Mantellidae
The Mantellidae are an amphibian family of the order Anura, and are endemic to the Indian Ocean islands of Madagascar and Mayotte. At first glance, the diminutive, brightly-coloured mantellas appear visually similar to the Latin American poison dart frogs, such as Dendrobates, Oophaga and Phyllobates, among others.
Systematics
The family Mantellidae is composed of three extremely diverse groups of frogs, across three subfamilies: the Mantellinae are typically terrestrial or semi-aquatic frogs, the Laliostominae are terrestrial, fairly large frogs, and the Boophinae are arboreal tree frogs, sharing far more physical and behavioral characteristics with true tree frogs than the tiny mantellids.Apart from the genera assigned to the three subfamilies, the actual placement of Tsingymantis is still uncertain.
As of 22 September 2022, at least 237 species are recognized in this family. DNA barcoding research has shown, however, that more than 100 distinct genetic lineages remain taxonomically undescribed.
Evolution and island biogeography
The Mantellidae are Madagascar's most diverse frog family. It has been shown that there is a negative correlation between body size and species diversity in this family, which is probably related to the lower dispersal potential of smaller animals. This family is estimated to have colonized the island of Madagascar 76–87 million years ago. They are phylogenetically nested within Asian frogs, and therefore probably represent a dispersal event from Asia.Two undescribed species of mantellid frogs are currently resident on the island of Mayotte, off Madagascar's west coast. These species belong to two genera that are otherwise exclusively endemic to Madagascar.