''Mantella baroni'' (often known by its common names, such as Baron's mantella, the variegated golden frog, or the Madagascar poison frog) is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of small poisonous

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

in the family

Mantellidae The Mantellidae are a family of the order Anura. These frogs are endemic to the islands of Madagascar and Mayotte. Systematics The family Mantellidae is composed of three extremely ecologically diverse groups of frogs, divided into three sub ...

. The species was first formally described by

George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger (19 October 1858 – 23 November 1937) was a Belgian-British zoologist who described and gave scientific names to over 2,000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Boulenger was also an active botani ...

in 1888, who penned the species'

binomial Binomial may refer to: In mathematics *Binomial (polynomial), a polynomial with two terms * Binomial coefficient, numbers appearing in the expansions of powers of binomials *Binomial QMF, a perfect-reconstruction orthogonal wavelet decomposition ...

after Richard Baron, an English botanist and missionary to Madagascar, who collected and studied the species.

Distribution, habitat, and conservation status

Like other species in Mantellidae, this taxon 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 elsew ...

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 ...

. This family is estimated to have colonized the island of Madagascar 76–87 million years ago, evolving in insular seclusion, and adaptively radiating in geographic range and number of species on the island. Mantellidae are phylogenetically related to Asiatic frogs, and therefore probably represent a dispersal event from Asia. This is one of approximately 220 frog species (including 15 in ''Mantella'') endemic only to Madagascar. It has a moderately-large elongated geographic range in East-Central Madagascar, inland from the east coast, and spanning north to south, from Fierenana south to Andringitra. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are

subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, discont ...

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

s, and degraded former

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

. It typically prefers residing at elevations between 600-1200 meters above sea level. Although it has been classified as a

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

species by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

as of 2016, due to its relatively wide distribution, population trends are technically unknown, and it may be threatened by several sources of

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 ...

. These include anthropogenic encroachment from commercialization and

industrialization Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...

, timber and

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

operations, and

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

. It appears in

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

Appendix II.

Description

Though only 28–32 mm in length at maturity, this species is one of the largest in the 16-species genus, dwarfed only by some individuals of ''

Mantella viridis The green mantella (''Mantella viridis'') is a species of frog in the family Mantellidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, and heavily degraded former forest ...

.'' Related ''Mantella'' species typically range from 18–31 mm in morphology for adult individuals. ''Mantella'' frogs generally exhibit

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

, with the females (28–32 mm) of this species being slightly larger than the males (24–28 mm). This difference in size becomes prominent after approximately 10–12 months of age. Variegated golden frog (Mantella baroni) 2.jpg, Dorsal view Variegated golden frog (Mantella baroni) ventral Ranomafana.jpg, Ventral view Most individuals in this species display specific unique characteristics that distinguish them from other ''Mantella'' species, such as a "light rostral line above the eyes" and "tiger-like markings on the hind limbs" of "orange with irregular black stripes", as seen in the images above. However, a wide variety of

phenotypes In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological proper ...

exist, which manifest in front limb colors ranging from light greens to vibrant oranges and yellows, and are sometimes mistaken or imported into the international marketplace as '' Mantella cowanii''. Moreover, the "front limbs and femurs are yellow to greenish in appearance, with this coloration continuing up the flanks into a large, rounded flank blotch", which mirrors the commonplace appearance of the species ''

Mantella madagascariensis ''Mantella madagascariensis'', common names Malagasy painted mantella, Madagascan mantella, Madagascar golden frog, Malagasy mantella and painted mantella, is a species of frog in the family Mantellidae. Distribution This species is endemic to M ...

'', known as the painted mantella. These blotches "contrast with the black dorsum and striking orange and black legs" in both species, making it difficult for distributors, vendors, herpetologists, breeders, collectors, and pet owners to acquire the correct species. The easiest way to differentiate the two species is to note the "sky-blue, horseshoe-shaped marking" present on the throat of the painted mantella, as well as the lack of "flashmarks on the lower hindlimbs" on the Baron's mantella. Due to their similar appearance, the Baron's mantella is sometimes informally called a "painted mantella" as well, despite the painted mantella being a distinct species altogether.

File:Mantellidae - Mantella madagascariensis.JPG, ''

'' File:Mantella baroni01.jpg, ''Mantella baroni'' File:Mantella pulchra01.jpg, '' Mantella pulchra''

As seen in the pictures above, ''M. baroni'' demonstrates strong aposomatic features on their front limbs, hind limbs, and rostral line. Similar aposomatic features – such as bright colorations, striking color differentials, and otherwise unconventional patterning – are common to all 16 species of ''Mantella'', to varying levels of veracity (some species of ''Mantella'' have weaker toxicity and primarily use bright colors as a form of

mimicry In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. Often, mimicry f ...

). Despite resembling the similarly-small

poison dart frogs Poison dart frog (also known as dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly known as poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central and South America. These species are ...

of Latin America, which also communicate their toxicity to potential predators through aposematism, ''Mantella'' species like the Baron's mantella are only distant taxonomic relatives. The existence of these similarities between these two families is an example of

convergent evolution Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last com ...

Activity and reproduction

Male ''M. baroni'' emit "intense sequences of short, single-click notes during the day" in order to assert their territory or attract females for mating. Females can lay up to 130 unpigmented eggs in a single clutch, and almost always do so near a source of water, into which the resulting tadpoles get washed by rainwater.

Diet, predation, and toxicology

''Mantella baroni'' is a very active forager and can consume a greater number of prey (consisting of large arthropods) than any other ''Mantella'' species, consisting of large arthropods. While most frog species are nocturnal, the ''Mantella baroni'' is a diurnal hunter. Its diet consists mainly of ants, while also consuming a number of other types of arthropods like beetles, spiders, and mites. Ingesting mites allows them to secrete high pharmacologically-active

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

concentrations in their skin, making them toxic to predators, with their bright colors serving as a warning sign that ingestion could be dangerous and induce sickness. The intensity of this alkaloid concentration can flux both temporally and geographically, but careless human handling is always discouraged. Human activity may influence the level of ''Mantella'' toxicity by polluting the environment, killing its sources of food and limiting an otherwise diversified diet, so remote populations may be more potent.

References

External links

* *
'Mantella baroni''
at

AmphibiaWeb AmphibiaWeb is an American non-profit website that provides information about amphibians. It is run by a group of universities working with the California Academy of Sciences: San Francisco State University, the University of California, Berkeley ...

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2699403 baroni Endemic frogs of Madagascar Amphibians described in 1888 Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger Taxonomy articles created by Polbot