About
Guilbemantis diphonus is only known from two male individual specimens, originally found in the Manomba Special Reserve in Madagascar, where it is endemic.
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. Very little is known about the ecology of this species due to the lack of specimens found. A major threat to this species is that there is very little remaining littoral forest in southeast Madagascar, all of which are subject to ongoing deforestation for timber and charcoal production, subsistence agriculture, livestock grazing, regular burning to maintain cattle pasture and expanding human settlements. The Manomba Special Reserve is reasonably well protected but is already quite degraded. It is along a major road and heavily impacted by cyclones which have destroyed a large part of the remaining forest in the reserve.
- Order: Anura
- Family: Mantellidae
- Population: Rare
- Trend: decreasing
- Size: 33.5mm
EDGE Score
Distribution
This species is only known from where it was originally found in Manombo Special Reserve, 50 metres above sea level in south-eastern Madagascar.
Habitat and Ecology
Specimens were found in low vegetation, along a small, shallow stream within a disturbed area of low altitude, littoral forest.