Description
M 27-30 mm, F 25-34 mm. A relatively small species with a very short snout and extended foot webbing: 1(0.25), 2i(0.75), 2e(0), 3i(1), 3e(0.25), 4i(1.5), 4e(1.25), 5(0). Distinguished by its partly paired subarticular tubercles from M. pauliani. Both M. madecassus and M. pauliani have a particular iris colour with a central darker part and an increasing number of small golden spots towards the edges.

Similar species: All other species of Brygoomantis are more or less similar, but the lack of vomerine teeth in M. madecassus is diagnostic.

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Madagascar

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Andringitra (Cuvette Boby and other sites). It occurs between 1,500-2,500m asl in rocky streams in forest or above the tree line and in rocky landscapes (Vences and Glaw 2008).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Habits: Exclusively in high-altitude streams above the tree line in the Andringitra massif.

Breeding takes place in slow-moving streams (Vences and Glaw 2008).

Trends and Threats
It occurs in Parc National d'Andringitra (Vences and Glaw 2008).

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss
Habitat modification from deforestation, or logging related activities
Habitat fragmentation

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

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 Glaw, M. (2008). Mantidactylus madecassus. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 29 April 2009.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2009 Mantidactylus madecassus <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/4611> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Jan 11, 2025.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2025. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 11 Jan 2025.

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