Eastern spadefoot toad

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Eastern spadefoot toads
Leptob hasselt M 080208-4534 clobk.jpg
Leptobrachium hasseltii
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Megophryidae
Genus: Leptobrachium
Tschudi, 1838
Type species
Leptobrachium hasseltii
Tschudi, 1838
Species

About 35, see text.

Eastern spadefoot toads (Leptobrachium, also known as large-eyed litter frogs [1] ) comprise a genus of the family Megophryidae in the order Anura, and are found in southern China, northeast India, southeast Asia, and islands of the Sunda Shelf as well as the Philippines. [2] They are characterized by a stocky body with slender, short hindlimbs. [3] In identifying species, iris colour is a valuable diagnostic morphological characteristic (see Leptobrachium bompu for an example of a blue-eyed species); the iris has uniform colour in some species, whereas in other species the upper half is coloured and the lower half is dark. [4]

Contents

Leptobrachium boringii male at the height of the breeding season. Nuptial spines are clearly visible. This character has been used to define subgenus Vibrissaphora. Hudson Fu PLoS ONE 2013 Leptobrachium boringii A.jpg
Leptobrachium boringii male at the height of the breeding season. Nuptial spines are clearly visible. This character has been used to define subgenus Vibrissaphora.

The sister taxon of Leptobrachium is a clade that includes Scutiger and Oreolalax . [2] [6]

Subgenera

Two subgenera, Leptobrachium and Vibrissaphora, are recognized; the latter was originally described as a genus, with Vibrissaphora boringii as the type species. [2] These subgenera (or genera) were originally separated by presence (in Vibrissaphora, hence the common name moustache or spiny toad) and absence of nuptial spines on the upper labium in males during the breeding season (in Leptobrachium). Later genetic analyses have not supported this original separation, but still indicate the presence of two distinct clades. These clades can be referred to as subgenera Leptobrachium and Vibrissaphora, but their contents differ from the earlier, purely morphological definition (Vibrissaphora contains all spiny species, but also non-spiny ones). Subgenus Vibrissaphora thus defined is distributed in southern China and Indochina, and subgenus Leptobrachium in the Malay Peninsula and the Malay Archipelago northwest of the Wallace Line. [4] No morphological character that could uniquely separate the subgenera has yet been identified. [7]

Species

As of mid-2019, there were 36 recognized species: [2] and one proposed species

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Atympanophrys is a genus of frogs in the family Megophryidae. They range from central China south to northern Vietnam. They are commonly known as hidden-tympanum horned toads.

<i>Leptobrachella</i> Genus of amphibians

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, or dwarf litter frogs. The genus contains over 82 species with 25 found in China alone.

<i>Philautus</i> Genus of amphibians

Philautus is a genus of shrub frogs in the family Rhacophoridae from Asia. Some species in this genus are now considered extinct by IUCN, while others are widespread and abundant. The taxonomy of the group is unclear, with many poorly described species.

<i>Theloderma</i> Genus of amphibians

Theloderma, the bug-eyed frogs, mossy frogs or warty frogs, is a genus of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae, subfamily Rhacophorinae. They are found from northeastern India and southern China, through Southeast Asia, to the Greater Sunda Islands; the highest species richness is in Indochina. Some species, especially T. corticale, are sometimes kept in captivity.

<i>Amolops</i> Genus of amphibians

Amolops is a genus of true frogs native mainly to eastern and south-eastern Asia. These frogs are closely related to such genera as Huia, Meristogenys, Odorrana, Pelophylax and Rana, but still form a distinct lineage among the core radiation of true frogs. They are commonly known as "torrent frogs" after their favorite habitat - small rapid-flowing mountain and hill streams - but this name is used for many similar-looking frogs regardless of whether they are loosely related.

<i>Limnonectes</i> Genus of fork-tongued frogs

Limnonectes is a genus of fork-tongued frogs of about 75 known species, but new ones are still being described occasionally. They are collectively known as fanged frogs because they tend to have unusually large teeth, which are small or absent in other frogs.

