A multinational team of scientists headed by Dr Goncalo Rosa of the University of Kent’s Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology has described a new species in the tree frog genus Boophis from the hidden streams of Ankarafa Forest on the Sahamalaza Peninsula in northwest Madagascar.
Rostral view of a male of Boophis ankarafensis. Image credit: Penny SG et al.
Boophis is a genus of tree frogs belonging to the family Mantellidae. The genus is endemic to the Comoros and Madagascar and comprises over 70 species, many of which have only recently been described.
Northwestern Madagascar’s Sahamalaza Peninsula has undergone only two previous amphibian surveys, the most recent of which led to the discovery of two species – Boophis tsilomaro and Cophyla berara.
However, one site on the peninsula, the Ankarafa Forest, had never been surveyed before.
From this forest Dr Rosa and his colleagues describe a new tree frog species, Boophis ankarafensis.
“The term ankarafensis is a specific epithet deriving from the species’ terra typica, the Ankarafa Forest,” the scientists explained in a paper published in the journal ZooKeys.
Boophis ankarafensis is green in color with bright red speckling across its head and back. Adult males are about 23-24 mm long, females are about 28-29 mm long.
Dorsal view of the same male of Boophis ankarafensis. Image credit: Penny SG et al.
Fifty-six individuals of Boophis ankarafensis were detected from the banks of two streams in the Ankarafa Forest. Of the 56 encounters, 48 frogs were males and 8 females.
Males were found calling from vegetation about 0.5 to 2 m high. They were often within close proximity to one another, positioned on different leaves of the same plant.
“Despite its conspicuous call (a triple click, compared to the usual double), Boophis ankarafensis has not been detected from other surveys of northwest Madagascar and it is likely to be a local endemic to the peninsula,” Dr Rosa and his colleagues said.
“Although occurring inside a National Park, this species is highly threatened by the continuing decline in the quality and extent of its habitat.”
“Due to these threats it is proposed that this beautiful new species should be classified as critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List criteria.”
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Penny SG et al. 2014. A new species of the Boophis rappiodes group (Anura, Mantellidae) from the Sahamalaza Peninsula, northwest Madagascar, with acoustic monitoring of its nocturnal calling activity. ZooKeys 435: 111–132; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.435.7383
