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A range-wide assessment of genetic variation in one mitochondrial (16S rRNA) and one nuclear-encoded (Rag-1) gene fragment of the widespread Madagascar frog Blommersia blommersae revealed the presence of up to 12 deep genetic lineages. Many of these differed by genetic distances >3% in the 16S gene. In the Ranomafana area in the southern central east of Madagascar, two mitochondrial lineages differing by 1.2–1.8% in 16S occurred in close syntopy across multiple sites. A phylogeny of representative samples based on multiple mitochondrial genes supported three main mitochondrial clades within B. blommersae, with lineages from the (i) north, (ii) north and northern central east, and (iii) southern central east, respectively. In addition, one lineage from Sainte Luce in the south-east was sister to all other species of Blommersia, and thus clearly not belonging to B. blommersae, to which it has been tentatively assigned previously. Except for the Sainte Luce population, most of the mitochondrial lineages did not show a concordant and consistent differentiation in Rag-1 and no obvious morphological differences were detected among the lineages. We therefore refrain from taxonomic conclusions for them at this time, although indications exist that the populations from the northern central east and southern central east may show certain differences in relative note duration of advertisement calls, which require further study. However, the Sainte Luce individuals were highly divergent in 16S (>10%) and Rag-1, phylogenetically isolated, and characterised by differences in colour pattern. This lineage represents the most evolutionarily divergent species of Blommersia known to date and is herein formally named and described as Blommersia dupreezi sp. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of diamond frogs (genus Rhombophryne, endemic to Madagascar) has been historically hampered by the paucity of available specimens, because of their low detectability in the field. Over the last 10 years, 13 new taxa have been described, and 20 named species are currently recognized. Nevertheless, undescribed diversity within the genus is probably large, calling for a revision of the taxonomic identification of published records and an update of the known distribution of each lineage. Here we generate DNA sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene of all specimens available to us, revise the genetic data from public databases, and report all deeply divergent mitochondrial lineages of Rhombophryne identifiable from these data. We also generate a multi-locus dataset (including five mitochondrial and eight nuclear markers; 9844 bp) to infer a species-level phylogenetic hypothesis for the diversification of this genus and revise the distribution of each lineage. We recognize a total of 10 candidate species, two of which are identified here for the first time. The genus Rhombophryne is here proposed to be divided into six main species groups, and phylogenetic relationships among some of them are not fully resolved. These frogs are primarily distributed in northern Madagascar, and most species are known from only few localities. A previous record of this genus from the Tsingy de Bemaraha (western Madagascar) is interpreted as probably due to a mislabelling and should not be considered further unless confirmed by new data. By generating this phylogenetic hypothesis and providing an updated distribution of each lineage, our findings will facilitate future species descriptions, pave the way for evolutionary studies, and provide valuable information for the urgent conservation of diamond frogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subgenus Mantidactylus is a group of frogs endemic to Madagascar, including the largest anuran species on the island. Although these frogs are common and widely distributed, their taxonomy remains unclear. Two species are currently recognised, M. grandidieri and M. guttulatus, with another available name, Rana pigra, considered to be a synonym of M. grandidieri. However, molecular studies have suggested the presence of several cryptic species within the group. Additionally, due to the lack of prominent morphological features, allocating the available names to evolutionary lineages has proven challenging. In the present study, we take a first step towards solving these problems by using fragments of the 16S mitochondrial gene and RAG1 nuclear gene from all over the range of the subgenus to describe its genetic diversity. We also use a newly designed target enrichment laboratory protocol to sequence three mitochondrial fragments from five name-holding museum specimens (as old as 120 years) in order to determine to which lineages the existing names should be applied. The study of the 16S mitochondrial gene revealed 7 geographically separated lineages, distinct enough to be considered candidate species. Out of the five museum specimens analysed, four successfully yielded DNA sequences and could be attributed to one of the aforementioned lineages. Therefore, the name Mantidactylus grandidieri should be applied to the populations from North-Eastern Madagascar, while M. guttulatus refers to populations from inland localities along the Eastern coast of the island. On the other hand, the holotype of Rana pigra did not yield enough genetic material to allow definitive identification. While our data were not sufficient to assess the status of the four lineages distributed along the Eastern coast, the populations from North-Western Madagascar were highly distinct on both the mitochondrial and nuclear markers. We thus describe them as a new species, M. radaka sp. