About
Boophis liami is a frog endemic to Madagascar, currently known only from Forêt de Vohidrazana and near Andasibe.
It is a small frog reaching just 2cm! This species is part of the Mantellidae frog family, which diverged from all other amphibian lineages about 50 million years ago, which makes them as dissimilar from their closest relatives as porcupines are from chinchillas. The area in which this species occurs is only around 35km² and the frog is common at its only known sites; however there are ongoing declines in the extent and quality of its habitat and the population is suspected to be decreasing. The forest habitat is rapidly receding due to the expansion of subsistence agriculture, timber extraction, charcoal manufacture, the spread of eucalyptus, livestock grazing and expanding human settlements. The species is found in the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park but this area is not protected. Habitat protection therefore is urgently required for these forest areas, including mosaic fragmented forests.
- Order: Anura
- Family: Mantellidae
- Population: Common
- Trend: decreasing
- Size: 19-21mm
EDGE Score
Distribution
This species is only known from Vohidrazana and near Andasibe between 850-900metres above sea level in eastern Madagascar.
Habitat and Ecology
This species inhabits both disturbed rainforest and secondary herbaceous vegetation. It lives along streams, in which it breeds, presumably by larval development, where tadpoles emerge from the eggs.
