# Mantellas Use Airborn Chemicals to Communicate!



## findi (Jun 4, 2010)

Hi all,

Mantellas have been found to communicate vie airborns pheromones; the only amphibians known to do so. Interesting new chemicals involved:

First Airborne Amphibian Pheromone | Chemical & Engineering News

Enjoy, Frank


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Frank,

Olfactory communication (and territorial detection) has been hypothesized and indirectly thought to occur in anurans for quite awhile see for example http://justinyeager.org/papers/SmellOfSuccess.pdf with the review of the prior articles on it. 

Ed


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## a1pha (Nov 9, 2011)

Interesting 

Sent using Tapatalk


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## sahona (Jan 10, 2010)

the species tested wasn't a _*Mantella*_, as you can see in the photo. It was a species from the *Mantidactylus betsileanus* complex


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## winstonamc (Mar 19, 2007)

well that was the first and last time i read an article on chemical and engineering news

(no offense to chemists and engineers among us)


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## dom (Sep 23, 2007)

winstonamc said:


> well that was the first and last time i read an article on chemical and engineering news
> 
> (no offense to chemists and engineers among us)


Why would you say that? The article did not say mantella that was the OP mistake. I read the magazine every week and it has great articles if you are interested in chemistry.



findi said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Mantellas have been found to communicate vie airborns pheromones; the only amphibians known to do so. Interesting new chemicals involved:
> 
> ...





sahona said:


> the species tested wasn't a _*Mantella*_, as you can see in the photo. It was a species from the *Mantidactylus betsileanus* complex


The article never once says its using *Mantella* but instead uses *Mantellidae * which is a family of anurans found only in Madagascar and would encompass Mantella, and Mantidactylus betsileanus.


taken from the photo "Researchers discovered that *Mantellidae* frogs use two new airborne pheromones, 8-methyl-2-nonanol and phoracantholide J, which are made in their femoral glands. Some also produce a previously unreported natural product called gephyromantolide A."

AmphibiaWeb - Mantellidae


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## winstonamc (Mar 19, 2007)

dom said:


> Why would you say that? The article did not say mantella that was the OP mistake.


Sorry, that was a joke about the publication not the post; just can't imagine why I would ever be reading that again (that's assuming that a chemical and engineering publication doesn't develop an abiding affection for amphibians in the future)


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