''Anodonthyla jeanbai'' is an

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...

species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

s in the family

Microhylidae The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread family of frogs. The 683 species are in 63 genera and 11 subfamilies, which is the largest number of genera of any frog family. Evolution A molecular phylo ...

. It is highly

polychromatic Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors. Ancient Egypt Colossal statu ...

, and has an extremely isolated phylogenetic position, showing no clear relationships to any other members of the genus ''

Anodonthyla ''Anodonthyla'' is a genus of microhylid frogs endemic to Madagascar. Molecular data suggest that it is the sister taxon to all other species in the subfamily Cophylinae Cophylinae is a subfamily of microhylid frogs endemic to Madagascar. I ...

''. It is found only in a small higher-elevation area in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

Description

''A. jeanbai'' can be distinguished from all other ''Anodonthyla'' species in numerous ways, including the presence of a yellowish colouration located on the ventral surfaces, which in some specimens, completely extends over the venter. Another distinction is the tympanum, which is often not as clearly visible as with other species. This species has a dorsum and posterior part of head that is nearly uniformly brown in colour. The anterior head is a somewhat lighter shade of brown. There is a narrow middorsal line running from the tip of the snout to the cloaca. The inguinal region contains two black spots. The tympanic region is light in colour, and has a dark supratympanic fold at the border. There are no distinct, dark crossbands on the forelimbs, however, on the hindlegs these bands are present. The cloacal region has a blackish colour, while the chest, ventral parts of the limbs, and throat are a dirty yellowish colour. The belly of this species has a similar colour, however it is more grayish. ''A. jeanbai'' is an extremely

species. In life, the dorsum is light brown. The dorsal surfaces of both the arms and legs are a light reddish-brown colour, all having some indistinct irregular-shaped darker markings. Many specimens have a somewhat regular dark 'hourglass' pattern located on the scapular region, and may also have small reddish-brown tubercles in a scattered pattern on the dorsum.

Distribution

The species has been found only at a single surveyed site at a relatively high elevation in the

Andohahela National Park Andohahela National Park, in south-east Madagascar, is remarkable for the extremes of habitats that are represented within it. The park covers of the Anosy mountain range, the southernmost spur of the Malagasy Highlands and contains the last hum ...

, which is located at the southern end of

, in the province of

Toliara Toliara (also known as ''Toliary'', ; formerly ''Tuléar'') is a city in Madagascar. It is the capital of the Atsimo-Andrefana region, located 936 km southwest of national capital Antananarivo. The current spelling of the name was adopted ...

Habitat

This species can be found at higher elevations, in forests with a high

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

density. They are seen at night, typically 1 to 2 metres high on bamboo trunks.

Phylogeny

In terms of phylogeny, this species is very isolated. I has no clear relationships to any other member of the genus ''

''. It has a genetic 16S divergence of 9.4-12.1% relative to other species.

Etymology

This species is named for the Malagasy

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians ( gymnophiona)) and rep ...

Jean Baptiste (Jean-Ba) Ramanamanjato. He provided the logistic information that was a crucial part of the expedition to the type locality, an area of the Andohahela National Park, located at higher elevations.

References

External links

Detailed description
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1767353 Anodonthyla Amphibians described in 2010