Mantellidae |  |
286 species in 12 genera
Commonly Called Malagasy Poison Frogs
Mantella madagascariensis
Photo by Rob Schell
(Click for family gallery)Mantellids are found only on the large island of Madagascar. The most famous members are of the genus Mantella, which have converged with members of the neotropical family Dendrobatidae in body plan, ecology, aposematic coloration, and in lipophilic skin alkaloids. Most mantellid species are terrestrial although there are also aquatic, arboreal (the genus Boophis resembles treefrogs of the subfamily Hylinae, family Hylidae), and semi-fossorial species. Body sizes range from 30 to 100 mm snout-vent length. Reproductive life histories vary from eggs deposited on vegetation with tadpoles that develop into streams, to terrestrial clutches whose tadpoles wash into streams, to land and arboreal direct developers. A strange mode of amplexus is found within Mantellinae, where the male places the ventral surface of his thighs on the head of the female and allows the sperm to travel down the back and onto the extruded clutch.
Mantellidae are sister taxon to Rhacophoridae.
Written by AmphibiaWebNotable Family Characteristics
- Terrestrial or arboreal
- Inhabits semiarid to wet tropical forests
- Axillary amplexus
- Reproductive behaviors are diverse
- Eggs laid terrestrially or on vegetation and aquatic larvae are either dropped from overhanging egg deposition sites or washed into water bodies
- Genus Mantella known for its toxic skin alkaloids and aposematic coloration
- Distribution limited to Madagascar
Cartography Credit: Zoe Yoo, UC Berkeley
Range maps sources: AmphibiaWeb, UC Berkeley, and IUCN RedListRelevant Reference
Pough, F. H., R. M. Andrews, M. L. Crump, A. H. Savitzky, K. D. Wells, and M. C. Brandley. 2015. Herpetology. Fourth Edition. Massachusetts: Sinauer.
Vitt, L. J., and J. P. Caldwell. 2013. Herpetology. An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. Fourth Edition. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Subfamily Boophinae (87 species)
Genus Boophis (87 species) [subfamily Boophinae]
Subfamily Laliostominae (7 species)Genus Aglyptodactylus (6 species) [subfamily Laliostominae]
Aglyptodactylus australis no account photos no sound/video Aglyptodactylus chorus account photos no sound/video Aglyptodactylus inguinalis no account photos no sound/video Aglyptodactylus laticeps account photos sound/video Aglyptodactylus madagascariensis account photos sound/video Aglyptodactylus securifer account photos sound/video
Genus Laliostoma (1 species) [subfamily Laliostominae]
Laliostoma labrosum account photos sound/video
Subfamily Mantellinae (192 species)Genus Blommersia (14 species) [subfamily Mantellinae]
Blommersia angolafa account photos no sound/video Blommersia bara no account photos no sound/video Blommersia blommersae account photos sound/video Blommersia dejongi no account photos no sound/video Blommersia domerguei account photos sound/video Blommersia dupreezi no account no photos no sound/video Blommersia galani no account no photos no sound/video Blommersia grandisonae account photos sound/video Blommersia kely account photos sound/video Blommersia nataliae no account no photos no sound/video Blommersia sarotra account photos sound/video Blommersia transmarina account photos no sound/video Blommersia variabilis no account photos no sound/video Blommersia wittei account photos sound/video
Genus Boehmantis (1 species) [subfamily Mantellinae]
Boehmantis microtympanum account photos no sound/video
Genus Gephyromantis (62 species) [subfamily Mantellinae]
Genus Guibemantis (25 species) [subfamily Mantellinae]
Genus Mantella (16 species) [subfamily Mantellinae]
Genus Mantidactylus (58 species) [subfamily Mantellinae]
Genus Spinomantis (14 species) [subfamily Mantellinae]
Spinomantis aglavei account photos sound/video Spinomantis beckei no account no photos no sound/video Spinomantis bertini account photos sound/video Spinomantis brunae account photos no sound/video Spinomantis elegans account photos no sound/video Spinomantis fimbriatus account photos sound/video Spinomantis guibei account photos sound/video Spinomantis massi account photos sound/video Spinomantis microtis account photos no sound/video Spinomantis mirus no account no photos no sound/video Spinomantis nussbaumi no account no photos no sound/video Spinomantis peraccae account photos sound/video Spinomantis phantasticus account photos sound/video Spinomantis tavaratra no account photos no sound/video
Genus Tsingymantis (1 species) [subfamily Mantellinae]
Tsingymantis antitra account photos no sound/video
Genus Wakea (1 species) [subfamily Mantellinae]
Wakea madinika account photos no sound/video
Citation: AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: https://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed:AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use.