2012. Review of Significant Trade - Cites

Mantella aurantiaca
Mantella aurantiaca Mocquard, 1900: Madagascar
Mantellidae, Golden Frog.
Selection for Review of Significant Trade
The genus Mantella was first selected for review at the 21 st meeting of the Animals
Committee on the basis of trade data provided in document AC21 Doc. 10.2.
Mantella aurantiaca was eliminated from this review at the 23 rd meeting of the Animals
Committee on the basis that trade was ‘of least concern’ (AC23 Doc. 8.4). However, at its
24 th meeting, the Committee expressed concern that a quota of 2500 specimens had been
established for 2009, noting that the species had been listed as Critically Endangered by the
IUCN (AC25 Doc. 9.3). Following a review of information provided by Madagascar
regarding the basis for the established quota, the Committee agreed to re-instate
M. aurantiaca into the Review of Significant Trade on 1 st March 2011 (AC25 Doc. 9.3).
A. Summary
Provisional Summary
category
Least Concern Classified as Critically Endangered. Highly localised distribution within the
Moramanga District in eastern Madagascar. Based on surveys undertaken 2004-2007,
the total population was estimated at between 4275 and 11 457 individuals. Principal
threat is habitat destruction due to mining, conversion to agriculture and
deforestation. Collection for commercial trade requires authorisation from the
relevant government authority and a quota system has been implemented based on
population studies. Trade was suspended by Madagascar between 2004 and 2008, but
export quotas were published in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Reported trade in 2009 was
within the quota, with some trade from the 2009 quota actually exported in 2010. A
five-year Species Conservation Strategy for M. aurantiaca was launched by the
Madagascar government in 2010, including habitat conservation measures and
ensuring that exploitation of the species is sustainable.
Management and conservation measures have been put in place by Madagascar, a
system of quotas is implemented, and available information suggests that the
provisions of Article IV of CITES are being met, therefore categorised as Least
Concern.
B. Species overview
Biology: Mantella aurantiaca is a small, diurnal poisonous frog (Glaw and Vences, 2007)
endemic to eastern Madagascar (Randrianavelona et al., 2010a). It is distinguished by its
unique uniform red-orange or yellow-orange dorsal colouration (Glaw and Vences, 2007).
Adults range in size from 19-24 mm, with females occasionally reaching 31 mm
(Glaw and Vences, 2007).
M. aurantiaca occurs exclusively in primary and secondary humid rainforest generally
dominated by screw pine (Pandanus) (Vences and Raxworthy, 2008) between 873 and 1054 m
above sea level (Randrianavelona et al., 2010a). The species is terrestrial and lays its eggs in
moist leaf litter on the ground, with one clutch comprising between 20 and 60 eggs.
Following a 14-day embryogenesis, the larvae are flushed by rain into small pools where
they metamorphose within approximately 70 days. Sexual maturation occurs within a year,
and generation time is short (Glaw and Vences, 1994). Woodhead et al. (2007) reported that
the species is a generalist, feeding on mites, ants, flies and collembolans.
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