Resolving a taxonomic and nomenclatural puzzle in mantellid frogs: synonymization of with , and description of sp. nov. from the Isalo Massif, western Madagascar.

The genus belongs to the species-rich family Mantellidae and is currently divided in six subgenera. Among these is the subgenus Phylacomantis, which currently includes four described species: , , , and . The latter three species are distributed in western Madagascar, and two of them ( and ) occur in the Isalo Massif.

Extinction risks and the conservation of Madagascar's reptiles.

Background: An understanding of the conservation status of Madagascar's endemic reptile species is needed to underpin conservation planning and priority setting in this global biodiversity hotspot, and to complement existing information on the island's mammals, birds and amphibians. We report here on the first systematic assessment of the extinction risk of endemic and native non-marine Malagasy snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises.

Methodology/principal Findings: Species range maps from The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species were analysed to determine patterns in the distribution of threatened reptile species.

The influence of riverine barriers on phylogeographic patterns of Malagasy reed frogs (Heterixalus).

We analyzed the influence of large rivers on the phylogeography of endemic widespread amphibians along Madagascar's east coast, using as models various species and species complexes of Malagasy reed frogs (Heterixalus spp.) that are specialized to either highland or lowland habitats. We assembled a dense sampling across the full species ranges and used mitochondrial (cob) as well as nuclear (Rag-1) DNA sequences to assess their phylogeographies.

A new Gephyromantis (Phylacomantis) frog species from the pinnacle karst of Bemaraha, western Madagascar.

We describe a new mantellid frog of the subfamily Mantellinae from the karstic Bemaraha Plateau, western Madagascar. The new species belongs to the genus Gephyromantis, subgenus Phylacomantis, which previously included Gephyromantis azzurrae, Gephyromantis corvus and Gephyromantis pseudoasper. Gephyromantis atsingysp.