Boulenger's Madagascar Frog

A small frog, 25-30 mm, in some populations (e.g., Andasibe) smaller than in others (e.g., Nosy Mangabe). Tibiotarsal articulation reaches nostrils or tip of snout. Hand without webbbing, foot with rudimentary webbing. Inner metatarsal tubercle relatively small and pigmented. Dorsal skin granular without ridges. Colouration very variable, with a predominance of dark brown. Upper lip without continuous white band. Males with distinct femoral glands and blackish paired subgular vocal sacs. Similar species: All other species of the subgenus Gephyromantis. G. boulengeri is recognized by lacking any dorsal ridges and instead having a rather granular skin.Taken with permission from Glaw and Vences (2007).

Ambatolahy forest, Ambatovaky, An’Ala, Andasibe, Fenoarivo, Nosy Boraha, Nosy Mangabe, near Ifanadiana. It occurs between sea level and 1,200m asl in rainforest, degraded forest, and invasive eucalyptus forest in the rainforest belt (Vences and Glaw 2008).

Habits: Males call during the day from the forest floor, or from perches up to 100 cm above the ground. They can be heard in dense rainforest but also in secondary vegetation, as long as dense and moist vegetation covers the ground. Specimens do not form choruses and are spaced throughout the forest, at positions independent from free water. Calls: A loud and fast series of 7-20 melodious notes, emitted as a sudden burst. A typical sound heard during the day throughout rainforests in eastern Madagascar, for example around Andasibe and on Nosy Mangabe.

Its forest habitat is declining due to subsistence agriculture, timber extraction, charcoal manufacture, and livestock grazing and expanding human settlements. It occurs in several protected areas throughout the eastern rainforest belt (Vences and Glaw 2008).

Gephyromantis boulengeri, sometimes known as Boulenger's Madagascar frog, is a species of frog in the family Mantellidae. It is endemic to Madagascar and found in the northeastern and eastern Madagascar as well as in Île Sainte-Marie. Its natural habitats are rainforests but it can also be found in degraded forests and in invasive eucalyptus forests within the rainforest belt at elevations up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level. It is a common frog, although it is suspected to be in decline because of habitat loss and deterioration. However, it occurs in several protected areas.