Authors

Discussion

Madagascar is known for its remarkable biodiversity and is ranked among the world’s top three biodiversity hotspots. Regarding amphibian diversity Madagascar has a near 100% endemicity and with an excess of 400 known frog species, is ranked twelfth on a global scale. All amphibians on the island are endemic except two invasives namely Hoplobatrachus tigerinus and Duttaphrynus melanostictus. It is not just Madagascar’s amphibian diversity that is so unique, but these frogs serve as host for a vast diversity of equally endemic and unique parasites. This high biodiversity and endemicity can be ascribed to the islands long geographic isolation, where biota evolved in isolation for an extended period of time One such group of parasites for which very little is known is the monogenetic flatworms belonging to the Polystomatidae. Very little is known abought Madagascar’s anuran polystome diversity since only 86 frog species have been screened and only fow a few accessible sites. Frog polystomes from Madagascar are represented by three genera with Kankana and Madapolystoma endemic to the island and Metapolystoma also known from Africa. With the vast diversity of anuran species and unexplored areas it is estimated that a large number of polystome species from Madagascar still awaits discovery.