Description
A small arboreal frog; males 23-25 mm, one female 27 mm. Dorsum olive green to light brown with small dark punctuations. A brownish line from the nostrils to the eye, the supratympanic fold is also brown. Ventral surface light. Skin smooth. Nostrils slightly nearer to tip of snout than to eye. Tympanum distinct, about 1/2 of eye size, smaller in specimens from Tolagnaro. Tibiotarsal articulation reaches the eye. Lateral metatarsalia connected. Webbing of the hand rudimentary; webbing of the foot 1(1), 2i(2), 2e(1), 3i(2.5), 3e(1), 4i/e(3), 5(1). Males with distinct, sometimes blackish, oblong femoral glands.

Similar species: Other species of the subgenus Pandanusicola differ by the diameter of tympanum and/or colouration. M. liber has larger hands and feet.

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Madagascar

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Tampoketsa d’Ankazobe, Ambohitantely. It occurs between sea level and 1,500m asl (Nussbaum et al. 2008).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Habits: Lives in Pandanus leaf axils.

Call: Unknown.

Eggs and tadpoles (from the terra typica): Eggs unknown. Tadpoles live in water-filled leaf axils of Pandanus. They are mainly brownish, with the anterior part of the body appearing reddish. The body is extremely depressed, eyes are situated dorsally, and the mouth is small and directed downwards. At midlength of the tail, the caudal musculature represents about 1/2 of total tail height. Total length in stage 25: 19-25 mm; in stages 26-30: 27-40 mm. Metamorphosing young measure 12-14 mm and resemble the adults.

Trends and Threats
It occurs in Parc National de Marojejy and the Réserve Spéciale d’Anjanaharibe-Sud (Nussbaum 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
Habitat fragmentation

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

References

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.

Nussbaum, R. Vallan, D., and Raxworthy, C. (2008). Guibemantis punctatus. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 01 April 2009.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2009 Guibemantis punctatus <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/4622> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Apr 1, 2025.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2025. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 1 Apr 2025.

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