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AmphibianTerrestrialIntermediate
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Boribory rain frog
Scaphiophryne boribory
The Boribory rain frog is a round-bodied fossorial frog native to Madagascar. It features green and brown camouflage and requires a humid forest terrarium with a deep substrate.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Microhylidae
Subfamily:Scaphiophryninae
Genus:Scaphiophryne
Species:Scaphiophryne boribory
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
65 - 85 %
Day temperature
24 °C
Night temperature
18 - 20 °C
Ambient temperature
24 °C
Brumation temperature
12 - 15 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat:
Scaphiophryne boribory is an amphibian endemic to central-eastern Madagascar. Its natural habitat consists primarily of humid primary rainforests, degraded secondary forests, and swampy areas adjacent to wooded zones at elevations between 800 and 1100 meters above sea level. It lives mainly in the damp leaf litter of the forest floor, hiding under decaying foliage or burrowing into the moist soil during the day.
Taxonomy and Genetics:
Belonging to the family Microhylidae and the subfamily Scaphiophryninae, the species name "boribory" translates to "round" or "globular" in the Malagasy language, reflecting its distinct body shape. The genetic diversity within Scaphiophryne is of evolutionary interest, as these frogs exhibit unique adaptations for a burrowing lifestyle within Madagascarian forest ecosystems.
Behavior and Habits:
This frog is a secretive, fossorial species that is active mainly during crepuscular and nocturnal hours or after heavy rainfalls. It spends most of the day completely buried in the soft substrate or hidden beneath cork bark pieces, leaving only its eyes exposed. During the rainy season, males gather around temporary pools to call and breed.
Morphology:
It features a highly globular, spherical, and robust body with relatively short but strong limbs adapted for digging. The skin has a finely granular texture. Its dorsal coloration is camouflaged, showing a pattern of bright green blotches on a brown or grayish background that mimics moss and decaying leaves. Adults reach a snout-vent length of 5-6 centimeters.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup:
Requires a horizontally oriented terrarium of at least 60x40x40 cm for a pair. The most critical requirement is a deep substrate layer (at least 8-10 cm) of damp coconut fiber, peat, and sphagnum moss to allow the frogs to burrow completely. Furnish the enclosure with flat pieces of cork bark for shelter and sturdy live plants like Pothos.
Lighting and Heating:
Requires moderate temperatures to prevent heat stress: between 22°C and 25°C during the day, with a nighttime drop to 18-20°C. Avoid temperatures exceeding 28°C. Heating can be provided by a thermostatically controlled heat mat placed on the side of the tank. A low-output 2.0% UVB bulb for 8-10 hours a day is recommended.
Humidity and Hydration:
Relative humidity must be kept high, between 70% and 90%, by misting the terrarium once or twice daily with dechlorinated water. The substrate should be kept moist but never waterlogged to prevent skin infections. A shallow, clean water dish must be provided, with water changed daily using chlorine-free water.
Feeding and Supplementation:
A voracious insectivore. The diet should consist of various live insects of appropriate size, such as crickets, roaches (Dubia), mealworms, and silkworms. Dust prey items with pure calcium at every feeding, and with a calcium + vitamin D3 supplement twice a week to prevent Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) and support development.
Compatibility:
Should be kept individually or in same-sized pairs. Due to its fossorial nature and calm temperament, do not house with other amphibian or reptile species to prevent food competition and pathogen transmission. Avoid using sharp rocks or decorations that could damage their highly sensitive skin.
Health and Common Diseases:
Susceptible to bacterial and fungal skin infections if the substrate is kept too wet and dirty. Spot-cleaning waste and partially replacing the substrate regularly are vital. Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) is also a significant risk if proper calcium supplementation or UVB lighting is neglected.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Scaphiophryne boribory is an amphibian endemic to central-eastern Madagascar. Its natural habitat consists primarily of humid primary rainforests, degraded secondary forests, and swampy areas adjacent to wooded zones at elevations between 800 and 1100 meters above sea level. It lives mainly in the damp leaf litter of the forest floor, hiding under decaying foliage or burrowing into the moist soil during the day.
Origin
Africa and Madagascar
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 5.98 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 5.98 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 5.98 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.
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Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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