Resolving a taxonomic and nomenclatural puzzle in mantellid frogs: synonymization of Gephyromantis azzurrae with G. corvus, and description of Gephyromantis kintana sp. nov. from the Isalo Massif, western Madagascar

By

Cocca, Walter
Andreone, Franco
Belluardo, Francesco
Rosa, Gonçalo M
Randrianirina, Jasmin E.
Glaw, Frank
Crottini, Angelica

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2020

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

951

Pages

133--157

Subjects

Amphibia , integrative taxonomy , Mantellidae , Mantellinae , Phylacomantis

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.951.51129

 

Abstract

The genusGephyromantisbelongs to the species-rich family Mantellidae and is currently divided in six subgenera. Among these is the subgenus Phylacomantis, which currently includes four described species:Gephyromantis pseudoasper,G. corvus,G. azzurrae, andG. atsingy. The latter three species are distributed in western Madagascar, and two of them (G. azzurraeandG. corvus) occur in the Isalo Massif. Based on the analysis of molecular data (a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene), morphological inspection of museum specimens, and photographic comparisons,G. azzurraeis synonymised withG. corvusand the secondPhylacomantislineage of Isalo is described asG. kintanasp. nov.This medium-sized frog species (adult snout-vent length 35–44 mm) is assigned to this subgenus according to genetic and morphological similarities to the other known species ofPhylacomantis.Gephyromantis kintanasp. nov.is known only from the Isalo Massif, while new records forG. corvusextend its range to ca. 200 km off its currently known distribution. These two taxa seem to occur in syntopy in at least one locality in Isalo, and the easiest way to distinguish them is the inspection of the ventral colouration, dark inG. corvusand dirty white inG. kintana.