''Spinomantis peraccae'' is a 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 ...

in the mantellid subfamily

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 ...

. It is

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 else ...

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 widely distributed in the northern, eastern, and central parts of the island. The specific epithet honours

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

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 ...

Mario Giacinto Peracca Mario Giacinto Peracca (21 November 1861, Turin – 23 May 1923, Turin) was an Italian herpetologist. He discovered zoology through his father, an amateur ornithologist. He started taking medical classes at the University of Turin, with his stud ...

. Common name Peracca's Madagascar frog has been coined for it.

Taxonomy

George Albert Boulenger described this species in 1896 within the genus ''

Rhacophorus ''Rhacophorus'' is a genus of frogs in the shrub frog family (Rhacophoridae) and the related Hylidae make up the true tree frogs. They are found in India, Japan, Madagascar, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Over 40 species are currently recognised. T ...

''. Rose M. A. Blommers-Schlösser transferred it to '' Mantidactylus'' in 1978. placed it in the then- subgenus ''Blommersia'' in 1992, but it was moved to the then-subgenus '' Spinomantis'' by Glaw and Vences in 1994.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females in snout–vent length. The snout is rounded. The tympanum is distinct and supra-tympanic fold is prominent. The fingers have expanded discs but no webbing; the toes are webbed but the discs are smaller than those on the fingers. The dorsum is brownish-greenish and has darker blotches. Dorsal skin is rather warty with dark, protruding dots. The lower parts are whitish; there are few dark spots on the throat.

Geographic range

It is

to the eastern half of

Habitat

''Spinomantis peraccae'' occurs in pristine rainforest along streams at elevations of above sea level. It is

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 ...

. The eggs are laid on leaves above water. The

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found ...

develop in slow-flowing streams.

Conservation status

''Spinomantis peraccae'' is a locally abundant species, but it is suffering from

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. It occurs in many protected areas. Because of its wide range and large overall population, it is not considered threatened.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4677758 peraccae Endemic frogs of Madagascar Amphibians described in 1896 Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger Taxonomy articles created by Polbot