They are popular due to their diurnal activity, attractive coloration and relative ease to keep when settled in. Care sheets are easily found for this species. On the downside, however, the golden mantella is critically endangered, and the population is decreasing. Taxonomy Etymology The species was described by the French herpetologist François Mocquard in 1900 on the basis of one a male individual 21.2 mm long. The type species was found in forests in the area between Beforana and Moramanga. The species name comes from the Latin aurantiacus meaning gold. There is a name for an unrecognized taxon M. a. rubra, which was recognized as a synonym for the golden mantel, comes from the Latin rubra, red. Convergent Evolution Convergent evolution is the similar evolution of multiple species found in different habitats. The Golden Mantella evolved on Madagascar but shares many of the same adaptations of frogs in Central and South American poisonous frogs in the Dendrobatidae family (Edmond 2020). For example, the Golden Mantella frogs and the poisonous frogs in the Dendrobatidae family share similar traits of “sequestration of poisonous skin alkaloids from prey, aposematic coloration, and comparable reproductive behaviors” (Edmonds 325). The Golden Mantella frog and the poisonous frogs in the Dendrobatidae family found in Central and South America evolved very similarly and developed almost the same traits to adapt to similar environments. References External links ARKive Golden frog (red form) photo Mantella aurantiaca - Golden Mantella Frog - Amphibian Care AmphibiaWeb: Mantella aurantiaca Amphibiancare: Golden mantella care sheet https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/golden_mantella_frog#:~:text=during%20a%20storm.-,Tadpoles%20metamorphose%20into%20frogs%20in%20approximately%20seventy%20days.,as%20many%20males%20as%20females. Mantella Endemic frogs of Madagascar Species endangered by habitat fragmentation Species endangered by subsistence agriculture Species endangered by logging for timber Species endangered by fires Species endangered by urbanization Species endangered by the pet trade Amphibians described in 1900