Gephyromantis spiniferus (Blommers-Schlösser & Blanc, 1991)

Open encyclopedia reference

Gephyromantis spiniferus is a species of frog in the family Mantellidae. It is endemic to southeastern Madagascar between Andringitra and Andohahela. Common name greater spiny Madagascar frog has been coined for it.

Gephyromantis spiniferus occurs in pristine rainforests at elevations of 600–1,000 m (2,000–3,300 ft) above sea level, particularly in association with bamboo. It lives on the forest floor. Presumably, breeding involves direct development (i.e., no free-living larval stage).

It is a rare species with a patchy distribution. It is threatened by habitat loss and degradation caused by subsistence agriculture, timber extraction, charcoal manufacture, invasive spread of eucalyptus, livestock grazing, and expanding human settlements. The fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis has been detected in Gephyromantis species, but there is so far no evidence of negative effects. This species is present in the Kalambatritra Special Reserve, Andohahela National Park, and Andringitra National Park.

Wikipedia contributors, Gephyromantis spiniferus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T16:14:50.837540+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Gephyromantis spiniferus (Blommers-Schlösser & Blanc, 1991)

Name authority

(Blommers-Schlösser & Blanc, 1991)

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Amphibia

Order

Anura

Family

Mantellidae

Genus

Gephyromantis

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classAmphibia
9. orderAnura
10. familyMantellidae Laurent, 1946
11. subfamilyMantellinae Laurent, 1946
12. genusGephyromantis Methuen, 1920
13. speciesGephyromantis spiniferus (Blommers-Schlösser & Blanc, 1991)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Gephyromantis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 210 records assigned to Mantellidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=774779 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:6KCZP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.