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the mitogenomes for five species of the Ischnocnema guentheri series, being the first described for this genus of brachycephalid frogs. We assembled mitogenomes from anchored hybrid enrichment data and recovered the 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, and two rRNA genes for all species. The general structure agrees with most previously sequenced neobatrachians, with two exceptions: the origin of replication of L-strand (OL) was found between tRNA-A and tRNA-N, and the position of tRNA-L and tRNA-T, which are dispersed in the control region. We provide a phylogenetic tree with outgroups, which is consistent with previous phylogenetic hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Madagascar hosts a high diversity of amphibians estimated at over 500 species, nearly all of them endemic. Surprisingly few data are available on the activity cycles of this fauna, despite its importance for ecological, evolutionary and conservation research. Here we report the results of a year-round survey of amphibians along a transect bordering the Analamazaotra forest near Andasibe in central eastern Madagascar. During 120 transect walks evenly spaced through the year, a total of 2530 individuals of 40 species of anurans was observed. Abundance was higher during the warm/rainy season (December to April) and peaked in February. Of the five climatic predictors measured, only mean temperature and relative humidity showed high importance values, and multi-model averages indicate that these two variables have a strong effect on amphibian abundance along the transect. Species richness showed no evident peak during the study period and was best explained by a model including average temperature and rainfall. Canonical correspondence analysis indicates thatBoophis sibilans, B. tephraeomystax, B. boehmeiandPlethodontohyla notostictawere more frequently encountered along the transect on cold and humid days whilePlethodontohyla mihanika, Gephyromantis boulengeriandSpinomantis aglaveiwere distinctly more abundant on cold and dry days, andParadoxophyla palmataon warm and dry days. The results of our study flag a number of species as suitable candidates for future monitoring initiatives and suggest that a simple combination of visual and acoustic surveys can estimate amphibian activity with high sample sizes in Madagascar’s rainforests. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We reconstructed nearly complete mitogenomes for three species of poison frogs, Dendrobates auratus, D. leucomelas, and D. tinctorius, from RNAseq data. We recovered the 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes (except tRNA-Val for D. leucomelas), and two rRNA genes for all three species, plus partial sequences of the control region. The order of genes agrees with that known from a previously sequenced D. auratus, being the most commonly found for neobatrachian frogs. Based on full-sibling comparisons we estimate the probable error rate of Illumina-RNAseq reconstructed mitogenomes of up to 0.15%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf-tailed geckos, genus Uroplatus, are one of the most prominent endemic reptile groups from Madagascar, but the species diversity and diversification of this taxonomic group are not completely understood. Here, we present a phylogenetic reconstruction of the small-sized Uroplatus which are included in the Uroplatus ebenaui group, focusing on the most widespread species of these geckos, Uroplatus phantasticus, which occupies a large mid-altitude distribution range in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar. Our phylogeny is based on DNA sequences of four mitochondrial genes (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, COI and ND4), with a total of 2 312 base pairs. Partitioned Bayesian analysis confirmed U. malama from south-eastern Madagascar as the most basal representative of the group, followed by U. ebenaui from northern lowlands, and clades containing various undescribed candidate species as well as U. finiavana from Montagne d'Ambre in the north. Within our main targeted species U. phantasticus, the northernmost population from Zahamena (here considered as unconfirmed candidate species) forms the most basal lineage, while the southernmost populations studied from Marolambo, Ranomafana and Kianjavato form a nested clade, suggesting the species has expanded its range southwards undergoing repeated events of isolation and differentiation of lineages. Within the Ranomafana–Kianjavato area, we identified three different lineages, of which the two from Ranomafana are differentiated by 28 mutational steps in a fragment of the ND4 gene and occur on opposing banks of the Namorona River. This result suggests that this relatively small river currently limits dispersal and gene flow in these geckos. However, further downstream the Kianjavato population is more closely related to the population on the opposite side of the Namorona in Ranomafana, indicating that this genetic isolation is not absolute, and the river probably represents only a