Mantella baroni (often known by its common names, such as Baron's mantella, the variegated golden frog, or the Madagascar poison frog) is a species of small poisonous frog in the family Mantellidae. The species was first formally described by George Albert Boulenger in 1888, who penned the species' binomial after Richard Baron, an English botanist and missionary to Madagascar, who collected and studied the species. Distribution, habitat, and conservation status Like other species in Mantellidae, this taxon is endemic to Madagascar. This family is estimated to have colonized the island of Madagascar 76–87 million years ago, evolving in insular seclusion, and adaptively radiating in geographic range and number of species on the island. Mantellidae are phylogenetically related to Asiatic frogs, and therefore probably represent a dispersal event from Asia. This is one of approximately 220 frog species (including 15 in Mantella) endemic only to Madagascar. It has a moderately-large elongated geographic range in East-Central Madagascar, inland from the east coast, and spanning north to south, from Fierenana south to Andringitra. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, rivers, and degraded former forest. It typically prefers residing at elevations between 600-1200 meters above sea level. Although it has been classified as a Least Concern species by the IUCN as of 2016, due to its relatively wide distribution, population trends are technically unknown, and it may be threatened by several sources of habitat loss. These include anthropogenic encroachment from commercialization and industrialization, timber and logging operations, and agriculture. It appears in CITES Appendix II. Description Though only 28–32 mm in length at maturity, this species is one of the largest in the 16-species genus, dwarfed only by some individuals of Mantella viridis. Related Mantella species typically range from 18–31 mm in morphology for adult individuals. Mantella frogs generally exhibit sexual dimorphism, with the females (28–32 mm) of this species being slightly larger than the males (24–28 mm). This difference in size becomes prominent after approximately 10–12 months of age. Most individuals in this species display specific unique characteristics that distinguish them from other Mantella species, such as a "light rostral line above the eyes" and "tiger-like markings on the hind limbs" of "orange with irregular black stripes", as seen in the images above. However, a wide variety of phenotypes exist, which manifest in front limb colors ranging from light greens to vibrant oranges