Troy's Mantella Species Page

Troy's Mantella Species Page

Version: 1.0

Last Updated: April 27, 2004

This page was created out of a need by myself for a quick reference on the Internet where I could see all the current recognized species of Mantella frogs. A lot of information on the Internet about this species of frogs is either out-of-date or horribly inaccurate. 99% of everything on this page was found through travels on the Internet. This page is intended for the individual that already knows what Mantellas are and is just looking for a quick reference to the various species. Please note I am not actively updating this page.

The pictures that appear below I had collected over the last six months, so unfortunately I have no information on where they originally came from. In turn, please be aware of this and don't sue me since this is just for informational/educational purposes! I tried keeping things very brief; for more descriptions and geographic regions where Mantellas can be found I highly recommend the book, Mantellas, by Marc Staniszewski.

For information on the care and husbandry of Mantellas there are plenty of other web sites that describe the intricacies in far greater detail than I ever could. I personally keep crocea, madagascariensis, and viridis in addition to various poison dart frogs. For any corrections, suggestions, or additional information you'd like to add, you can e-mail me by clicking here.

Taxonomy

Genus Species	Common Name	Pictures	Comments
M. aurantiaca	Golden Mantella, Ruby Mantella		There is a sub-classification for this species, for the red variety, called aurantiaca rubra.
M. baroni*	Painted Mantella, Malagasy Mantella		Often confused with madagascariensis, baroni usually has more organized/larger markings on their rear legs than madagascariensis. Color alone should not be used as an indicator.
M. bernhardi	Bernhard's Mantella		One of the more unusual types of Mantellas. All have the blackish brown bodies with yellow and red hind legs.
M. betsileo	Brown Mantella		Similar in markings to viridis and expectata, but its head is brown instead of yellow with darker legs.
M. cowanii	Cowan's Mantella, Harlequin Mantella, Halloween Mantella		One of the more attractive Mantellas and easy to identify.
M. crocea	Yellow Mantella		The smallest Mantella, this species can come in all colors from yellow, to lime green, to it's most often seen color of a duller copper-orange color.
M. expectata	Blue-Legged Mantella		One of most beautiful Mantellas, very similar in appearance and size to viridis. Its legs can range in color from dark blue-purplish to the rarer bright blue.
M. haraldmeieri	Haraldmeier's Mantella		One of the more interesting species, rarely seen in the pet trade, beautiful markings of gray, brown and black.
M. laevigata	Arboreal Mantella, Climbing Mantella		Similar to viridis and expectata with head usually more green, and legs are the same color as the sides and lower back.
M. madagascariensis	Madagascar Mantella, Painted Mantella		Very colorful in appearance and can look almost identical to baroni. "Usually" stripe above eye is longer and thinner than baroni and "usually" more colorful (green sides, red legs).
M. manery	Marojezy mantella?		The newest species formally identified, looks very similar to laevigata and found so far only in the Marojezy mountains of Madagascar.
M. milotympanum	Black-eared Mantella		Usually orange to red in color, similar to aurantiaca in shape and size, but also can be found in greenish-yellow as seen here.
M. nigricans	none		Always found green in color. Sometimes mis-labeled as pulchra. Just now showing up in the hobby.
M. pulchra	Parker's Mantella, Splendid Mantella		Similar type of markings to madagascariensis and baroni always dull in color so usually not seen in pet trade.
M. viridis	Green Mantella		One of the largest species, head and back are yellow, sides can be yellow-green to reddish color.

Notes

* Occasionally one will read M. loppei listed as a species or Mantella sub-species. This is not a true classification and should never be used (often given to variegated madagascariensis or baroni). Sometimes the term "blushing mantella" will come up. It's my understanding and personal inference that these frogs are hybrids of expectata bred with some other species of Mantella.

Also, one will note I put the common name of Painted Mantella beside both M. baroni and M. madagascariensis this is just due to the hard nature of telling the two species apart, both are called by the common name, Painted Mantella.