secondary barrier to gene flow in U. phantasticus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frogs in the genus Gephyromantis from Madagascar were assumed to have a direct developmental mode, i.e. the complete embryonic and larval development within the egg, but recently free-swimming, exotrophic tadpoles of a few species have been found. Herein we provide detailed morphological descriptions of the tadpoles of five more species of this genus, indicating a developmental mode other than direct development in species of Gephyromantis. Tadpoles of Gephyromantis granulatus, G. sculpturatus, G. tschenki, and G. ventrimaculatus were found free-swimming in streams, and tadpoles of G. sp. aff. blanci were raised after hatching from clutches found in the leaf litter. All tadpoles were identified by DNA barcoding. The oral discs of all five species are characterized by the lack of many typical morphological traits of exotrophic tadpoles (such as oral papillae and keratodonts). This indicates that these tadpoles are either non-feeding (endotrophic) or only facultatively feeding tadpoles. We classify these tadpoles as nidicolous based on the observation that the larvae of G. sp. aff. blanci stayed after hatching in the jelly nest until metamorphosis. It remains unclarified whether all species have strictly nidicolous tadpoles, and the larvae of the four species found in the streams were just accidentally washed into these streams; alternatively, some of these tadpoles might be nidicolous at first but in some species need to live in free water at later stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe Calumma vohibola sp. nov., a morphologically distinct chameleon species of the Calumma nasutum species group from littoral forest fragments of the north-central east coast of Madagascar. Males and females of this species differ from all other species of the Calumma nasutum group by an almost absent rostral appendage, by a characteristic stress colouration in the female consisting of a dark reddish ground colouration with many irregular light blue spots, and by significant sequence divergence in the mitochondrial ND2 gene (10.5–19.4% pairwise distance) and no haplotype sharing in the nuclear C-mos gene compared with other members of the C. nasutum group. A molecular survey of C. nasutum populations occurring near the type locality of the new species reveals an extraordinarily high genetic diversity within this morphologically conservative chameleon group. We suspect that C. vohibola might be restricted to a rather small and fragmented distribution range within the last littoral forest fragments along the coast. Owing to the unsolved taxonomic situation of the C. nasutum group, no reliable distribution data of any member of this group are available at present, and hence we cannot ascertain whether the extent of occurrence of C. vohibola is indeed as restricted as suspected. Intensive surveys and field studies are necessary to clarify the distribution limits of this new species and to assess its conservation status reliably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ranoid family Pyxicephalidae is an endemic group of African frogs, with the majority of its diversity concentrated in South Africa. Here we present the first molecular phylogeny that includes as many as nine of the ten pyxicephalid genera, omitting only Nothophryne, based on four nuclear gene fragments and one mitochondrial gene fragment. This study corroborates the basal placement of Pyxicephalus and Aubria, and the sister group placement of Natalobatrachus and Arthroleptella, which were first signalled using smaller datasets. The evolution of endotrophic development has evolved twice within the Pyxicephalidae, once in the ancestor of Anhydrophryne, and independently in the ancestor of Arthroleptella. The implications for the evolution of body size, from the large species in Pyxicephalus and Aubria to the smallest pyxicephalid species in Arthroleptella and Microbatrachella are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe two new species of semiarboreal frogs from the northern central east coast of Madagascar which occur syntopically, at least on the island of Nosy Boraha. The two species are morphologically closest to Blommersia wittei, but differ in advertisement calls and molecular phylogenetic relationships. One of the new species has a remarkable femoral gland structure, as these are shifted towards the distal part of the thigh, close to the knee joint. The new species are apparently microendemic to a small stretch of Madagascar's east coast and have so far not been found at higher elevations. Since both new species are tolerant of habitat disturbance and occur in anthropogenically altered habitats, such as plantations and villages, we propose an IUCN threat status of Least Concern despite their restricted extent of occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that deals with new species of the genus Paracontias from a rainforest in the northern Central East of Madagascar. The new species has a nasal scale in contact with the first supralabial, a character found in P. brocchii, P. milloti, P. rothschildi and an unnamed species. A forest fragment heavily threatened by slash-and-burn agriculture is the description of the type locality. The species was also found in some nearby protected areas and also occurs at Marojejy, according to the authors.

