Species Fact Profile: Golden Mantella (Mantella aurantiaca)

Golden Mantella

Mantella aurantiaca (Mocquard, 1900)

Range: Southeastern Madagascar

Habitat: Upland Tropical Rainforest (900 Meters)

Diet: Small Insects (Termites, Ants, Fruitflies).  Tadpoles are herbivorous

Social Grouping: Small Groups with a 2:1 Male Bias

Reproduction: Mating usually takes place after the first major rain of the year.  Females lay clutches of 12-30 eggs, which hatch after only 2-6 days and drop into the water.  Tadpoles develop into froglets after 6-8 weeks.  No parental care is provided.  Sexually mature at 12-14 months

Lifespan: 8 Years

Conservation Status: IUCN Critically Endangered, CITES Appendix II

• Body length 3-4 centimeters, with males typically being smaller, slimmer, and more angular than the females.  The legs are very short (better suited to climbing than hopping) with large disks on the fingers and toes
• Coloration is a bright golden-orange color, sometimes with flashes of red on the inside of the hind legs.  The eyes are black.  Males have a lighter-colored stomach than females
• Bright coloration is indicative of having highly toxic skin secretions, serves as a warning color.  Natural predators which seem to be resistant to the toxin are certain snakes and lizards
• Two subspecies - M. a. mylotimpanum, which has black spots over the ears, and M. a. aurantiaca, which does not
• Major threats are illegal collection for the pet trade, loss of habitat through deforestation, and the introduction of non-native predators