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 Madagascar and other IslandsThe Biological Wealth of an Impoverished Country: Reptiles and Amphibians: Page 5 Some 176 species of amphibians, all frogs, have been named and described (Mittermeier et al. 1999). Raxworthy estimates that there are another 124, many of which have already been found but not yet described scientifically (Tyson 2000). Salamanders and toads are absent from Madagascar. All but two frogs are endemic, one of which was introduced from Asia by French colonialists as a gourmet food source (Burger and Price 1996). The majority are native to rainforest environments, the most endangered type of habitat on the island. In one such area, a montane rainforest in the Andasibe region, 90 species are native--the highest diversity of frogs in the world (Burger and Price 1996). Since 1990, 13 new species of a single, colorful genus, Boophis, have been described, and others await naming by scientists (Burger and Price 1996). A candidate for the world's smallest frog--and perhaps the world's smallest vertebrate--is a minute frog, Stumpffia pygmaea, which measures less than 3 millimeters in length (0.117 inches) (Burger and Price 1996). This frog lays its eggs in foam nests hidden among leaves on the forest floor, and the tadpoles grow into froglets without ever feeding (Burger and Price 1996).
The most spectacular Malagasy frog may be the bright red Tomato Frog (Dyscophus antongili), which secretes poisonous white mucous when threatened. Some authorities consider the species to be endangered (Bauer 1995), while the 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists it as Vulnerable. To protect it from trade, it is listed on Appendix I of CITES. Fat and squat, this toad-like frog is large enough to cover the palm of a hand (Preston-Mafham 1991). Tomato Frogs have a very restricted range in the region of Tamatave on the east coast; some live in plantations, where pools of water gather, and even in garden ponds (Preston-Mafham 1991). Collectors, pet dealers and zoos have offered thousands of dollars for these frogs, and illegal shipments containing 40 or more Tomato Frogs have been confiscated.
One study entitled "The Export of Reptiles and Amphibians from Madagascar," by Olivier Behra (1993), chronicled the extent of exploitation of frogs. In 1988, 230 frogs of the genus Mantella, endemic to Madagascar, were exported. The demand increased, causing exports to rise astronomically to 11,058 in 1989; in the first six months of 1990 alone, almost 11,000 were exported, mainly to Denmark and other European countries, the United States and Japan (Behra 1993). These brightly colored little frogs are sold as pets and to decorate terrariums. The most popular Madagascar frog in this trade is the tiny Golden Mantella (Mantella aurantiaca), of which 3,237 were exported in the first six months of 1990 (Behra 1993). This frog is restricted to eastern Madagascar, and is apparently rare and declining (IUCN 1994). It lives in pandanus swamps in rainforests, which are rapidly disappearing, and no part of its habitat has been set aside in a reserve (IUCN 1994). Unlike most frogs, the Golden Mantella is slow-reproducing (IUCN 1994). In the 1990s, 3,000 to 6,000 were exported annually from Madagascar, and in 1994, two proposals sought to list this species on CITES, one on Appendix I and the other on Appendix II. The latter proposal succeeded, which is unfortunate, since it allows the trade to continue. The 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists the Golden Mantella as Vulnerable (see photos of gold and red phases of this species in Lamar 1997).
In 1998, two people were arrested in Taiwan trying to smuggle frogs of two Mantella species (Mantella madagascariensis and Mantella aurantiaca), along with some Madagascar lizards. Another seizure of 50 Mantella frogs occurred at Zaventem Airport in Belgium in 1998 as they were being smuggled from Madagascar (TRAFFIC 1999a). Such seizures involved shipments without the proper export permits. Appendix I listing under CITES would provide greater protection.
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