# Mini scule

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{{short description|Species of microhylid frog endemic to Madagascar}}
{{about|the frog|other uses|Minuscule (disambiguation)}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Speciesbox
| image             = Mini scule 02.jpg
| image_alt         = frog with bronze upperparts, brown underparts, and red eye
| image_caption     = A side view of ''Mini scule''
| taxon             = Mini scule
| authority         = Scherz ''et al.'', 2019<ref name=":0"/>
| range_map         = Known ranges of multiple species of Microhylidae described in 2019.jpg
| range_map_caption = Known range of ''Mini scule'' (orange pentagon, bottom right)
| synonyms          = ''Cophyla scule'' {{small|(Dubois ''et al.'', 2021)}}
| synonyms_ref      = <ref name=Frost/>
}}

'''''Mini scule''''' is a [species](/source/species) of [microhylid](/source/Microhylidae) frog [endemic](/source/Endemism) to [Madagascar](/source/Madagascar) that was [described](/source/species_description) in 2019. The [scientific name](/source/scientific_name) of the species refers to its size, being a pun on the word ''miniscule'' (a misspelling of ''minuscule'')<!-- As stated in Scherz et al. -->. It measures only {{Cvt|8.4|to|10.8|mm|in}} in [snout–vent length](/source/snout%E2%80%93vent_length). It has bronze [underparts](/source/underparts) with a brown groin and back of the thigh, cream [upperparts](/source/upperparts) with brown flecking, a dark brown side of the head, and a red [iris](/source/Iris_(anatomy)). It is known only from the [Sainte Luce Reserve](/source/Sainte_Luce_Reserve), where it inhabits areas with deep leaf litter near semi-permanent water bodies. Specimens of frogs from Mandena, the [Vohimena](/source/Vohimena) mountains, the southern Anosy Mountains, and [Tsitongambarika](/source/Tsitongambarika) may also be of this species. Like other species in the genus ''[Mini](/source/Mini_(frog))'', it received media attention when first described due to the wordplay in its scientific name.

== Taxonomy and systematics ==
''Mini scule'' was described in 2019 by [herpetologist](/source/herpetologist) Mark Scherz and his colleagues based on an adult specimen (presumed to be male) collected in [Sainte Luce Reserve](/source/Sainte_Luce_Reserve) in [Anosy](/source/Anosy), Madagascar, in 2005.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Scherz|first1=Mark D.|last2=Hutter|first2=Carl R.|last3=Rakotoarison|first3=Andolalao|last4=Riemann|first4=Jana C.|last5=Rödel|first5=Mark-Oliver|last6=Ndriantsoa|first6=Serge H.|last7=Glos|first7=Julian|last8=Hyde Roberts|first8=Sam|last9=Crottini|first9=Angelica|last10=Vences|first10=Miguel|last11=Glaw|first11=Frank|name-list-style=amp|date=27 March 2019|editor-last=Crowther|editor-first=Mathew S.|title=Morphological and ecological convergence at the lower size limit for vertebrates highlighted by five new miniaturised microhylid frog species from three different Madagascan genera|journal=[PLOS ONE](/source/PLOS_ONE)|language=en|volume=14|issue=3|article-number=e0213314|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0213314|pmc=6436692|pmid=30917162|bibcode=2019PLoSO..1413314S|doi-access=free}}</ref> The name ''Mini scule'' is a [pun](/source/pun) on the word ''miniscule''<ref name=":0" /> (a misspelling or variant spelling of ''minuscule''),<ref>{{Cite OED|miniscule|id=118871|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref> alluding to the fact that the species is among the smallest known species of frog. The [specific name](/source/Specific_name_(zoology)) ''scule'' is regarded as an invariable noun.<ref name=":0" /> Along with ''[Mini mum](/source/Mini_mum)'' and ''[Mini ature](/source/Mini_ature)'', the other two species in [its genus](/source/Mini_(frog)), the species received publicity when it was first described due to its humorous scientific name.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last1=Solly|first1=Meilan|title=Meet Mini mum, Mini scule and Mini ature, Three New Frog Species Among the World's Smallest|language=en|website=[Smithsonian Magazine](/source/Smithsonian_Magazine)|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/three-newly-discovered-frog-species-are-among-worlds-smallest-180971819/|access-date=19 September 2021|date=28 March 2019}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=28 March 2019|title=Meet Mini mum, Mini ature, Mini scule: Tiny new frogs from Madagascar|url=https://news.mongabay.com/2019/03/meet-mini-mum-mini-ature-mini-scule-tiny-new-frogs-from-madagascar/|access-date=19 September 2021|website=Mongabay Environmental News|language=en-US}}</ref>

