My Mantella Collection.

[TylototritonGuy]

Hi everyone,

Thought I would post up a few of my Madagascan Mantella collection

Out of all the species I have kept over the years, Mantella have always been my favourite!! (If my user name didn't give that away lol)

Firstly, here are some snaps of my Golden Mantella (Mantella aurantiaca) which if you don't know anything about Mantella, are the most widely kept species from the genus.

Golden Mantella
Nomenclature: Mantella aurantiaca
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Country of Origin: Eastern-central Madagascar.

Information: This species is 1 of 16 species in the Mantella genus all of which use Aposematism as a defence mechanism. Aposematism basically derives from the Greek words that mean "Warning Colours" a defence which has made another family of frogs famous, the Dendrobatidae family (Poison Dart Frogs). Like the rest of the Mantella genus, it is completely terrestrial and is not a fantastic swimmer, but will be found in and around swamp-like and Marshland areas where it will also remain to breed.

It is one of the most endangered (listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List) out of the entire genus and can only be found in a few select places in Eastern-central Madagascar, two places are in the Torotorofotsy Marshlands and the Andromena Forest regions. However, even though it is one of the rarest and most at risk of extinction, it is also one of the most over bred species in captivity being both popular in Zoological collections and the Private Pet Trade.

© 2013 (These are copyrighted photographs, please ask permission before using)

Shall upload more of another species in the next post, as I don't think you can fit too many photos onto one post? lol

Thank you for reading and looking at my photos!!

TG

© 2013 - These are my own photographs so please don't use them without my permission.

 

[TylototritonGuy]

My Mantella Collection - Brown Leaf Mantella (M.betsileo

Secondly here are my Brown Leaf Mantella (Mantella betsileo) individuals which are quite the prolific breeders! lol

Brown Leaf Mantella
Nomenclature: Mantella betsileo
IUCN Red List: Least Concern
Country of Origin: Western to Central Madagascar.

Information: This species is 1 of 16 species in the Mantella genus all of which use Aposematism as a defence mechanism. Aposematism basically derives from the Greek words that mean "Warning Colours" a defence which has made another family of frogs famous, the Dendrobatidae family (Poison Dart Frogs). Like the rest of the Mantella genus, it is completely terrestrial and is not a fantastic swimmer, but will be found in and around swampy areas where it will also remain to breed. It's a shy member of the genus, unlike some Mantella species that are more bold and will venture out into the open.

It is one of the most common members of the entire genus and this species is widely distributed in western and southwestern Madagascar, with recent records from Isalo and from the central plateau near Antsirabe. It is a highly adaptable species with little habitat-related threats, though it is believed that Slash and Burn farming and over grazing from live-stock has some major impacts to their decline. However, over collecting for commercial and private purposes is a potential threat to the species (like most of the genus), but doesn't have any apparent or drastic effects.

© 2013 (These are copyrighted photographs, please ask permission before using

Above is some spawn I got from my newest pair out of the Quad.

Shall upload some more in my next post!

Thank you for reading and looking at my photos!!

TG


© 2013 - These are my own photographs so please don't use them without my permission.

 

[TylototritonGuy]

My Mantella Collection - Blue-legged Mantella (M.expectata)

Here is my pair of Blue-legged Mantella (Mantella expectata) which aren't very blue I will admit but they still have a lot of growing to do!! I have another 10 unknown sex individuals arriving in the next week or so

Blue Legged Mantella
Nomenclature: Mantella expectata
1.1.0
IUCN Red List: Endangered
Country of Origin: Isalo Massif, Grotte des Portugais, Amparambatomavo, Ambatovaky, Sakavato, Toliara, Morondava region and Mandena in Madagascar.

Information: This species is 1 of 16 species in the Mantella genus all of which use Aposematism as a defence mechanism. Aposematism basically derives from the Greek words that mean "Warning Colours" a defence which has made another family of frogs famous, the Dendrobatidae family (Poison Dart Frogs). Like the rest of the Mantella genus, it is completely terrestrial and is not a fantastic swimmer, but will be found in and around swampy areas where it will also remain to breed.

