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Boophis

Boophis is the only genus in the mantellid frog subfamily Boophinae. They are commonly known as bright-eyed or skeleton frogs. They show typical 'tree frog' traits, and are a good example of convergent evolution with morphologically similar species in the families Hylidae and Rhacophoridae, among others. This genus can only be found on Madagascar and Mayotte Island (Comoros).

Taxonomy

The genus Boophis was described by Johann Jakob von Tschudi in 1838. It was originally considered a member of the African-Asian family Rhacophoridae, but was moved to the family Mantellidae in 2001, into its own subfamily, Boophinae <small>Vences & Glaw, 2001</small>.

Morphology

Boophis are arboreal frogs, exhibiting many traits that define 'tree frogs', such as expanded toe discs, long hindlimbs, and large kind eyes. Boophis are especially characterised by bright colouration of the iris, which is typically intricately patterned towards its inside, and often green or blue, but occasionally also red, purple, or yellow in the outer iris area. This has led to the vernacular name of bright-eyed frogs for the genus. Many species of Boophis have almost translucent skin, allowing bones and internal organs to be observed as in the unrelated glass frogs (Centrolenidae) of the tropical Americas. This has led to the vernacular name skeleton frogs for some members of the genus.

Species

The genus has nearly 80 species; new ones are being described every few months on average. This list may not be exhaustive.

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than boophis.

References