My Mantella Collection.

[MantellaGuy]

Here is my pair of Arboreal or Climbing Mantella (Mantella laevigata) that are pretty much my most secretive animal in my entire collection (Even my Scaphiophyrne species come out more than these guys lol)

Arboreal Mantella
Nomenclature: Mantella laevigata
IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
Country of Origin: Ambavala, Ambodimanga (Mananara), Folohy, Marojejy, Nosy Mangabe, Tsararano in Madagascar.

Information: This species is 1 of 16 species in the Mantella genus all of which use Aposematism as a defence mechanism. Aposematism basically derives from the Greek words that mean "Warning Colours" a defence which has made another family of frogs famous, the Dendrobatidae family (Poison Dart Frogs). This species is probably one of the oddest within the entire genus, being completely unique and showing a few similarities to the Oophaga genus of Central America. Just like the Oophaga (Greek for "Egg-eater") genus they provide their offspring with an infertile egg to feed upon, they are also more arboreal than other members of the Mantella genus which is quite a lot like their Dendrobatidae (Poison Dart Frogs) counterparts. It's a shy member of the genus, unlike some Mantella species that are more bold and will venture out into the open.

It is one of the most common members of the entire genus and this species is widely distributed in North-eastern Madagascar, with recent records from Marojejy south to Folohy. It's mainly threatened by the decline of its forest habitat due to subsistence agriculture, timber extraction, charcoal manufacture, invasive spread of eucalyptus, livestock grazing and expanding human settlements. However, over collecting for commercial and private purposes is a potential threat to the species (like most of the genus), but doesn't have any apparent or drastic effects.

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Excuse the lack of photos for this species, I hardly get to see them!!