Aglyptodactylus securifer Glaw, Vences & Böhme, 1998

Köhler, Jörn, Glaw, Frank, Pabijan, Maciej & Vences, Miguel, 2015, Integrative taxonomic revision of mantellid frogs of the genus Aglyptodactylus (Anura: Mantellidae), Zootaxa 4006 (3), pp. 401-438 : 417

Aglyptodactylus securifer Glaw, Vences & Böhme, 1998

Identity. The species was described and diagnosed from Kirindy Forest in western Madagascar. It is well distinguished from A. laticeps by its narrower head, and from all other Aglyptodactylus by its larger inner metatarsal tubercle. Specimens from other western and northern localities (see below) generally agree in morphology with topotypic specimens. However, across its range as well as within single populations, the species exhibits considerable variation in dorsal colouration (see Fig. 6 d‒f, j‒l). Molecular data from the type locality are still unavailable.

Call. Call recordings of A. securifer were provided by Vences et al. (2006: CD1/Track 3), but have not yet been described in detail. Calls recorded at Ankarana on 13 February 2003 ( Fig. 8 ) have a duration of 474‒509 ms and consist of a series of 2‒3 distinctly pulsed notes, with the initial note being the longest (note duration 277‒334 ms) followed by one or two shorter secondary notes (note duration 79‒134 ms). The last note usually is the shortest in all calls. Pulse rate is very similar in long and short notes, resulting in longer notes containing more pulses than shorter notes. Within notes, amplitude increases moderately from beginning to the end of notes, most distinctly in initial long notes. The dominant frequency range is approximately 2000‒3500 Hz, with maximum call energy at around 3000 Hz. Pulse repetition rate generally is in a similar range as in calls of A. australis and A. madagascariensis , but the calls of these species consist of one note type only, have longer inter-note intervals and longer call duration. The only other species of Aglyptodactylus emitting two note types is A. inguinalis but its note duration is very short and pulse rate within notes distinctly higher compared to A. securifer . For comparative numerical call parameters see Table 2.

Natural history. Glos (2003) and Glos & Linsenmair (2004) provided life history notes. The latter authors also described the tadpole. Randrianiaina et al. (2011) provided figures of A. securifer tadpoles and their mouthparts. A mating aggregation with numerous couples in axillary amplexus (males yellow, females brown) was figured by Goodman & Benstead (2003: back cover) and Glos (2003). Explosive breeding at Kirindy has furthermore been documented in a BBC film.

Distribution. This species is distributed at low-altitude localities in western and northern Madagascar ( Fig. 2 ). For localities confirmed by genetic data see Figure 1 . Total reported localities are as follows: Ampombofofo ( Megson et al. 2009), Analamera, two survey sites ( Rakotondravony 2006b), Andavakoera, Forêt classée ( Rakotondravony 2006b), Andranomanintsy ( Raselimanana 2008), Ankara ( Rakotondravony & Goodman 2011), Ankarana (Glaw & Vences 2007, Raselimanana 2008), Beanka ( Raselimanana 2013), Berara ( Andreone et al. 2001), Forêt d’Ambre (D’Cruze et al. 2008), Kelifely ( Rakotondravony & Goodman 2011), Kirindy (Glaw et al. 1998, Glos 2003), ten survey sites in the Loky-Manambato region ( Rakotondravony 2006a), Makay ( Rakotondravony & Goodman 2011), Manongarivo (Glaw & Vences 2007), Montagne des Français (D’Cruze et al. 2007), Sahamalaza ( Raselimanana 2008); Tsingy de Bemaraha ( Raselimanana 2008, Bora et al. 2010), and Windsor Castle (ZSM 2206/2007; unpublished).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Maximum likelihood tree based on DNA sequences (539 bp) of the mitochondrial 16 S rRNA gene showing relationships among species and populations of Aglyptodactylus. The tree is rooted with Laliostoma labrosum. Values at nodes are ML bootstrap values in percent and Bayesian posterior probabilities (shown only if> 50 % and> 0.9 respectively; support values at some of the shallow intraspecific nodes omitted for graphical reasons). Inset photos show characteristic individuals of the respective species in life. Oscillograms show representative sections (2000 ms each) of advertisement calls of the various species, respectively.

FIGURE 2. Map showing the reliably known distribution ranges of all six species of Aglyptodactylus. Note that many more records under the name A. madagascariensis are available mainly from eastern Madagascar (e. g., Blommers-Schlösser & Blanc 1991); the map shown here only includes records verified by molecular data (except Anzahamaru, the type locality of A. inguinalis, and Kirindy, the type locality of A. securifer). The Marovato record of A. australis is based on sequence data alone and in need of confirmation. The different blue colours of A. inguinalis records symbolize their substantial genetic differentiation. The map shows the remaining primary vegetation of Madagascar (www. vegmad. org), green colours indicating rainforest, reddish colours deciduous dry forest, and orange colour arid spiny forest.

FIGURE 6. Photographs in life of Aglyptodactylus laticeps and A. securifer: A. laticeps from Kirindy (a – c), with (b) being a female, and (c) probably being a male. Frontodorsal and ventral views of male holotype of A. securifer (ZFMK 59975) from Kirindy (d, g); dorsal and ventral views of a male of A. securifer from Ankarana (e, h); dorsal and ventral views of a female of A. securifer from Ankarana (ZSM 762 / 2003) (f, i); A. securifer from Berara (j); A. securifer from Tsingy de Bemaraha (k – l), with (k) corresponding to ZSM 14 / 2006. Photographed individuals not unequivocally assignable to preserved voucher specimens unless otherwise mentioned.

FIGURE 8. Audiospectrogram (above) and oscillogram (below) of an advertisement call of Aglyptodactylus securifer, recorded at Ankarana.