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Morphological and ecological convergence at the lower size limit for vertebrates highlighted by five new miniaturised microhylid frog species from three different Madagascan genera Project ID: 00000C464 Public
10 Media · 10 Specimens · Managed by: Mark Scherz

Miniaturised frogs form a fascinating but poorly understood amphibian ecomorph and have been exceptionally prone to taxonomic underestimation. The subfamily Cophylinae (family Microhylidae), endemic to Madagascar, has a particularly large diversity of miniaturised species which have historically been attributed to the single genus Stumpffia largely based on their small size. Recent phylogenetic work has revealed that several independent lineages of cophyline microhylids evolved towards highly miniaturised body sizes, achieving adult snout-vent lengths under 16 mm. Here, we describe five new species belonging to three clades that independently miniaturised and that are all genetically highly divergent from their relatives: (i) a new genus (Mini gen. nov.) with three new species from southern Madagascar, (ii) one species of Rhombophryne, and (iii) one species of Anodonthyla. Mini mum sp. nov. from Manombo in eastern Madagascar is one of the smallest frogs in the world, reaching an adult body size of 9.7 mm in males and 11.3 mm in females. Mini scule sp. nov. from Sainte Luce in southeastern Madagascar is slightly larger and has maxillary teeth. Mini ature sp. nov. from Andohahela in southeast Madagascar is larger than its congeners but is similar in build. Rhombophryne proportionalis sp. nov. from Tsaratanana in northern Madagascar is unique among Madagascar’s miniaturised frogs in being a proportional dwarf, exhibiting far less advanced signs of paedomorphism than other species of similar size. Anodonthyla eximia sp. nov. from Ranomafana in eastern Madagascar is distinctly smaller than any of its congeners and is secondarily terrestrial, providing further evidence that miniaturisation and terrestriality are evolutionarily linked. The evolution of body size in Madagascar’s microhylids has been more dynamic than previously understood, and future studies will hopefully shed light on the interplay between ecology and evolution of these remarkably diverse frogs.

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  ID Part Object Taxonomy Type Date Added Publication Status  
000070630 zsm:5943/2005 Mini scule Volumetric Image Series 2019-02-22 Restricted Download  
000070629 zsm:5942/2005 Mini scule Volumetric Image Series 2019-02-22 Restricted Download  
000070628 rmnh:20172 Mini mum Volumetric Image Series 2019-02-22 Restricted Download  
000070627 zsm:862/2014 Mini mum Volumetric Image Series 2019-02-22 Restricted Download  
000070626 zsm:861/2014 Mini mum Volumetric Image Series 2019-02-22 Restricted Download  
000070625 zmb:81993 Mini mum Volumetric Image Series 2019-02-22 Restricted Download  
000070624 zmb:83194 Mini mum Volumetric Image Series 2019-02-22 Restricted Download  
000070623 zsm:1826/2010 Rhombophryne proportionalis Volumetric Image Series 2019-02-22 Restricted Download  
000070622 zsm:86/2004 Mini ature Volumetric Image Series 2019-02-22 Restricted Download  
000070621 rmnh:20246 Anodonthyla eximia Volumetric Image Series 2019-02-22 Restricted Download  
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