It is one of the most uncommon members of the entire genus and this species is only found in a small distribution range in South-eastern Madagascar, including a fragmented distributed range within the Isalo massif (The same area as the Scaphiophryne gottlebei species). It's mainly threatened by the decline of its forest habitat due to subsistence agriculture, timber extraction, charcoal manufacture, invasive spread of eucalyptus, livestock grazing and expanding human settlements. However, over collecting for commercial and private purposes is a potential threat to the species (like most of the genus), but doesn't have any apparent or drastic effects.

© 2013 (These are copyrighted photographs, please ask permission before using

Some upload some photos of the new 10 individuals when I get them!!

Next up, my Yellow Mantella (Mantella crocea) individuals!

Thank you for reading and looking at my photographs!!

TG


© 2013 - These are my own photographs so please don't use them without my permission.

 

[TylototritonGuy]

My Mantella Collection - Yellow Mantella (M.crocea)

Here are my Yellow Mantella (Mantella crocea) individuals which are pretty bold I must admit lol

Yellow Mantella
Nomenclature: Mantella crocea
IUCN Red List: Endangered
Country of Origin: Eastern-Central Madagascar.

Information: This species is 1 of 16 species in the Mantella genus all of which use Aposematism as a defence mechanism. Aposematism basically derives from the Greek words that mean "Warning Colours" a defence which has made another family of frogs famous, the Dendrobatidae family (Poison Dart Frogs). Like the rest of the Mantella genus, it is completely terrestrial and is not a fantastic swimmer, but will be found in and around swampy areas where it will also remain to breed.

It is classed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and can only be found in Eastern-central Madagascar, from a few localities covering a very small area including; Ifoha west of Parc National de Mantadia, a forest area east of Ambohimanarivo and outside the Réserve Naturelle Intégrale de Zahamena. This species is (like most of Madagascar's Wildlife) mainly threatened by Habitat-loss through Agricultural expansion from Crop planting and livestock grazing land, Expansion of Human Settlements and Logging for Timber. It is believed to be mildly threatened by Collection for the Pet Trade, however this hasn't shown any signs of a lasting or drastic effect to their decline.

© 2013 (These are copyrighted photographs, please ask permission before using

Thank you for reading and looking at my photographs!!

TG


© 2013 - These are my own photographs so please don't use them without my permission.

 

[TylototritonGuy]

My Mantella Collection - Green Mantella (M.viridis)

Here are some photos of my Green Mantella (Mantella viridis) which are possibly one of my favourite species within the genus! lol They are definitely incredibly beautiful.

Green Mantella
Nomenclature: Mantella viridis
IUCN Red List: Endangered
Country of Origin: Top-Northern Madagascar.

Information: This species is 1 of 16 species in the Mantella genus all of which use Aposematism as a defence mechanism. Aposematism basically derives from the Greek words that mean "Warning Colours" a defence which has made another family of frogs famous, the Dendrobatidae family (Poison Dart Frogs).

It is one of the most endangered out of the entire genus and can only be found in a few select places in Top-Northern Madagascar, in the Fôret d’Ambre Special Reserve, Montagne des Français, Antogombato, Andranotsymaty, Antsahampano, Ivovona, Anjiabe, Andoajampoana, Mangoaka, Antsiranana, Ankitsakalaninaombi, Daraina, Mahavavona, Joffreville, Francom and the island of Nosy Hara. It is one of the rarest and most at risk of extinction and one of the least kept species in the genus.

© 2013 (These are copyrighted photographs, please ask permission before using

Above is some spawn I got from them, there was a bit of Guarding too

Shall upload some more in my next post!

Thank you for reading and looking at my photos!!

TG

© 2013 - These are my own photographs so please don't use them without my permission.

 

[TylototritonGuy]

My Mantella Collection - Aboreal Mantella (M.laevigata)

Here is my pair of Arboreal or Climbing Mantella (Mantella laevigata) that are pretty much my most secretive animal in my entire collection (Even my Scaphiophyrne species come out more than these guys lol)

Arboreal Mantella
Nomenclature: Mantella laevigata
IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
Country of Origin: Ambavala, Ambodimanga (Mananara), Folohy, Marojejy, Nosy Mangabe, Tsararano in Madagascar.

