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Spinomantis lakolosy Spinomantis lavabato Hutter, Andriampenomanana, Lambert & Vences, 2025 |
Abstract
We scientifically name and describe two new species of spiny frog (Mantellidae: Spinomantis) from moderately high elevations in Ranomafana National Park, in south-east Madagascar. This region has been surveyed extensively and has a remarkably high anuran diversity with many undocumented species still being regularly discovered. We describe a previously identified candidate species, S. sp. Ca07, as Spinomantis lavabato sp. nov. and a previously undiscovered species from this region as Spinomantis lakolosy sp. nov.. The new species are morphologically cryptic within the S. bertini complex but can be recognized by a combination of subtle differences in coloration such as a lack or weak expression of sharp dorsolateral color border in both species. Bioacoustically, the new species are quite different from other species in the complex: Spinomantis lakolosy sp. nov. has the longest note duration with a powerful-sounding call that rings like a bell, which can be heard over the sound of rushing water in nearby streams; while S. lavabato sp. nov. differs by having the shortest note duration that is quiet and sounds like a trill. Furthermore, both species are substantially diverged in mitochondrial DNA, with pairwise distances in a fragment of the 16S rRNA marker of 7–9% to all other related species. Furthermore, we identify a lineage for future study in the complex from the nearby high-elevation site Andemaka within Ranomafana National Park that has an intermediate sounding advertisement call between the newly described species; although we cannot formally describe this lineage herein due to unavailability of voucher specimens, this lineage emphasizes the unexpectedly high diversity of sympatric species of the S. bertini complex in the Ranomafana area. Additionally, we identify another lineage from Ambahavala in the Anosy Chain with strong mitochondrial divergence for future study. Our findings also highlight the need for continued inventory work in high elevation rainforests of Madagascar, even in relatively well-studied regions such as Ranomafana National Park.
Key Words: Amphibia, Anura, new species, Ranomafana National Park, Spinomantis lakolosy, Spinomantis lavabato, taxonomy
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| Ex-situ dorsal-lateral, dorsal, and ventral photographs of (A) female Spinomantis lakolosy (paratype: KU340867, CRH 751; ventral side CRH 678) and (B) male specimen KU340884 (CRH 781) from the divergent population here provisionally assigned to S. lakolosy. |
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| In-situ photographs of the habitat and microhabitat of Spinomantis lakolosy. The panels show: (A) the outskirts of the village of Miranony (blue circle) that leads to the primary forest habitat in the top right of the photograph (purple arrow); (B) within the primary forest habitat, the fast-flowing stream where S. lakolosy calls at night; (C) male paratype KU340868 (CRH 752) perched on a rock ledge alongside the stream; and (D) female paratype KU340867 (CRH 751) perched on a small branch alongside a rock ledge. |
Spinomantis lakolosy sp. nov.
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| Spinomantis lavabato Ex-situ dorsal-lateral, dorsal, and ventral photographs of (A) male (holotype: KU336975, JJW 2336) and (B) female (paratype: KU336978, CRH 118) in life. |
Spinomantis lavabato sp. nov.
Carl R. Hutter, Zo F. Andriampenomanana, Shea M. Lambert and Miguel Vences. 2025. Two New Species of the Spinomantis bertini species complex (Mantellidae) from south-eastern Madagascar. Evolutionary Systematics. 9(2): 285-299. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.9.174833 [29 Dec 2025]