Blackish frog on branch, Masoala NP, Madagascar

Will check this species ID with John.

comments (2)

John Sullivan

Lion

Ooh, this is an interesting one! None of the species that Glaw & Vences show in Masoala seem to be a close match for this. My best guess is (assuming it is a species covered by Glaw & Vences, rather than one not yet known in 2007) is that this is Mantidactylus (Gephyromantis) pseudoasper. The description includes "Dorsal skin granular. Colour dorsally brown with indistinct darker markings. Venter whitish, in some populations yellowish on the posterior belly and limbs...". Yours seems to match all of that, including the "yellowish limbs" part. There are three photos of this species in G&V, which vary in darkness and skin bumpiness. Yours looks a lot like the darkest of the three, including the light banding on the legs and black bands on the lips (though both of these features are present on many "Mantidactylus" species). It is recorded from a number of locations in the extreme north, near both east and west coasts. Masoala is south of the localities shown, but not too far south. Posted 9 years ago
1. Ferdy Christant
  
  Lion
  
  That is some excellent searching once again, John. This makes my day, the more obscure, the better. This page suggests to common name "Massif Madagascar Frog":
  http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/Amphibia/Anura/Mantellidae/Mantellinae/Gephyromantis/Gephyromantis-pseudoasper Posted 9 years ago

The Massif Madagascar Frog

Gephyromantis pseudoasper is a frog of the Mantellidae family that are endemic to Madagascar. It is distributed in the far north-east of Madagascar, based on very limited sample data.

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Similar species: Frogs

Species identified by Ferdy Christant