The species is part of [Microhylidae](/source/Microhylidae), a widespread family of more than 650 species of mostly small frogs. It is most closely related to ''Mini ature'', with these two species forming a [sister clade](/source/Sister_group) to ''Mini mum''. The study that described the species placed the genus ''Mini'' as sister to ''[Plethodontohyla](/source/Plethodontohyla)'', despite the former being [morphologically](/source/Morphology_(biology)) more similar to ''[Stumpffia](/source/Stumpffia)''.<ref name=":0" /> However, a 2021 [phylogeny](/source/phylogeny) by Alain Dubois and colleagues instead suggests that to be [monophyletic](/source/monophyletic), both ''Plethodontohyla'' and ''Mini'' should be [lumped](/source/Lumpers_and_splitters) with ''[Cophyla](/source/Cophyla)''. This would make the present species's name ''Cophyla scule''.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last1=Dubois|first1=Alain|last2=Ohler|first2=Annemarie|last3=Pyron|first3=R. Alexander|date=26 February 2021|title=New concepts and methods for phylogenetic taxonomy and nomenclature in zoology, exemplified by a new ranked cladonomy of recent amphibians (Lissamphibia)|url=https://www.mapress.com/mt/article/view/megataxa.5.1.1|journal=Megataxa|volume=5|issue=1|doi=10.11646/megataxa.5.1.1|issn=2703-3090|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The following [cladogram](/source/cladogram)s of the subfamily [Cophylinae](/source/Cophylinae) show the differing phylogenies found by the 2019 and 2021 studies:<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" />

{{clade gallery|cladogram1={{clade
|label1=[Cophylinae](/source/Cophylinae)
|1={{clade
   |1=''[Madecassophryne](/source/Madecassophryne)''
   |2={{clade
      |1={{clade
        |1=''[Anodonthyla](/source/Anodonthyla)''
        |2={{clade
           |1={{clade
              |2=''[Plethodontohyla](/source/Plethodontohyla)''
              |label1=''[Mini](/source/Mini_(frog))''
              |1={{clade
                 |1=''[M.{{nbsp}}mum](/source/Mini_mum)''
                 |2={{clade
                    |1=''[M.{{nbsp}}ature](/source/Mini_ature)''
                    |2='''''M.{{nbsp}}scule'''''
                    }}
                 }}
              }}
           |2={{clade
              |1=''[Cophyla](/source/Cophyla)''
              |2=''[Platypelis](/source/Platypelis)''
              }}
           }}
        }}
      |2={{clade
         |2=''[Stumpffia](/source/Stumpffia)''
         |1={{clade
            |1=''[Anilany](/source/Anilany)''
            |2=''[Rhombophryne](/source/Rhombophryne)''
            }}
         }}
      }}
   }}
}}
|cladogram2={{clade
|label1=[Cophylinae](/source/Cophylinae)
|1={{clade
   |label1=[Scaphiophrynini](/source/Scaphiophrynini)
   |1={{clade
      |1=''[Scaphiophryne](/source/Scaphiophryne)''
      |2=''[Paradoxophyla](/source/Paradoxophyla)''
      }}
   |2={{clade
      |label1=[Rhombophrynina](/source/Rhombophrynina)
      |1=''[Rhombophryne](/source/Rhombophryne)''
      |2={{clade
        |label1=[Anodonthylina](/source/Anodonthylina)
        |1=''[Anodonthyla](/source/Anodonthyla)''
        |2={{clade
           |label1=[Platypelina](/source/Platypelina)
           |1=''[Platypelis](/source/Platypelis)''
           |label2=[Cophilina](/source/Cophilina)
           |2={{clade
              |1=''[Cophyla](/source/Cophyla)'' (including ''[Mini](/source/Mini_(frog))'')
              |2=''[Mantipus](/source/Mantipus)''
              }}
           }}
        }}
      }}
   }}
}}|caption1=Cladogram based on Scherz ''et al.'', 2019<ref name=":0" />|caption2=Cladogram based on Dubois ''et al.'', 2021<ref name=":3" />}}

