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AmphibianTerrestrialIntermediate
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Mahanoro Digging Frog
Plethodontohyla notosticta
A specialized microhylid frog (3.8 cm) native to Eastern Madagascar (Humid coastal belt). Characterized by its semi-arboreal habits and fingertips adapted for climbing and fossorial, leaf-litter dwelling habits.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Microhylidae
Subfamily:Cophylinae
Genus:Plethodontohyla
Species:Plethodontohyla notosticta
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
75 - 90 %
Day temperature
25 °C
Night temperature
21 °C
Ambient temperature
25 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to Eastern Madagascar (Humid coastal belt). It primarily occurs in lowland rainforests along the eastern coast, frequently associated with hollow trees. It lives mostly concealed within leaf litter or burrowed inside moist soils.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belongs to the Microhylidae family, genus Plethodontohyla. This group consists of narrow-mouthed frogs highly adapted to specific fossorial or semi-arboreal microhabitats.
Behavior and Habits: Primarily nocturnal and secretive. It spends the daytime hours buried under the substrate or hidden beneath leaf litter, emerging to forage and breed during heavy seasonal rains.
Morphology: Features a plump, rounded body reaching about 3.8 cm. Skin texture ranges from smooth to warty with cryptic colors. Males are smaller than females and exhibit distinct vocal sacs during the breeding season.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Provide a horizontal terrarium with a deep (10-15 cm) layer of loose, damp substrate such as coconut fiber and sterile peat moss. Add cork bark hides, dry leaves, and flat shelters to create shaded spots.
Lighting and Heating: Maintain daytime temperatures around 25.0°C and night temperatures at 21.0°C. Provide a 12-hour light cycle; a low-intensity UVB source is recommended to support general health.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain relative humidity between 75.0% and 90.0%. Mist regularly with dechlorinated water and supply a very shallow water dish to prevent drowning risks.
Feeding and Supplementation: Strictly insectivorous. Offer gutloaded crickets, roaches, fruit flies, and small worms. Dust prey with high-quality calcium and vitamin D3 twice a week to support skeletal structure.
Compatibility: Best kept in a species-specific setup. Small groups of similar size can cohabitate, avoiding competition or accidental cannibalism.
Health and Common Diseases: Highly susceptible to bacterial skin infections (red leg disease) if ventilation is poor or the substrate is soiled. Regularly check skin condition and hydration levels.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to Eastern Madagascar (Humid coastal belt). It primarily occurs in lowland rainforests along the eastern coast, frequently associated with hollow trees. It lives mostly concealed within leaf litter or burrowed inside moist soils.
Origin
Africa and Madagascar
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 4.2 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Toxicity
- No verified data available
- Life stage
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 4.2 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 4.2 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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