hear call (100.3K MP3 file)

	hear Fonozoo call
[call details here]

Description
Similar to M. aglavei, but smaller and with less developed dermal flaps and spines. Other characters see next sections.

Holotype: Adult male, ZFMK 57441, from Andasibe, CE-Madagascar. SVL 39 mm, head width 14 mm; eye diameter 4.5 mm, tympanum rather indistinct, horizontal diameter of tympanum 1.7 mm; distance eye-nostril 3.7 mm, distance nostril-tip of snout 3.3 mm; hand length 13 mm, length of foot and tarsus 29 mm. Tibiotarsal articulation reaches nostril. Tips of fingers and toes distinctly enlarged. The tibia is clearly longer than the foot. The lateral metatarsalia are separated. Inner and outer metatarsal tubercle are present. Large semicircular femoral glands are present (8x3 mm, distance between each other 2.5 mm). Vomerine teeth are present.
Hand without web; webbing of the foot 1(1), 2i(1.75), 2e(0.75), 3i(2), 3e(1), 4i/e(2), 5(1). Skin on the back granular. Tubercles are present on the back, on the head, and on the eyes. On the posterior edge of foot and tarsus 9-11 rather large, spine-like dermal tubercles can be recognized. 3-5 such tubercles are present on the lower arm. Slightly distinct tubercles on the heels. Two deep and distinct longitudinal furrows (about 3 mm long) are present between the eyes.
Colour in life mossy green on the back, with rather irregular light and dark s^pots and larger markings. Dark brown patches are present in the inguinal region, and a median sandglass-shaped light marking is extended over the whole back. Hindlegs with brown crossbands. Underside uniformly whitish. In preservative the green colour has completely disappeared.

Similar species: Mantidactylus aglavei is larger and has more strongly developed dermal spines; also a longer and more depressed snout.

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Madagascar

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Andasibe, Ilampy, Marojejy, Ranomafana. It occurs between 500-1,000m asl in pristine rainforest (Andreone and Glaw 2008).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Habits: Occurs along brooks in rain forest. Calling males were found in January at night sitting on vegetation about 1.5-2 m above the ground. At Andasibe it lives in syntopy with M. aglavei, but the calls of both species were not heard at the same time.

Call (from the terra typica): Three vocalization types were observed.
1) Intense melodious notes (type 1) are arranged in series, but each note is in fact a note-pair consisting of two shorter notes. Intervals between note-pairs are 145-160 ms, intervals between both notes of a note-pair are about 35 ms. Duration of one note is 45-55 ms, of one note-pair 126-137 ms.
2) A note-pair series as described above, but preceeded by a note of type 2, which has a duration of 245-330 ms. Such a note consists of 6-8 pulses which can easily be distinguished by the human ear, and clearly be seen on the oscillogram. Pulse repetition rate is 25/s, clearly slower than in M. aglavei.
3) A note of type 2 can also be followed by a series of single melodious notes, thus structurally resembling the call of M. aglavei. Frequency is between 2.2 and 3 kHz.

Breeding occurs in streams (Andreone and Glaw 2008).

Trends and Threats
It occurs in Parc National de Marojejy, Parc National de Masoala, and Réserve Spéciale d’Analamazaotra (Andreone and Glaw 2008).

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss
Habitat modification from deforestation, or logging related activities
Intensified agriculture or grazing
Urbanization
Habitat fragmentation

Comments
Taken with permission from Glaw and Vences (2007).

References

Andreone, F. and Glaw, F. (2008). Spinomantis fimbriatus. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 29 April 2009.

Glaw, F., and Vences, M. (2007). Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar. Third Edition. Vences and Glaw Verlag, Köln.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2009 Spinomantis fimbriatus <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/4597> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Dec 26, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 26 Dec 2024.

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