Leptobrachella

Leptobrachella is a genus of frogs in the family Megophryidae. Members of Leptobrachella are found throughout Asia including on Borneo and the Natuna Islands. They are sometimes referred to as Borneo frogs, slender-armed frogs,[1] or dwarf litter frogs.[2][3] The genus contains over 82 species with 25 found in China alone.

Leptobrachella
Leptobrachella fuliginosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Megophryidae
Genus: Leptobrachella
Smith, 1925
Type species
Leptobrachella mjöbergi
Smith, 1925
Species

45, see text.

Synonyms

Nesobia Kampen, 1923 — junior homonym of Nesobia Ancey, 1887

Description

Leptobrachella are small frogs that are not easily seen as they are well camouflaged on the ground. However, their advertisement call is loud, and they can be abundant along streams.[3]

The tadpoles of Leptobrachella are unusual in their vermiform or eel-like appearance. The transition from the narrow, cylindrical trunk into the strong tail is nearly seamless, and the tail fin is very low. This body shape is interpreted as an adaptation to a fossorial life style: Leptobrachella tadpoles live in the gravel beds of small streams. In Leptobrachella mjobergi where more detailed observations have been made, tadpoles have unusually mobile head and trunk. While smaller tadpoles seem to use existing interstitial spaces, larger ones can actively push their way through gravel.[4]

Diet & reproduction

Leptobrachella are carnivorous amphibians, consuming about any insect, such as mosquitoes, spiders, grasshoppers, & butterflies (Cheng, 2021). In terms of reproduction, they lay their eggs in the water, such as ponds. Eventually those eggs hatch into larvae called - tadpoles. These tadpoles have tails & internal gills (Cheng, 2021).

Distribution

Leptobrachella are usually found in the forests of Southeast Asia; however they can be found in southwestern Cambodia and adjacent to Thailand (Cheng, 2021).

Species

There are 45 species recognised in the genus Leptobrachella:[1]

  • Leptobrachella wumingensis Wei-Cai Chen, Wan-Xiao Peng, Peng Li and Gui-Dong Yu. 2023

References

Cheng, Shi, S.-C., Li, J., Liu, J., Li, S.-Z., & Wang, B. (2021). A new species of the Asian leaf litter toad genus Leptobrachella Smith, 1925 (Anura, Megophryidae) from northwest Guizhou Province, China. ZooKeys, 1021(8), 81–107. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1021.60729

  1. Frost, Darrel R. (2019). "Leptobrachella Smith, 1925". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  2. Wild Borneo: The Wildlife and Scenery of Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, and Kalimantan. New Holland Publishers. 2006. p. 69. ISBN 978-1845373788.
  3. Haas, A.; Hertwig, S.T.; Das, I. (2015). "Leptobrachella Dwarf Litter Frogs". Frogs of Borneo. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  4. Haas, A.; Hertwig, S.; Das, I. (2006). "Extreme tadpoles: The morphology of the fossorial megophryid larva, Leptobrachella mjobergi" (PDF). Zoology. 109 (1): 26–42. doi:10.1016/j.zool.2005.09.008. PMID 16376062.
  5. Lyu, Jing-Cai; Dai, Liang-Liang; Wei, Ping-Fan; He, Yan-Hong; Yuan, Zhi-Yong; Shi, Wen-Li; Zhou, Sheng-lun; Ran, Si-yu; Kuang, Zhong-Fan; Guo, Xuan; Wei, Gang (2020-12-31). "A new species of the genus Leptobrachella Smith, 1925 (Anura, Megophryidae) from Guizhou, China". ZooKeys (1008): 139–157. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1008.56412. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 7790805. PMID 33505191.
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