We describe a new species of mantellid frog from high elevations at Mount Maharira, Ranomafana National Park, in Madagascar. Gephyromantis runewsweeki, spec. nov., is assigned to the Gephyromantis boulengeri group based on its small size, paired subgular vocal sacs, externally fused lateral metatarsalia, and diurnal emission of advertisement calls independent from water bodies. The new species has only faint morphological differences to other, sympatric species of the group such as G. enki and G. blanci but differs in advertisement calls, which consist of a continuous series of cricket-like notes, arranged in note groups of 2-4; additionally, the new species shows a substantial genetic differentiation in a fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene to all other species in the G. boulengeri group. The characteristic calls of the new species have so far not been recorded from other sites in Madagascar, highlighting a possible trend of local endemism and reduced range size in the putatively direct-developing species of this group.

Peer reviewed