''Heterixalus boettgeri'' is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

in the family

Hyperoliidae The Hyperoliidae, or sedge frogs and bush frogs, are a large family of small to medium-sized, brightly colored frogs which contain more than 250 species in 19 genera. Seventeen genera are native to sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the monotypic g ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

and occurs in the extreme southeastern and southern parts of the island. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''boettgeri'' honours

Oskar Boettger Oskar Boettger (; 31 March 1844 – 25 September 1910) was a German zoologist who was a native of Frankfurt am Main. He was an uncle of the noted malacologist Caesar Rudolf Boettger (1888–1976). From 1863 to 1866 he studied at the Bergakademie ...

, a German zoologist. Common name Boettger's reed frog has been coined for it.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females or even in snout–vent length. The tympanum is distinct but small (¼ of the eye diameter). The dorsum is uniformly greenish, or more yellowish in males. Juveniles have light dorsolateral bands that are not present in adults. The thighs, ventral surface of limbs, hands, and feet are orange. The venter is creamish. The

tadpole A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the Larva, larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully Aquatic animal, aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial animal, ...

s grow to at least in total length ( Gosner stage 40), of which the body makes up about one third.

Habitat and conservation

This species occurs in a range of habitats at elevations below asl: dry forests, rainforest edges, littoral forests immediately behind sand dunes, deforested areas, croplands, as well as villages and urban areas. Males call after rainfall at night in sun-exposed swamps and rice-fields. It is a locally common and adaptable species that is unlikely to face major threats. It is found in low number in the international pet trade. It occurs in some protected areas ( Cape Sainte Marie Special Reserve, Mandena Classified Forest), possibly including the

Andohahela National Park The Andohahela National Park is situated in Anosy in the south-east of Madagascar. It is remarkable for the extremes of habitats that are represented within it. The park covers of the Anosy mountain range, the southernmost spur of the Malagasy H ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2246291 boettgeri Endemic frogs of Madagascar Taxa named by François Mocquard Amphibians described in 1902 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot