Description
A medium-sized terrestrial frog, SVL 40-50 mm, males smaller than females. General morphology similar to other Dyscophus. Colour brown-greyish, often with symmetrical vermiculated darker markings. Ventrally uniform whitish. Males with dark vocal sac (Glaw and Vences 2007).

Similar species: The other two Dyscophus species are larger and more orange coloured, and live in eastern Madagascar. Species of Scaphiophryne have no vomerine teeth (Glaw and Vences 2007).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Madagascar

	View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.
	View Bd and Bsal data (1 records).

Occurs in Ambanja, Ankarafantsika, Antsirasira, Antsouhy, Belo, Tsingy de Bemaraha (Bendrao forest), Kirindy, Soalala, Tsimanampetsotsa, Vohibasia forest (Glaw and Vences 2007) from sea level to 400m asl (Glaw and Vences 2008).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Habits: In dry forests of western Madagascar. Can be found in leaf litter. Reproduces in shallow temporary pools (Glaw and Vences 2007).

Calls: A series of fastly repeated low pitched notes; note series are repeated after regular intervals (Glaw and Vences 2007).

Trends and Threats
This species is listed as least concern because of its wide distribution, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category (Glaw and Vences 2008). Though it occurs in many protected areas, its forest habitat is receding due to subsistence agriculture, timber extraction, charcoal manufacture, fires, and livestock grazing and expanding human settlements. It is sometimes found in the international pet trade but at levels that do not currently constitute a major threat (Glaw and Vences 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).

References

Glaw, F. and Vences, M. (2008). Dyscophus insularis. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 14 April 2009.

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

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2017 Dyscophus insularis <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/5532> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Apr 9, 2025.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2025. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 9 Apr 2025.

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