hear call (299.3K MP3 file)

	hear Fonozoo call
[call details here]

Description
Generally a rather small and stout Mantella, although single females can become relatively large. SVL usually 19-23 mm (females exceptionally up to 30 mm). Dorsally uniform yellow-orange or red-orange, without translucent shading, and with a black spot covering the tympanum and a little black pigment around the nostril. Bright red flashmarks present. Iris nearly uniformly black, only a little light pigment in its upper part. Ventrally uniform, similar to dorsal surface but generally somewhat lighter. Area of femoral glands often speckled with blackish. Tibia bright red (Glaw and Vences 2007). It may be a colour variant of M. crocea (Vences and Nussbaum 2008).

Similar species: M. crocea (Glaw and Vences 2007).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Madagascar

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Typical specimens from Fierenana. Intermediate populations with M. crocea from several sites, e.g., Andriabe and Savakoanina. It occurs between 900-1,000 m asl in gallery forest around large swamps and seasonally flooded forest, but not outside forest (Vences and Nussbaum 2008).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Habits: Apparently similar to that of M. aurantiaca and M. crocea. Active during the day (Glaw and Vences 2007).

Calls: Irregular series of short chirping notes (Glaw and Vences 2007).

Breeding is similar to other Mantella. Eggs are laid on land and the larvae are washed into swamps by rain. It is very seasonal in its breeding, and hard to find when it is not breeding (Vences and Nussbaum 2008).

Trends and Threats
It has a small, severely fragmented distribution. It is not known from any protected areas, so that protection of remaining habitat should be made a top priority. Monitoring should be done, and any trade should be regulated (Vences and Nussbaum 2008).

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss
Habitat modification from deforestation, or logging related activities
Intensified agriculture or grazing
Urbanization
Habitat fragmentation
Intentional mortality (over-harvesting, pet trade or collecting)

Comments
The validity of this taxon is very dubious. A reliable distinction from M. crocea is not possible, neither by morphology, colouration nor by genetics (Glaw and Vences 2007).

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 Nussbaum, R. (2008). Mantella milotympanum. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 22 April 2009.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2009 Mantella milotympanum <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/6103> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Dec 26, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 26 Dec 2024.

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