Leptobrachella

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Leptobrachella
File:Leptobrachella fuliginosa, Dusty litter toad - Kui Buri National Park (48006892476).jpg
Leptobrachella fuliginosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Megophryidae
Genus: Leptobrachella
Smith, 1925
Type species
Leptobrachella mjöbergi
Smith, 1925
Synonyms

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.

Description

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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 and reproduction

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

Distribution

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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

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The following 108 species are recognised in the genus Leptobrachella:[1]

References

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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

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