The Challenge of Conserving Amphibian Megadiversity in Madagascar

Frogs from Madagascar constitute one of the richest groups of amphibian fauna in the world, with currently 238 described species; caecilians and salamanders are absent. Several frog radiations of the island are species-rich and parallel lemurs and tenrecs in their astonishing morphological and ecological diversity.

According to the Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA), Madagascar ranks as the country with the 12th highest amphibian species richness  (see also http://www.globalamphibians.org), but this is likely an underestimate, because an additional 182 candidate species have been identified since. Diversity is concentrated in rainforests and can locally reach over 100 species.

So far, no extinctions of amphibian species have been reported from Madagascar, and chytridiomycosis, a threat for amphibians globally, has not been detected. Of 220 species assessed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), nine are listed as Critically Endangered, 21 Endangered, and 25 Vulnerable. This proportion of 25% threatened species is higher than the per-country average of 12%, but lower than that detected globally (32%) and those in various other amphibian hot spots such as Sri Lanka (63%), Mexico (54%), Ecuador (37%), or Colombia (30%).

You can download the entire report in PDF file format HERE.

Andreone F, Carpenter AI, Cox N, du Preez L, Freeman K, et al. 2008 The Challenge of Conserving Amphibian Megadiversity in Madagascar. PLoS Biol 6(5): e118. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060118