Malagasy painted mantella

Mantella madagascariensis

The Malagasy painted mantella does not just use its striking colouring to warn off predators: this little frog stores toxic alkaloids from its diet, making itself inedible.

Red List

Vulnerable

The striking colouring of the Malagasy painted mantella serves as a warning signal to predators, alerting them to the frog’s toxicity. However, it is also thought that the striking colouring plays an important role in mate selection, with bright colours being preferred.

The Malagasy painted mantella exhibits an unusual form of mating embrace (amplexus), in which the male places the underside of his thighs on the female’s head. This allows the sperm to travel along the female’s back to the laid eggs.

This Malagasy painted mantella is often confused with Mantella baroni and Mantella pulchra, two other species in the Mantellidae family.