Painted Mantella

[MantellaGuy]

Still don't see it, maybe someone deleted it. That's a good point though, to clarify you're saying that she could have been produced while the different species were housed together awaiting departure? I am trying to find the original seller currently. The place I bought it from didn't know much, since they didn't even know that they had her.
Also to clarify, what do you mean when you refer to "confer" species?

Bugger, for that I am apologetic! We'll least you got to see my full response now and certainly, this is a high possibility in all honesty that could end up with various hybridise specimens being hatched out and surviving! Lol they could be housed for a great length of time before being departed in the import, your talking months...

And well ell I think the best bet is finding the details out about where they got the D.leucomelas in all honesty.... Find their supplier and you will find out more...

and, you will commonly see a species having 'cf.' in the middle of their scientific naming which will look like Mantella.cf.madagascarensis. This basically means in Latin "consult" or you can interpret that as "compare", which normally means in regards to animal species, comparing two or more of the same species with a single irregular specimen which clearly isn't one or the other, but shows certain traits...
You will see some unusual specimens of Mantella on your travels on the internet and if you look at the Conservation. international Pocket Guide of Mantella species, you will see a lot of oddly coloured M.milotympanum or M.crocea, these would be labeled or considered a confer species.

[Pirarucu]

Bugger, for that I am apologetic! We'll least you got to see my full response now and certainly, this is a high possibility in all honesty that could end up with various hybridise specimens being hatched out and surviving! Lol they could be housed for a great length of time before being departed in the import, your talking months...

And well ell I think the best bet is finding the details out about where they got the D.leucomelas in all honesty.... Find their supplier and you will find out more...

and, you will commonly see a species having 'cf.' in the middle of their scientific naming which will look like Mantella.cf.madagascarensis. This basically means in Latin "consult" or you can interpret that as "compare", which normally means in regards to animal species, comparing two or more of the same species with a single irregular specimen which clearly isn't one or the other, but shows certain traits...
You will see some unusual specimens of Mantella on your travels on the internet and if you look at the Conservation. international Pocket Guide of Mantella species, you will see a lot of oddly coloured M.milotympanum or M.crocea, these would be labeled or considered a confer species.

Alright, thank you!
As far as photos of similar individuals, I have found a few as well such as the one pictured on this page.
Mantella madagascariensis - Malagasy Painted Mantella
As well as this picture, which was labeled as "Mantella 'loppei' (madagascariensis?)".
http://images.wildmadagascar.org/pic...arensis-02.gif
Mantella loppei is also mentioned on the amphibiacare page as an apparently erroneous name for a certain population of M. madagascariensis. As of now I am almost certain that this individual is from that population. I hope I can track down the original seller quickly and see if they have any left.

[MantellaGuy]

Alright, thank you!
As far as photos of similar individuals, I have found a few as well such as the one pictured on this page.
Mantella madagascariensis - Malagasy Painted Mantella
As well as this picture, which was labeled as "Mantella 'loppei' (madagascariensis?)".
http://images.wildmadagascar.org/pic...arensis-02.gif
Mantella loppei is also mentioned on the amphibiacare page as an apparently erroneous name for a certain population of M. madagascariensis. As of now I am almost certain that this individual is from that population. I hope I can track down the original seller quickly and see if they have any left.

That was the individual, Mantella loppei which is on the page I found the other night whilst double checking for you. Looks like I don't need to find it now lol But that, is what you would call a confer specimen, so the individual, if it is indeed the one from the same population would be named Mantella cf madagascarensis.

I wouldn't call it erroneous, there are an incredible amount of scientific papers and research journals that are put forward by people that get rejected on the basis that there isn't enough information or the findings need elaboration (describing a species is incredibly hard and not always accepted). The best example of a paper that needed resubmitting was one by Hou Mian concerning the final identification of Tylototriton yangi or otherwise known as Tylototriton.cf.kweichowensis, for many years!
There are still people that end up sticking with the naming though that don't want to confuse matters, which I would say is less erroneous than keeping what could be potential a completely species, with another species on the basis that it wasn't reclassified... Actually, I would say that was more clever for maintaining the species.

However, without genetic testing though, you can not be certain completely, as you only have one source stating this information. It could be quite possibly Mantella loppei but it could also still be a hybrid...

[Pirarucu]

That was the individual, Mantella loppei which is on the page I found the other night whilst double checking for you. Looks like I don't need to find it now lol But that, is what you would call a confer specimen, so the individual, if it is indeed the one from the same population would be named Mantella cf madagascarensis.

I wouldn't call it erroneous, there are an incredible amount of scientific papers and research journals that are put forward by people that get rejected on the basis that there isn't enough information or the findings need elaboration (describing a species is incredibly hard and not always accepted). The best example of a paper that needed resubmitting was one by Hou Mian concerning the final identification of Tylototriton yangi or otherwise known as Tylototriton.cf.kweichowensis, for many years!
There are still people that end up sticking with the naming though that don't want to confuse matters, which I would say is less erroneous than keeping what could be potential a completely species, with another species on the basis that it wasn't reclassified... Actually, I would say that was more clever for maintaining the species.

However, without genetic testing though, you can not be certain completely, as you only have one source stating this information. It could be quite possibly Mantella loppei but it could also still be a hybrid...

I agree entirely on the differentiation between species, I was just saying that amphibiaweb mentioned it as an erroneous name. How would you suggest going about the genetic testing, and how much would it cost? I'm wondering whether it would be worth it to do so in order to know if I could house her with some others or if I should just leave her in her own cage.

[MantellaGuy]

How would you suggest going about the genetic testing, and how much would it cost? I'm wondering whether it would be worth it to do so in order to know if I could house her with some others or if I should just leave her in her own cage.

In all honesty, this would concern a conversation between yourself and a veterinary surgeon that could be of some assistance with Herptiles, however it would merely involve taking a swabbing from the specimen and it being sent off for genetic testing to determine the basis of the species identification. This causes no harm to the individual, but as for costings, I am not entirely sure, but I can find out for you.