A skeletochronological estimate of age and growth in a large riparian frog from Madagascar (Anura, Mantellidae, Mantidactylus)

By

Guarino, Fabio M
Crottini, Angelica
Mezzasalma, Marcello
Randrianirina, Jasmin E.
Andreone, Franco

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2019-5-13

Original Publication

Subterranean Biology

Volume

32

Pages

39--44

Subjects

growth curve , Longevity , Malagasy herpetofauna , Mantidactylus subgenus , phalangeal skeletochronology , Sexual size dimorphism , Vevembe

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.32.e35576

 

Abstract

We characterized the body size (as snout-vent length), age, sexual size dimorphism, and growth rate in a population of one of the larger riparian frog from Madagascar (Mantidactylusgrandidieri) from a rainforest patch close to Vevembe, SE Madagascar. We identified a significant female-biased sexual size dimorphism. Age was estimated using phalangeal skeletochronology and was significantly higher in females than in males. Modal age class turned out to be 4 years in both sexes but a large percentage of adult females (75%) fell in the 5–6 years-old classes, while no male exceeded 4 years. We here report M.grandidieri as a medium-long-lived anuran species. Von Bertalanffy’s model showed similar growth trajectories between the sexes although the growth coefficient in females (k = 0.335) was slightly but not significantly higher than in males (k = 0.329).