Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Cowan's mantella (Mantella cowanii), recorded as Endangered
Cowan's mantella (Mantella cowanii). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Cowan's mantella

Mantella cowanii

Cowan's mantella is a frog in the family Mantellidae (order Anura) — Mantella cowanii, recorded as Endangered and tied to Madagascar.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Mantella cowanii
Recorded from
Madagascar
CITES
Appendix II
Taxonomy
Amphibia · Anura · Mantellidae · Mantella

The frog

Frogs and toads typically begin as aquatic tadpoles, though some families lay eggs on land and hatch as froglets. Skin and eggs both need moisture.

Amphibians need damp skin or water at some point in the life cycle. Habitat loss and chytrid fungus sit behind many of the badges in this class.

Range and habitat

It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Breeding

Calling males and egg sites define most frog field work. A species known from one ridge is as narrow as it sounds.

Eggs and damp skin make amphibians quick to vanish from a drained wetland or a forest stripped of litter.

In crisis

Collection for the pet trade has also been a threat.

CITES lists this taxon on Appendix II. Confirm the current appendix on the CITES checklist.

Chytrid fungus, collection, and wet-forest loss are the usual pressures on frogs with a high threat category.

Cowan's mantella is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Cowan's mantella — often a short stub, Wikidata item Q943919. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Black-eared mantella (Mantella milotympanum), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Black-eared mantella

Mantella milotympanum
Photograph of Blue-legged mantella (Mantella expectata), recorded as EndangeredEN

Blue-legged mantella

Mantella expectata
Photograph of Golden mantella (Mantella aurantiaca), recorded as EndangeredEN

Golden mantella

Mantella aurantiaca
Photograph of Green mantella (Mantella viridis), recorded as EndangeredEN

Green mantella

Mantella viridis

Quick answers

What is Cowan's mantella?
Cowan's mantella is a frog in the family Mantellidae (order Anura) — Mantella cowanii.
What is the conservation status of Cowan's mantella?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Mantella cowanii. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Cowan's mantella live?
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, and rivers.
Why is Cowan's mantella in crisis?
It is threatened by habitat loss.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Mantella cowanii?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Cowan's mantella a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.