We provide the first descriptions of the tadpole and advertisement call of Mantidactylus argenteus. Calls consist of 6-15 short and rather melodious notes, with a dominant frequency at 4100-4400 Hz and are emitted from arboreal positions during the day. The larva is an Orton type IV tadpole, with oval body shape and dorsally positioned eyes. The oral disc is bordered with papillae, the labial tooth row formula is 2(2)/3(1-3), the upper jaw sheath is strongly curved and M-shaped, and the lower jaw is strongly curved in the middle and V-shaped, and jaw sheaths are largely unpigmented. Specimens from different series present little variation of this general morphology, except some specimens with a labial tooth row formula of 2(2)/2(1-2) but the same general and oral disc morphology. Based on larval features, the position of M. argenteus within the subgenus Blommersia cannot be confirmed since only few characters are shared with other known tadpoles of this subgenus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on specimens identified by DNA barcoding, we describe the tadpoles of 11 species of treefrogs (Boophis) in the Malagasy family Mantellidae. All tadpoles belong to species of the stream‐breeding clade within Boophis. Based on these and other published descriptions of Boophis tadpoles which develop in running water bodies, we tentatively distinguish three ecomorphological guilds for these larvae. Guild A, in which we describe the larvae of B. boehmei, B. reticulatus, B. pyrrhus, B. tasymena, and B. viridis which have few lotic adaptations, their oral disc width being 31–43% of body width, with a single row of 48–81 marginal papillae, and the first upper keratodont row having 58–144 keratodonts. Guild B, in which we describe the tadpoles of B. albilabris, B. madagascariensis, B. luteus, and of an undescribed species here named B. sp. aff. elenae, is intermediate, with an enlarged oral disc, an increasing number of keratodont rows and a lower height of the caudal fin. In these tadpoles, oral disc width is 43–63% of body width, they have one or two rows of 69–164 marginal papillae, and the first upper keratodont row has 164–238 keratodonts. Guild C contains tadpoles with a very large oral disc, living on submerged rocks and stones in stream sections of strong current. In this guild we describe the tadpoles of B. marojezensis and B. sibilans. Their oral disc width is 63–89% of body width, there are multiple rows of many marginal papillae, and the first upper keratodont row has many small keratodonts which are difficult to count, but consistently amount to over 200. In B. marojezensis, the dorsal gap in the marginal papillae rows, apparent in all other species, is closed. These larval morphologies show a rather good fit with recently published molecular phylogenetic data: species groups that were confirmed to be monophyletic in most cases have similar larval morphologies, and, in contrast, where species of the same group have disparate larval morphologies the monophyly of the group is questionable (e.g. the B. majori group). Nevertheless, some cases of convergent evolution are apparent, such as the highly specialized Guild C morphology, which may have evolved separately in the B. albipunctatus group, B. mandraka group, and in some species of the B. majori group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a new species of the genus Cophyla from Berara forest, Sahamalaza Peninsula, northwestern Madagascar. This arboreal microhylid frog is morphologically similar to the single known species of the genus, Cophyla phyllodactyla, and to Platypelis occultans. This suggests that the latter species may in fact also belong to the genus Cophyla, a hypothesis that needs testing by osteological study. The new species is diagnosed by having an intermediate body size and longer notes in advertisement calls compared to these two species, its note duration being the longest recorded from any other cophyline species. In addition we provide evidence for a considerable genetic differentiation among these taxa, based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. The new species of Cophyla is so far only known from primary transitional forest in northwestern Madagascar. It might be a regional endemic that is vulnerable to habitat destruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A revision of Malagasy frogs of the subgenus Chonomantis (genus Mantidactylus ) led to the recognition of three additional species, increasing their number from four to seven. Mantidactylus melanopleura is resurrected from the synonymy of M. opiparis . Two new sibling species of M. albofrenatus , from mid-altitudes in central eastern Madagascar and from low altitude areas along the east coast, respectively, are described as M. zipperi and M. charlotteae . Although the neotype of Mantidactylus aerumnalis is not completely consistent with the original description of this species, we accept it as the valid name-bearing type and thus the re-definition of M. aerumnalis based on its designation. The six Chonomantis species for which call recordings were available (all but M. aerumnalis ) differed markedly in the temporal structure of their advertisement calls. Males of all seven species were easily distinguished by combination of relative tympanum size, relative toe length, amount of webbing, relative hindlimb length, and extension of frenal stripe. A key to all species and completely revised distribution maps are provided. Five of the seven species were found syntopically at a single locality in central eastern Madagascar, indicating that this region is the centre of diversity of the group. Chonomantis species diversity was highest at mid-altitude localities (500-1000 m elevation). The recognition of numerous sibling species in Chonomantis and other Malagasy anuran groups, which have been fairly well represented in scientific collections for decades, indicates that much revisionary taxonomic work is necessary before rigorous biogeographic analyses of the fauna are possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that analyzed the genetic and bioacoustic variability in Mantidactylus granulatus, a semi-arboreal frog species endemic to the northern portion of Madagascar. Examination of inter-regional differences of advertisement calls attributed to the species from several biogeographic regions in the northern part of the country; Description of distinct call and genetic features of Tsaratanana Massif, Mantidactylus zanova; Morphological comparison of M. zanova and M. granulatus.

