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Issue: Vol. 5717 No. 3: 6 Nov. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-11-06
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5717.3.5
Page range: 383-402
Abstract views: 71
PDF downloaded: 8

A new microhylid frog species of the genus Platypelis from phytotelmata of Pandanus screw pines in the Sorata massif, northeastern Madagascar

Mention Environnement, Université de l’Itasy, Faliarivo Ambohidanerana, 118 Soavinandriana Itasy, Madagascar; School for International Training, VN 41A Bis Ambohitsoa, 101 Antananarivo, Madagascar
Institut für Biochemie und Biologie, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Natural History Museum Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Friedensplatz 1, 64283 Darmstadt, Germany
Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Universität Zürich, Winterthurer Str. 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
Mention Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Université d’Antananarivo, BP 906, Antananarivo, 101 Madagascar
Zoologische Staatssammlung München (ZSM-SNSB), Münchhausenstr. 21, 81247 München, Germany
Zoologisches Institut, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 4, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
Amphibia Anura Cophylinae Platypelis integrative taxonomy museomics micro-Ct osteology

Abstract

We revise the molecular variation and taxonomy of an assemblage of lineages of endemic Malagasy cophyline microhylid frogs, previously considered to be allied to Platypelis tetra. Based on DNA sequences obtained from the P. tetra holotype via a museomics approach and further complementary DNA sequences of other specimens obtained by Sanger sequencing, we genetically characterize the species and reveal at least two additional genetic lineages associated to it. These differ by uncorrected pairwise distances of 4.4–5.0% in a fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene and require taxonomic revision in future work. A further lineage previously assigned to P. tetra differs by 16S distances of 7.1–7.8% and occupies an isolated phylogenetic position. We here formally name and describe this new species from the Sorata Massif as Platypelis efatra sp. nov. and thereby increase the number of nominal Platypelis species to 18. We provide a description of its skeleton based on a micro-computed tomography scan of a paratype, which is the first detailed osteological description of a Platypelis species, and identify some possibly diagnostic osteological differences compared to P. tetra. We furthermore provide an updated advertisement call description for P. tetra from its type locality and briefly discuss the status of a divergent population from Ambodivoangy that we tentatively assign to P. tetra pending future study.

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How to Cite

Rakotoarison, A., Petzold, A., Scherz, M.D., Crottini, A., Köhler, J., Hawlitschek, O., Ratsovaina, F.M., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. (2025) A new microhylid frog species of the genus Platypelis from phytotelmata of Pandanus screw pines in the Sorata massif, northeastern Madagascar. Zootaxa, 5717 (3), 383–402. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5717.3.5