Madagascar narrow-mouth frogs

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Madagascar narrow-mouth frogs
Rhombophryne alluaudi

Rhombophryne alluaudi

Systematics
Row : Land vertebrates (Tetrapoda)
without rank: Amphibians (Lissamphibia)
Order : Frog (anura)
Subordination : Neobatrachia
Family : Narrow-mouth frogs (Microhylidae)
Subfamily : Madagascar narrow-mouth frogs
Scientific name
Cophylinae
Cope , 1889
Plethodontohyla inguinalis
Anodonthyla boulengerii

The Madagascar narrow -mouth frogs (Cophylinae) are a subfamily of the narrow-mouth frogs (Microhylidae). Their distribution is limited to Madagascar and the surrounding islands.

features

The Madagascar narrow-mouth frogs are divided into two clades . The species of the clade with the genera Anodonthyla , Cophyla and Platypelis are mostly small to medium-sized frogs with a head-trunk length of 16 to 40 millimeters, only Platypelis grandis reaches 43 to 105 millimeters. The other species are very small to large and can reach a length of 9 millimeters for Stumpffia contumelia to 100 millimeters for Plethodontohyla inguinalis . They are very different morphologically . Their morphological features do not always reflect the relationships, as convergent developments and homoplasias repeatedly occurred due to the adaptation to ecological niches . Molecular genetic studies have shown that within the monophyletic group there are still numerous gaps in the family tree that could be filled by undiscovered or undescribed species. In 2017, 26 species of the genus Stumpffia were described. Some of the species are among the smallest amphibians in the world. They show a reduction of the toes to three and the fingers to one in Stumpffia contumelia .

Cophylinae have a paired ethmoid bone , paired prevomer, and usually a dentate upper jaw. The vertebrae are procoel (concave to the front and convex to the rear). The thoracal (bone between the sternum and the shoulder blade) and the procoracoid are well developed.

Tadpoles

A common feature is larval development. While most frog species have larval stages that can filter detritus from the water, the Madagascar narrow-mouthed frogs' tadpoles do not eat. They either develop in tiny bodies of water that have formed in depressions in plants , such as knotholes and other phytotelmata, or they live in foam nests on the ground.

Distribution and habitats

The subfamily is endemic to the islands of Madagascar . Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot with a great diversity of species of many animal groups, including amphibians . Some of the frogs include very small species that are often endemic in a comparatively tiny area . The clearing of forest areas poses the greatest threat to this biodiversity, the center of which is in the rainforests in northern Madagascar. From here the biodiversity decreases significantly towards the drier areas in the west and south. The subfamily Scaphiophryninae, which is closely related to the Madagascar narrow-mouth frogs, shows the same distribution pattern .

The Madagascar narrow-mouth frogs occupy different ecological niches . There are tree-dwelling species as well as species that live on the ground or buried in the ground. Their behavior and reproductive biology are also adapted to their habitat.

Way of life

The males of the Madagascar narrow-mouth frogs have very simple calling sounds, with a single tone often lasting several minutes. After a short pause, the call is repeated regularly.

Systematics

In 2015, some authors merged the genus Stumpffia with the genus Rhombophryne under their names. Other authors, however, kept the separation of the two genera by hiving off the species Stumpffia helenae . Stumpffia helenae was placed in its own genus Anilany . Likewise, the genus Platypelis was synonymous with the genus Cophyla in some classifications . The subfamily currently includes 109 species in 9 genera.

As of August 23, 2019

  • Genus Anilany Scherz, Vences, Rakotoarison, Andreone, Köhler, Glaw & Crottini, 2016
  • Genus Anodonthyla Müller, 1892
  • Genus Cophyla Boettger, 1880 (this genus was synonymous with Platypelis in 2015 , the amalgamation, however, is controversial)
  • Genus Madecassophryne Guibé, 1974
  • Genus Mini Scherz, Hutter, Rakotoarison, Riemann, Rödel, Ndriantsoa, ​​Glos, Roberts, Crottini, Vences & Glaw, 2019
  • Genus Platypelis Boulenger, 1882 (this genus was synonymous with Cophyla in 2015 , but the merger is controversial)
  • Genus Plethodontohyla Boulenger, 1882
  • Genus Rhombophryne Boettger, 1880
  • Genus Stumpffia Boettger, 1881

