SYSTEMATIC RELATIONSHIPS OF THE MANTELLINAE LAURENT 1946 (ANURA-RANOIDEA)

Different opinions exist about mantelline relationships. Major causes are differences in observations on tarsals and car-pals, and the fact that no consensus has been reached concerning the systematics of the other ranoid frogs, so making it difficult to determine the polarity of character states. Therefore a series of osteological characters was investigated in several ranoids, especially in the Mantellinae, and a cladogram of the ''firmisternal'' frogs was constructed. This cladogram splits into two main branches; the Microhyloidea containing the Sooglossidae, Dendrobatidae, Microhylidae and Hemisotidae (including the Brevicipitinae) and the Ranoidea comprising the Arthroleptidae, Hyperoliidae and Ranidae, including the Mantellinae and Rhacophorinae. With the arthroleptid-hyperoliid lineage as outgroup, the cladogram of the Ranidae shows a stepwise increase of derived features, each step being represented by a subfamily. These features, plus the intercalary element are shared by the monophyletic Mantellinae and Rhacophorinae. Therefore both are regarded as ranid subfamilies. As a result the Ranidae contains the Raninae, Cacosterninae, Nyctibatrachinae (new subfamily), Petropedetinae, Indiraninae (new subfamily), Mantellinae and Rhacophorinae.