Mantellidae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mantellidae | |
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| Mantella aurantiaca | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Suborder: | Neobatrachia |
| Family: | Mantellidae Laurent, 1946 |
| Subfamilies | |
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| Distribution of Mantellidae (in black) | |
Mantellidae is a family of the order Anura. These frogs are found only in Madagascar and Mayotte.
The habits, habitat and appearance of these frogs are widely variable. Most species are terrestrial, though some are arboreal (the genus Boophis is morphologically simiar to the tree frogs) or aquatic. Body size ranges from 3 to 10 centimetres in length. The genus Mantella has many similarities with the South American poison dart frogs. They are small, aposematically coloured, and secrete alkaloid toxins.
Some members of this group are kept in captivity as pet frogs.
Apart from the genera assigned to the three subfamilies, there is one genus whose placement is still rather uncertain:
- Tsingymantis Glaw, Hoegg & Vences, 2006
