hear call (164.3K MP3 file)

	hear Fonozoo call
[call details here]

Conservation Status (definitions)

IUCN Red List Status Account Endangered (EN) CITES No CITES Listing National Status None Regional Status None Access Conservation Needs Assessment Report .

Description
The smallest and most slender Rhombophryne species, calling males 16-17 mm, one gravid female 22 mm. Tympanum rather indistinct, about 2/5 of eye diameter. Tibiotarsal articulation reaches the eye. Skin on the back smooth to slightly granular. Colouration is quite variable: The back can be uniformly brown or with dark reticulations and yellowish spots. Flanks often with small white dots. One specimen was largely yellowish with a broad yellowish median stripe bordered by a dark line. Ventrally with distinct or indistinct dark reticulations (Glaw and Vences 2007).

Similar species: Could be confused with juveniles of other terrestrial microhylids, with Stumpffia species and even with small Gephyromantis species (Glaw and Vences 2007).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Madagascar

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Occurs in Anjanaharibe, Marojejy, Tsaratanana (Glaw and Vences 2007) from sea level up to high altitudes (Vences and Andreone 2008).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Habits: This is a fossorial and terrestrial species of lowland and montane rainforest, which is not found in degraded areas. It is thought likely to breed by larval development, possibly underground, or in leaf axils or tree holes (Vences and Andreone 2008). Occurs at Marojejy in ericoid and lichen vegetation above the tree line or less commonly in montane forest. Calling males were found in the rainy season at night on low vegetation (up to 1 m height) (Glaw and Vences 2007).

Calls: Short melodious notes of high frequency which are rather irregularly repeated (Glaw and Vences 2007).

Trends and Threats
Species is listed as data deficient because of continuing doubts as to its taxonomic status, extent of occurrence, status and ecological requirements (Vences and Andreone 2008).

A major threat is its receding forest habitat due to subsistence agriculture, timber extraction, charcoal manufacture, invasive spread of eucalyptus, livestock grazing and expanding human settlements (Vences and Andreone 2008).

It occurs in the Réserve Naturelle Intégrale du Tsaratanana, Parc National de Marojejy, the Réserve Spéciale de Nosy Mangabe, and the Réserve de la Biosphère du Sahamalaza-Iles Radama. Further research is required to resolve the taxonomic status of this species (Vences and Andreone 2008).

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss
Habitat modification from deforestation, or logging related activities
Intensified agriculture or grazing
Urbanization
Subtle changes to necessary specialized habitat

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

References

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

Vences, M. and Andreone, F. (2008). Rhombophryne minuta. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 15 April 2009.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2010 Rhombophryne minuta <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/2353> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Dec 23, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 23 Dec 2024.

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