Common Name: Guibe’s Mantella, Green and Black Mantella
Scientific Name: Mantella nigricans
Family: Mantellidae
Locations: Madagascar
Size: 1.1 inches (28 mm)
The Guibe’s Mantella lives along streams in the rainforests of northern Madagascar. Mating primarily happens during the rainy season. Males call out from spots around the stream to attract the females. Once the female arrives, the male grasps her from behind in amplexus. Then, she lays her eggs usually under a moist leaf. Females lay around 40 eggs. Neither parent provides any parental care. The eggs take around a week to hatch into tadpoles.
Frog is named after french herpetologist Jean Guibé, who kinda described the species and worked in Madasgascar. He thought it was a subspecies of the Cowan’s Mantella (Mantella cowani)
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Guibe’s Mantella as Least Concern for Extinction. This is due to their wide range and presumed large population. It’s nice to see a Mantella ranked as only Least Concern because many of the species are at least considered endangered.