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Laurie J. Vitt, Janalee P. Caldwell: Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. 2013, Elsevier Ltd, Oxford, ISBN 978-0123869197 , p. 517.
  2. ↑ David R. Vieites, Katharina C. Wollenberg, Franco Andreone, Jörn Köhler, Frank Glaw & Vences Miguel: Vast Underestimation of Madagascar's biodiversity evidenced by at integrative amphibian inventory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 106, 20, pp. 8267-8272, May 2009. doi : 10.1073 / pnas.0810821106
  3. ↑ a b Andolalao Rakotoarison, Mark D. Scherz, Frank Glaw, Jörn Köhler, Franco Andreone, Michael Franzen, Julian Glos, Oliver Hawlitschek, Teppei Jono, Akira Mori, Serge H. Ndriantsoa, ​​Noromalala Rasoamam-pionona Raminosoa, Jana C. Riemann , Mark-Oliver Rödel, Gonçalo M. Rosa, David R. Vieites, Angelica Crottini, Miguel Vences: Describing the smaller majority: integrative taxonomy reveals twenty-six new species of tiny microhylid frogs (genus Stumpffia) from Madagascar. Journal of Vertebrate Zoology, 67, 3, 271–398, October 2017 ( PDF ).
  4. ↑ Blommers-Schlösser: Observations on the larval development of some Malagasy frogs, with notes on their ecology and biology (Anura: Dyscophinae, Scaphiophryninae and Cophylinae). Beaufortia, 24, 1975, pp. 7-26.
  5. ^ Franco Andreone, Jasmin E. Randrianirina: An unexpected Rhombophryne record at Tsingy de Bemaraha confirms the presence of cophyline frogs in western Madagascar . Zootaxa, 1812, 2008, pp. 46-48.
  6. ↑ Arie van der Meijden, Miguel Vences, Simone Hoegg, Renaud Boistel, Alan Channing, Axel Meyer: Nuclear gene phylogeny of narrow-mouthed toads (Family: Microhylidae) and a discussion of competing hypotheses concerning their biogeographical origins . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 44, 3, 2007, pp. 1017-1030. doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2007.02.008
  7. ^ F. Glaw & M. Vences: A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar. 3rd edition, Vences & Glaw Verlag, Cologne 2007.
  8. ↑ a b c Darrel R. Frost: Cophylinae , Amphibian Species of the World, an Online Reference, Version 6.0, American Museum of Natural History, 1998-2017, accessed December 7, 2017
  9. ↑ a b Microhylidae , genera and species of narrow-mouthed frogs at AmphibiaWeb, accessed on September 4, 2017
  10. ↑ Mark D. Scherz, Miguel Vences, Andolalao Rakotoarison, Franco Andreone, Jörn Köhler, Frank Glaw, Angelica Crottini: Reconciling molecular phylogeny, morphological divergence and classification of Madagascan narrow-mouthed frogs (Amphibia: Microhylidae) . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 100, pp. 372-381, 2016. doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2016.04.019
  11. ↑ Scherz, MD, CR Hutter, A. Rakotoarison, JC Riemann, M.-O. Rödel, SH Ndriantsoa, ​​J. Glos, SH Roberts, A. Crottini, M. Vences, and F. Glaw. 2019. Morphological and ecological convergence at the lower size limit for vertebrates highlighted by five new miniaturized microhylid frog species from three different Madagascan genera. PLoS (Public Library of Science) One 14, 3: e0213314, pp. 1–45, 2019

Web links

Commons : Madagascar narrow-mouth frogs (Cophylinae)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Microhylidae , genera and species of narrow-mouthed frogs from AmphibiaWeb, accessed September 4, 2017
  • Darrel R. Frost: Cophylinae , Amphibian Species of the World, an Online Reference, Version 6.0, American Museum of Natural History, 1998-2017, accessed December 7, 2017