Information: This species is 1 of 16 species in the Mantella genus all of which use Aposematism as a defence mechanism. Aposematism basically derives from the Greek words that mean "Warning Colours" a defence which has made another family of frogs famous, the Dendrobatidae family (Poison Dart Frogs). This species is probably one of the oddest within the entire genus, being completely unique and showing a few similarities to the Oophaga genus of Central America. Just like the Oophaga (Greek for "Egg-eater") genus they provide their offspring with an infertile egg to feed upon, they are also more arboreal than other members of the Mantella genus which is quite a lot like their Dendrobatidae (Poison Dart Frogs) counterparts. It's a shy member of the genus, unlike some Mantella species that are more bold and will venture out into the open.

It is one of the most common members of the entire genus and this species is widely distributed in North-eastern Madagascar, with recent records from Marojejy south to Folohy. It's mainly threatened by the decline of its forest habitat due to subsistence agriculture, timber extraction, charcoal manufacture, invasive spread of eucalyptus, livestock grazing and expanding human settlements. However, over collecting for commercial and private purposes is a potential threat to the species (like most of the genus), but doesn't have any apparent or drastic effects.

© 2013 (These are copyrighted photographs, please ask permission before using

Excuse the lack of photos for this species, I hardly get to see them!!

Thank you for reading and looking at my photos!!

TG

© 2013 - These are my own photographs so please don't use them without my permission.

 

[velasco13000]

where do you keep these guys?? do you have pictures of their enclosure? I have a huge empty exo terra tank and i want to make a vivarium but i need help..dont know where to begin ...any pictures or suggestions?

 

[TylototritonGuy]

where do you keep these guys?? do you have pictures of their enclosure? I have a huge empty exo terra tank and i want to make a vivarium but i need help..dont know where to begin ...any pictures or suggestions?

I struggle but I keep them in my Amphibian room that's STILL in the process of revamping! lol I shall upload some photos of their enclosures for you, I think I might have a photo of the M.betsileo enclosure somewhere and me making it, I shall get them up for you! Anything you want to know just ask

 

[grius]

Nice frogs and great pictures!

 

[TylototritonGuy]

My Mantella Collection - Mantella betsileo Terrarium

Nice frogs and great pictures!

Thank you buddy I must admit I am rather Proud of my Mantella collection!!

do you have pictures of their enclosure?

I have a photo I just uploaded for you, velasco lol

This is a terrarium that I was given to me for free, it was in really bad condition as it had simply been let and not used at all! :/ So I left it for a few years and let all the plants grow in it, then I decided it was time to do it up properly and use it temporarily until my E.N.T's were completed lol
As you can see below, it was really run down and it had loads of gaps in the background where it wasn't down properly!

So I added a little bit of Expanding foam and some new bits of wood! lol

And this is the out-come for the Mantella betsileo terrarium. Not to much like there natural habitat but they are thriving in it hence the Spawn! lol

I have a thread somewhere on how to make a natural planted terrarium, I shall find it for you!

 

[velasco13000]

thank you sooo much I really appreciate it i have a huge exo tank that i want to set up ..I have been looking at several threads on how to make one...did you find that thread for me? your tank looks awesome though!!! btw what kind of temperature do you keep the frogs at?

 

[KrisztianNemeth]

Wow amazing frogs!
How on earth do you find spawn in that sort of a setup with out digging up everything?

 

[TylototritonGuy]

thank you sooo much I really appreciate it i have a huge exo tank that i want to set up ..I have been looking at several threads on how to make one...did you find that thread for me? your tank looks awesome though!!! btw what kind of temperature do you keep the frogs at?

How To Make A Live Planted Terrarium - Basic

Here is my old thread, the photos have disappeared as I ran out of space for my animal photos so until I sort out a Flickr or Photobucket account you shall have to simply imagine what I am on about buddy!!

 

[TylototritonGuy]

Wow amazing frogs!
How on earth do you find spawn in that sort of a setup with out digging up everything?

