hear call (176.8K MP3 file)

	hear Fonozoo call
[call details here]

Description
M 26-28 mm. Tympanum 2/5 of eye diameter. Tibiotarsal articulation reaches the tympanum. Toe 3 as long as toe 5. Skin smooth. Dorsally with large whitish vermiculated patches on a brown background (Glaw and Vences 2007).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Madagascar

	View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.
	View Bd and Bsal data (2 records).

Species is located in An’Ala, Andasibe, Ranomafana (Glaw and Vences 2007) at 300-1500m asl (Nussbaum and Raxworthy 2008).

It is an arboreal rainforest species that is usually found in the leaf axils of screw pines (Pandanus spp.) and in bamboo stems, in which it breeds by larval development. It can survive in slightly degraded areas, secondary vegetation, and eucalyptus growth, but not in very open areas (Nussbaum and Raxworthy 2008).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Habits: Specimens found at night calling on leaves, 1.5-2 m high (Glaw and Vences 2007).

Calls: A whistling note repeated after regular intervals (Glaw and Vences 2007).

Trends and Threats
A major threat is the receding of its forest habitat due to subsistence agriculture, timber extraction, charcoal manufacture, livestock grazing and expanding human settlements. It might also be affected by the collection of Pandanus, which is used for making the roofs of huts (Nussbaum and Raxworthy 2008).

Conservation Actions: It is possible that it occurs in several protected areas. However, it depends on the resolution of its confused taxonomic status (Nussbaum and Raxworthy 2008).

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

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

Comments
Taken with permission from Glaw and Vences (2007) and Nussbaum and Raxworthy (2008).

References

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

Nussbaum, R. and Raxworthy, C. (2008). Platypelis pollicaris. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 22 April 2009.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2010 Platypelis pollicaris <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/2341> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Feb 2, 2025.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2025. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 2 Feb 2025.

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