The Mantellidae are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

of the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Anura. These frogs are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the islands of

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 ...

and

Mayotte Mayotte (; french: Mayotte, ; Shimaore: ''Maore'', ; Kibushi: ''Maori'', ), officially the Department of Mayotte (french: Département de Mayotte), is an overseas department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is loc ...

Systematics

The family Mantellidae is composed of three extremely ecologically diverse groups of frogs, divided into three

subfamilies In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

: the

Mantellinae Mantellinae is a subfamily of frogs in the family Mantellidae. These frogs are native to Madagascar and Mayotte. The species vary in size from under 25 mm (e.g. some species of '' Blommersia'') to over 100 mm (e.g. '' Mantidactylus gut ...

Laurent, 1946 are typically terrestrial or semi-aquatic frogs; the

Laliostominae Laliostominae is a subfamily of frogs in the family Mantellidae. It contains two genera and a total of seven species. These frogs are native to Madagascar. Genera There are two recognized genera: * '' Aglyptodactylus'' Boulenger, 1919 (6 species ...

Vences & Glaw, 2001 are terrestrial, typically fairly large-sized frogs; and the

Boophinae ''Boophis'' is the only genus in the mantellid frog subfamily Boophinae. They are commonly known as bright-eyed or skeleton frogs. They show typical 'tree frog' traits, and are a good example of convergent evolution with morphologically simila ...

Vences & Glaw, 2001 are arboreal tree frogs. Apart from the

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

assigned to the three

, the placement of ''

Tsingymantis ''Tsingymantis'' is a monotypic genus of frogs in the family Mantellidae. The sole species is ''Tsingymantis antitra''. Taxonomy ''Tsingymantis antitra'' was described in by Glaw, Hoegg and Vences in 2006. Its taxonomic placement within the f ...

'' Glaw, Hoegg & Vences, 2006 is still uncertain. As of 22 September 2022, 237 species are recognized in this family. DNA barcoding research has shown however that more than 100 distinct genetic lineages remain taxonomically undescribed.

Evolution and island biogeography

The Mantellidae are Madagascar's most diverse frog family. It has been shown that there is a negative correlation between body size and species diversity in this family, which is probably related to the lower dispersal potential of smaller animals. This family is estimated to have colonized the island of Madagascar 76–87 million years ago. They are phylogenetically nested within Asian frogs, and therefore probably represent a dispersal event from Asia. Two undescribed species of mantellid frogs are currently resident on the island of

, off Madagascar's west coast. These species belong to two genera that are otherwise exclusively endemic to Madagascar.

Reproduction

Reproductive modes in the Mantellidae are highly varied. Eggs can be laid in or out of water, on the ground or on leaves, depending on genus and species. ''

Guibemantis ''Guibemantis'' is a frog genus in the mantellid subfamily Mantellinae. This genus is restricted to Madagascar. At present it contains 16 species divided into two subgenera. Taxonomy The genus ''Guibemantis'' was erected as a subgenus of '' ...

'' frogs of the subgenus '' Pandanusicola'' lay their eggs either in phytotelms or over slow-flowing water. Some species of ''

Gephyromantis ''Gephyromantis'' is a frog genus in the mantellid subfamily Mantellinae. This genus is restricted to Madagascar. At present it contains 45 species divided into six subgenera. Taxonomy The genus ''Gephyromantis'' was erected by Methuen in 1920 ...

'' have direct development or nidicolous tadpoles. Members of the subfamilies Boophinae and Laliostominae have amplexus, but mantelline frogs do not. Parental care is known from a few species (e.g. ''

Mantidactylus argenteus ''Mantidactylus argenteus'' is a species of frog in the family Mantellidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest. It is threatened by habitat loss. ...

''). Sexual size dimorphism is present in most species, with females being larger than males, but there are exceptions (e.g. ''

Boophis albilabris The white-lipped bright-eyed frog (''Boophis albilabris'') is a species of frog in the family Mantellidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane ...

''), where males are larger than females, possibly as a result of males fighting for access to females.

In captivity

Some members of this family are popular in the exotic pet trade for their bright colors (e.g. ''

Mantella ''Mantella'' (also known as golden frogs or Malagasy poison frogs) are a prominent genus of aposematic frogs in the family Mantellidae, endemic to the island of Madagascar. Members of ''Mantella'' are diurnal and terrestrial, with bright aposema ...

'' and ''

Boophis ''Boophis'' is the only genus in the mantellid frog subfamily Boophinae. They are commonly known as bright-eyed or skeleton frogs. They show typical 'tree frog' traits, and are a good example of convergent evolution with morphologically simil ...

'').

References

External links

Description of family and list of genera and species

Mantellidae taxonomy
{{Taxonbar, from=Q56054 Taxa named by Raymond Laurent Amphibian families