Guibemantis cf. bicalcaratus "Moramanga"
—
undescribed species
The 2nd edition of Glaw and Vences placed these frogs in Mantidactylus bicalcaratus.
Due to genetic differences, the 3rd edition places these frogs in a closely related undescribed species instead, referred to as Guibemantis sp. aff. bicalcaratus "Moramanga". (Note that the genus Mantidactylus was split into several genera between those two publications.)
This is one of a group of closely related frog species that all live almost entirely among the spiky fronds of plants in the genus Pandanus. Often you can find two or three or four species living in the same plant. A number of these Pandanus plants are scattered around the entrance grounds of Analamazaotra Reserve, and as dusk arrived I started moving from plant to plant trying to photograph these little frogs before they got spooked and hopped back into the plants' water-filled axils. The different species are distinguished mainly by coloration.
Here is a list of all the reptiles and frogs I saw on this 2007 trip to Madagascar.
Printed references:
- Glaw, F., Vences, M. 1994. A Fieldguide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Second Edition
- Glaw, F., Vences, M. 2007. A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Third Edition