== Description ==
{{Multiple image
| direction = vertical
| image1 = Mini scule top view.jpg
| alt1 = brown and black frog top view
| caption1 = Top view of ''Mini scule''
| image2 = Mini scule bottom view.jpg
| caption2 = Bottom view of ''Mini scule''
| alt2 = upside down frog with pale brown underside
| align = left
| total_width = 175
}}
''Mini scule'' is one of the smallest known species of frog,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scherz |first=Mark D. |title=Meet the mini frogs of Madagascar — the new species we've discovered |url=https://theconversation.com/meet-the-mini-frogs-of-madagascar-the-new-species-weve-discovered-113946 |date=28 March 2019 |access-date=14 January 2022 |website=[The Conversation](/source/The_Conversation_(website)) |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714025821/https://theconversation.com/meet-the-mini-frogs-of-madagascar-the-new-species-weve-discovered-113946 |archive-date=14 July 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> with a [snout–vent length](/source/snout%E2%80%93vent_length) of {{Cvt|8.4|to|10.8|mm|in}}. It has bronze [underparts](/source/underparts), except for the [groin](/source/groin) and back of the thigh, which are brown. The underparts and [upperparts](/source/upperparts) have a distinct color border along the side of the body between the rib cage and hip. The side of the head is dark brown but becomes more flecked with cream toward the back. The upperparts are cream with brown flecks. The [iris](/source/Iris_(anatomy)) is red. The groin can have dark markings in some specimens, along with blacker flanks and a burnt [umber](/source/umber) crossband on the thighs and lower leg.<ref name=":0" />

''M.{{nbsp}}scule'' has a rectangular body, with the head being wider than it is long and narrower than the body. The snout is rounded from the top and side, with non-protuberant nostrils that are equidistant between the eyes and snout. The [lores](/source/Lore_(anatomy)) are flat and vertical, and the tongue is long and thin. The first, second, and fourth fingers are greatly reduced, while the first toe is absent and the second and fifth toes are strongly reduced. The [maxillary](/source/Maxillary_teeth) and [premaxilla](/source/premaxilla)ry teeth are present, but it lacks [vomer](/source/vomer)ine teeth.<ref name=":0" />

Within its genus, it can be distinguished from ''Mini mum'' by the presence of the maxillary and premaxillary teeth, as well as a less distinct border between the upperparts and underparts along the side, and from ''Mini ature'' by its smaller size and proportionally smaller nasals and [neurocranium](/source/neurocranium). It is also similar to some species in ''Stumpffia'' but can be distinguished from them by its poorly [ossified](/source/Ossification) [carpals](/source/Carpal_bones), along with the loss or fusion of the second carpal.<ref name=":0" />

The species's [calls](/source/Sexual_selection_in_amphibians) are different from those of ''M.{{nbsp}}mum'' but similar to those of many ''Stumpffia'' species. They most resemble those of ''[Stumpffia gimmeli](/source/Stumpffia_gimmeli)'', ''[S.{{nbsp}}larinki](/source/Stumpffia_larinki)'', and ''[S.{{nbsp}}tridactyla](/source/Stumpffia_tridactyla)''. However, its dominant frequency is higher than that of ''S.{{nbsp}}gimmeli'' and ''S.{{nbsp}}larinki'', while it is lower than that of ''S.{{nbsp}}tridactyla''.<ref name=":0" />

== Distribution and habitat ==
thumb|''Mini scule'' habitat|alt=Forest with dappled sunlight

''Mini scule'' has an extremely limited range, being known only from areas in the Sainte Luce Reserve. Reports of ''Stumpffia'' frogs from Mandena, the [Vohimena](/source/Vohimena) mountains, the southern Anosy Mountains, and [Tsitongambarika](/source/Tsitongambarika) may also refer to this species but need genetic confirmation. The species inhabits areas with deep [leaf litter](/source/leaf_litter) near semi-permanent water bodies like forest streams.<ref name=":0" />

== Conservation ==
''Mini scule'' is currently known only from the Sainte Luce Reserve and may be [microendemic](/source/microendemic) to forest fragments within it. Although the species has not been assessed by the [IUCN](/source/IUCN), the authors of the article in which it is described recommended that it be listed as [critically endangered](/source/critically_endangered) due to its extremely small range and degradation in the quality of the forest it inhabits.<ref name=":0" />

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=Frost>{{cite web |url=https://amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org/Amphibia/Anura/Microhylidae/Cophylinae/Mini/Mini-scule |title=''Mini scule'' Scherz, Hutter, Rakotoarison, Riemann, Rödel, Ndriantsoa, Glos, Roberts, Crottini, Vences, and Glaw, 2019 |author=Frost, Darrel R. |year=2021 |work=Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1 |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |doi=10.5531/db.vz.0001 |access-date=6 October 2021}}</ref>
}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Mini scule|''Mini scule''}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q62607150}}

Category:Cophylinae
Category:Endemic frogs of Madagascar
Category:Amphibians described in 2019
Category:Taxa named by Angelica Crottini
Category:Taxa named by Frank Glaw
Category:Taxa named by Andolalao Rakotoarison
Category:Taxa named by Mark D. Scherz
Category:Taxa named by Miguel Vences

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mini scule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_scule) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_scule?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.