Blommersia transmarina

There are only two known species in the Madagascar frog family that do not occur on Madagascar. These include Blommersia transmarina, which is endemic to the island of Mayotte. This frog belongs to the genus Blommersia and differs externally from the other species in the genus, particularly in terms of its size - it is clearly the largest. Nevertheless, it shares some characteristic features with its relatives. These include its breeding behavior: Unlike most frog species, the male does not clasp the female during mating. Instead, it releases its sperm onto the already laid eggs to fertilize them. In addition, the female does not lay her eggs in the water, but on leaves hanging over the water surface.
Like most frogs, Blommersia transmarina have no teeth. To hold on to their prey, they have a row of tooth-like ridges on their upper jaw. They also have two vomerine "teeth". These are two tooth-like protrusions located in the frog's palate. These prevent the prey from escaping before the frog can swallow it.
As the species was only described in 2016, not much is yet known about its life expectancy or social behavior, for example.

Distribution