frogs from Madagascar. Froglog, 72, 2.

    Andreone F., Mattioli F. & Mercurio V. (2005c) The call of Scaphiophryne gottlebei, a microhylid frog from the Isalo Massif, southcentral Madagascar. Current Herpetology, 24, (1), 33–35.

    Andreone, F., Mercurio, V. & Mattioli, F. (2006) Between environmental degradation and international pet trade: conservation strategies for the threatened amphibians of Madagascar. Natura - Società italiana di Scienze naturali e Museo civico di Storia naturale di Milano, 95, (2), 81–96.

    Blommers-Schlösser, R.M.A. & Blanc, C.P. (1991) Amphibiens (première partie). Faune de Madagascar, 75, (1), 1–379.

    Burney, D.A. (1997) Theories and facts regarding Holocene environmental change and extinction in Madagascar. In: Goodman S.M. & Patterson B. (Eds.), Natural change and human impact in Madagascar. Washington D.C., Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 75–89.

    Busse, K. & Böhme, W. (1992) Two remarkable frog discoveries of the genera Mantella (Ranidae: Mantellinae) and Scaphiophryne (Microhylidae: Scaphiophryninae) from the west coast of Madagascar. Rev. Fr. Aquariol., 19 (1/2), 57–64.

    Duellman, W.E & Trueb, L. (1986) Biology of Amphibians. McGraw-Hill, New York, 670 pp.

    Duffy, R. (2006) Global environmental governance and the challenge of shadow states: the impact of illicit sapphire mining in Madagascar. Development and Change, 36 (5), 825–843.

    Glaw, F., Hoegg, S. & Vences, M. (2006) Discovery of a new basal relict lineage of Madagascan frogs and its implications for mantellid evolution. Zootaxa, 1334: 27–43.

    Glaw, F., & Vences, M. (1994) A fieldguide to the amphibians and reptiles of Madagascar, 2nd edition. Vences and Glaw, Cologne, 480 pp.

    Glaw, F., & Vences, M. (1999) Resurrection and redescription of Mantidactylus tricinctus from eastern Madagascar. Journal of Herpetology, 33 (4), 639–647.

    Glaw, F. & Vences, M. (2006) Phylogeny and genus-level classification of mantellid frogs. Organisms Diversity and Evolution, 6, 236–253.

    Glaw, F., Vences, M. & Böhme, W. (1998) Systematic revision of the genus Aglyptodactylus Boulenger, 1919 (Amphibia: Ranidae), and analysis of its phylogenetic relationships to other Madagascan ranid genera (Tomopterna, Boophis, Mantidactylus, and Mantella). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 36, 17–37.

    Glaw, F., Vences, M. & Gossmann, V. (2000) A new species of Mantidactylus (subgenus Guibemantis) from Madagascar, with a comparative survey of internal femoral gland structure in the genus (Amphibia: Ranidae: Mantellinae). Journal of Natural History, 34 (7), 1135–1154.

    Glos, J., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. (2005) A new species of Scaphiophryne from western Madagascar. Copeia, 2005 (2), 252–261.

    IUCN. (2006) 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 22 March 2007.

    Köhler, J., Vieites, D.R., Bonett, R.M., Hita Garcia, F., Glaw, F., Steinke, D. & Vences, M. (2005) New amphibians and global conservation: a boost in species discoveries in a highly endangered vertebrate group. Bioscience, 55, (8), 693–696.

    Littlejohn, M.J. (2001) Pattern of differentiation in temporal properties of acoustic signals of Anurans. In: Ryan, M.J. (Ed.), Anuran communication. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, London, pp 102–120.

    Mercurio, V. & Andreone, F. (2005) The tadpoles of Scaphiophryne gottlebei (Microhylidae, Scaphiophryninae) and Mantella expectata (Mantellidae, Mantellinae) from Isalo Massif, central-southern Madagascar. Alytes, 23, (3–4), 81–95.

    Mercurio, V. & Andreone, F. (2006) The amphibians of Isalo Massif: high diversity in an apparently unsuitable habitat. In: Andreone F. & Randriamahazo H. (Eds.), A Conservation Strategy for the Amphibians of Madagascar. Antananarivo 18–21 Sept. 2006, Book of Abstracts.

    Palumbi, S.R., Martin, A., Romano, S., McMillan, W.O., Stice, L. & Grabowski, G. (1991) The Simple Fool’s Guide to PCR, Version 2.0. Privately published document compiled by S. Palumbi. Dept. Zoology, Univ. Hawaii, Honolulu.

    Raxworthy, C.J. & Nussbaum, R.A. (1997) Biogeographic Patterns of Reptiles in Eastern Madagascar. In: Goodman S.M. & Patterson B. (Eds.), Natural change and human impact in Madagascar. Washington D.C., Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 124–141.

    Swofford, D.L. (2002) PAUP* Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (* and other methods), Version 4. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusets.

    Vences, M., Andreone, F., Glaw, F., Kosuch, J., Meyer, A., Schaefer, C. & Veith, M. (2002) Exploring the potential of life-history key innovation: brook breeding in the radiation of the Malagasy treefrog genus Boophis. Molecular Ecology, 11, 1453–1463.

    Vences, M., Thomas, M., Bonett, R. M. & Vieites, D. R. (2005) Deciphering amphibian diversity through DNA barcoding: chances and challenges. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society London, Ser. B, 360, 1859–1868.

    Wells, K.D. (1977) The social behaviour of anuran amphibians. Animal Behaviour, 25, 666–693.

    Wycherley, J., Doran, S. & Beebee, T.J.C. (2002) Male advertisement call characters as phylogeographical indicators in European water frogs. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 77, 355–365.