Thank you muchly!
Haha well, all my planted terrariums are planned out to make certain areas of the enclosure more suited for their needs of spawning etc. For instance, that M.betsileo enclosure has a huge gully/dip in the substrate which represents a swampy seasonal pool They laid near it so it was easy to remove!
I have in the past just left spawn in the enclosure to leave them to their own devices but I changed that more recently

 

[TristanClark]

Nice mantellas! makes me wanna use my big empty exo terra tank and fill it up with mantellas haha the gold ones are really cool.

 

[TylototritonGuy]

Nice Mantella! makes me wanna use my big empty exo terra tank and fill it up with Mantella haha the gold ones are really cool.

Thank you very much, Well I would suggest you attempt (if you haven't already) to keep Dendrobatidae (Poison Dart Frogs) before you keep Mantella just to gain experience at keeping a species/animal at higher temperatures. As Mantella are the complete opposite and require lower Temperatures of approximately 18-23'c (There are one or two species that can be kept slightly warmer at 25-28'c such as M.betsileo, M.ebenaui and M.expectata) with species such as M.aurantiaca and M.crocea requiring temperatures around 16-23'c. That doesn't mean they are not simple to keep though, I prefer them by far over Dendrobatidae species, I have been keeping various Mantella since a young age but had a time period where I solely kept Dendrobatidae and must admit, Dendrobatidae are boring in comparison! lmao!

Thanks

P.S - Mantella doesn't require the 'S' at the end to make it plural

 

[KrisztianNemeth]

Im thinking of getting some blue legged and climbing mantella but is it possible to get unrelated pairs? And is it worth breeding them?

 

[TylototritonGuy]

Im thinking of getting some blue legged and climbing mantella but is it possible to get unrelated pairs? And is it worth breeding them?

The Blue-legged Mantella (Mantella expectata) is harder to breed than some of the genus and Arboreal/Climbing Mantella (Mantella expectata) aren't as bad but are just a little more difficult to breed than others lol Breeding is worthwhile, especially with the M.laevigata as they share similarities to the Oophaga pumilio species of the Neotropics which is very unusual and interesting to see in a Malagasy species.

You can find a lot of CB and WC M.expectata around in the UK which are potentially unrelated specimens but the M.laevigata mostly come from one chap, Marc Staniszewski who is the owner of Dartfrog.co.uk and the discoverer of Mantella milotympanum. I am not sure if he has several breeding pairs or not of the M.laevigata but he might do, but not many people breed this species openly.

I would suggest however that you start with the more 'common' species first which is the Golden Mantella (Mantella aurantiaca) rather than one of the harder species. These are prolific breeders and regardless of requiring lower temperatures or 18-23'c, they are a lot easier to keep and breed! (At the end of the day though everything is easy if you research it enough lol)

 

[KrisztianNemeth]

The Blue-legged Mantella (Mantella expectata) is harder to breed than some of the genus and Arboreal/Climbing Mantella (Mantella expectata) aren't as bad but are just a little more difficult to breed than others lol Breeding is worthwhile, especially with the M.laevigata as they share similarities to the Oophaga pumilio species of the Neotropics which is very unusual and interesting to see in a Malagasy species.

You can find a lot of CB and WC M.expectata around in the UK which are potentially unrelated specimens but the M.laevigata mostly come from one chap, Marc Staniszewski who is the owner of Dartfrog.co.uk and the discoverer of Mantella milotympanum. I am not sure if he has several breeding pairs or not of the M.laevigata but he might do, but not many people breed this species openly.

I would suggest however that you start with the more 'common' species first which is the Golden Mantella (Mantella aurantiaca) rather than one of the harder species. These are prolific breeders and regardless of requiring lower temperatures or 18-23'c, they are a lot easier to keep and breed! (At the end of the day though everything is easy if you research it enough lol)

I have been keeping aurantiaca for more than a year now And thanks for the info! Could we see some more of your setups by any chance?

 

[TylototritonGuy]

I have been keeping aurantiaca for more than a year now And thanks for the info! Could we see some more of your setups by any chance?

Ahhh well you never said Have you bred this species yet or simply kept them? Like I said this is really the first species to breed as they are the most prolific lol And no worries anything you want to know I can happily answer! And I shall photograph them when I am next home in 2 weeks time, but in all honesty you might aswell wait for my E.N.T's to be finished as they will be more like their natural habitats!