Description A green medium-sized treefrog, males 40-46 mm, one female 62 mm. Venter whitish with blue shades, especially the inner parts of legs are light blue. Skin on the back smooth, a little warty on belly and throat. White lateral fringes along lower arm and tarsus. Iris beige; the pupil is surrounded by thin reddish rings; posterior iris periphery is blue. Nostrils nearer to the eye than to tip of snout. Tympanum/eye-ratio 0.42-0.48. Tibiotarsal articulation reaches tip of snout. Webbing of the hand: rudimentary between 1 and 2, 2e(0-1), 3i(2), 3e/4(0-1); webbing of the foot: 1(0), 2i(0-1), 2e(0), 3i(0.5-1), 3e(0), 4i(0-1), 4e/5(0). Males with a paired subgular vocal sac and a nuptial pad on the first finger.
Similar species: Boophis luteus, B. englaenderi and B. l. septentrionalis differ by the colouration of the iris and calls.
Distribution and Habitat
Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Madagascar
An’Ala, Farihimazava, Ranomafana (Ambatolahy, Maharira forest, Ranomena). It occurs between 900-1,000m asl in forest, open areas in rainforest, and disturbed habitats, including agricultural sites (Andreone et al. 2008).
Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors Specimens were found in open areas within forests, or in altered habitats, such as secondary forests, bushes, exploited river banks and banana plantations. Breeding takes place in streams (Andreone et al. 2008).
Habits: Males call at night from perches 2-4 m high in the vegetation along streams in rainforest. Calling males were heard at night in January and February from vegetation at an elevation of 3-4 m from the ground. They were found in syntopy with Boophis luteus, B. albilabris and (probably) B. sibilans.
Calls: A relatively short and slow series of short unharmonious notes. Note repetition and intensity is slow at the beginning of the call, and get faster and louder towards its end.
Eggs and tadpoles: Unknown.
Trends and Threats Data Deficient: uncertainties related to extent of occurrence, status and ecological requirements. It occurs in Parc National de Ranomafana (Andreone et al. 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., Vences, M., and Glaw, F. (2008). Boophis elenae. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 08 April 2009.
Glaw, F. and Vences, M. (1994). Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar. M. Vences and F. Glaw Verlags GbR., Köln.
Glaw, F., and Vences, M. (2007). Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar. Third Edition. Vences and Glaw Verlag, Köln.
Originally submitted by: Miguel Vences and Frank Glaw (first posted 2000-10-24)
Edited by: Henry Zhu (2009-05-05)Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2009 Boophis elenae <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/4338> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 12, 2024.
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Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 12 Nov 2024.
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