Colostethus humilis Rivero, '1978' 1980 was rediscovered near the type locality. The species is redescribed, and data on its advertisement call are provided for the first time. Its morphology and colour pattern differ from other Andean dendrobatids. It shows morphological and bio-acoustic similarities to species of Colostethus from the Amazonian lowlands. A phylogenetic analysis of sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene confirmed that C. humilis is related to Amazonian lowland Colostethus, rather than to other Andean poison frogs of the genera Nephelobates and Mannophryne. This indicates that several groups of basal dendrobatids independently have colonised the Venezuelan Andes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which described a species of hyperoliid frog, or Heterixalus carbonei, from the Anstingy forest in western Madagascar. Description of the study area; Materials and methods; Discussion.

A new species of Mantidactylus (subgenus Guibemantis) from the rainforests of eastern Madagascar is described. The new species is sympatric with the closely related M. depressiceps (Boulenger, 1882) and M. tornieri (Ahl, 1929) but differs by larger size, a more strongly developed prepollex, and by advertisement calls. Mantidactylus acuticeps Ahl, 1929 and Rhacophorus mocquardii Boulenger, 1896 are confirmed to be junior synonyms of M. depressiceps. The presence of distinct femoral glands in the new species was noted; a feature so far not reliably recognized in other members of the subgenus Guibemantis. Femoral gland structure was investigated in representatives of each of the subgenera included in Mantidactylus by dissecting and reflecting the femoral skin. Four femoral gland types were identified. Type 1: many small, single granules in an ill-delimited patch, grouped in rosettes at the patch edges; type 2: a group of moderately sized granules in a well-delimited patch; type 3: comprising two different structures: distal granules enclosing externally a distinct central depression, and smaller proximal granules or groups of granules; type 4: as type 3, but lacking the proximal granules. Mantidactylus rivicola Vences, Glaw and Andreone, 1997, M. cf. malagasius (Methuen and Hewitt, 1913) and M. ventrimaculatus (Angel, 1935) differed from all other species examined; their femoral glands comprise a reduced number of large granules with an indistinct central depression in external view. The presence of a distal granule group with external central depression (types 3 and 4 above) provides a probable synapomorphy for the subgenera Brygoomantis, Ochthomantis, Hylobatrachus, Chonomantis and Mantidactylus. In females of these subgenera rudimentary femoral glands are present, but they lack completely in females of the other groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Galápagos iguanas are among the oldest vertebrate lineages on the Galápagos archipelago, and the evolutionary history of this clade is of great interest to biologists. We describe here the complete mitochondrial genomes of the marine iguana,Amblyrhynchus cristatus(Genbank accession number: KT277937) and the land iguanaConolophus subcristatus(Genbank accession number: KT277936). The genomes contain 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, and two ribosomal RNAs genes, as well as a control region (CR). Both species have an identical gene order, which matches that ofIguana iguana. The CR of both Galápagos iguanas features similar tandem repeats units, which are absent inI. iguana. We present a phylogeny of the Iguanidae based on complete mitochondrial genomes, which confirms the sister-group relationship of Galápagos iguanas. These new mitochondrial genomes constitute an important data source for future exploration of the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of the Galápagos iguanas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]