<i>Kalophrynus</i> Genus of amphibians

Kalophrynus is a genus of microhylid frogs. It is the only genus in the subfamily Kalophryninae. The species in this genus are found in southern China, in Southeast Asia to Java and Philippines, and in Assam, India.

<i>Leptolalax</i> Genus of amphibians

Leptolalax is a genus of frogs in the family Megophryidae. They are sometimes known as Asian toads, metacarpal-tubercled toads, or slender litter frogs, although many species-specific common names do not follow these conventions, and many species do not have common names. They are widely distributed in southeastern and eastern Asia, from southern China and northeastern India to the Malay Peninsula and Borneo. Leptolalax are typically small and have a cryptic colour pattern and no obvious morphological characters useful in systematic studies. Consequently, both molecular genetic analyses and analysis of advertisement calls by male frogs have been important in identifying new species.

<i>Leptobrachium hasseltii</i> Species of amphibian

Leptobrachium hasseltii is a species of toad found in Southeast Asia. This frog named after Dutch Naturalist Johan Conrad van Hasselt. According to the current understanding, this species is known with certainty only from Java, Madura, Bali, and Kangean Islands, Indonesia. The species is also commonly reported to occur in the Philippines, but these are believed to refer to another, unnamed species.

<i>Tylototriton</i> Genus of amphibians

Tylototriton is a genus of newts known as crocodile newts or knobby newts. About 36 known species are in this genus. Many species have been described just recently. They range from northeastern India and Nepal through Burma to northern Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and southern China.

Leptobrachium buchardi is a species of amphibian in the family Megophryidae. It is endemic to Laos and only known from the Bolaven Plateau in the Champasak Province, near its type locality within the Dong Hua Sao National Protected Area. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<i>Leptobrachium montanum</i> Species of frog

Leptobrachium montanum is a species of frog from the family Megophryidae. It is endemic to Borneo and is, as currently defined, found in Kalimantan (Indonesia), Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysia), and Labi, Belait (Brunei). However, the nominal Leptobrachium montanum is a composed of more than one lineage. Available information mostly refers to this composite rather than the "true" Leptobrachium montanum. Common names montane large-eyed litter frog, mountain spadefoot toad, and mountain litter frog have been coined for it.

<i>Scutiger</i> (frog) Genus of amphibians

Scutiger is a genus of toads in the family Megophryidae. Common name lazy toads has been coined for them. They occur in China, Burma, Nepal, and northern India in high-altitude habitats. Most are endemic to China.

<i>Leptobrachium bompu</i> Species of amphibian

Leptobrachium bompu is an extant species of eastern spadefoot toads described in 2011. It is only known from its type locality in the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India. The specific name refers to the camp site, Bompu, in the vicinity of the type locality.

Limnonectes bannaensis is a species of frogs in the family Dicroglossidae. It is found in southern China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Limnonectes utara is a species of fanged frogs in the family Dicroglossidae. It can be found in Malaysia and Thailand.

Leptobrachium lumadorum is a species of frog in the family Megophryidae from the islands of Basilan and Mindanao in the Philippines.

Leptobrachium waysepuntiense is a species of frog in the family Megophryidae. It is endemic to southwestern Sumatra, Indonesia. Its type locality is Kubu Perahu village, Liwa District, West Lampung Regency, Lampung Province, Sumatra. It has blue eyes, and accordingly, common name blue-eyed litter frog has been proposed for it.

Niane Sivongxay is a zoologist and herpetologist from Laos, who is Director of the South East Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) Regional Centre for Community Education Development and is Assistant Professor of Biology at the National University of Laos. She specialises in the study of zooplankton, amphibians and reptiles.

References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Leptobrachium Tschudi, 1838". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  3. Matsui, Masafumi; Jarujin Nabhitabhata; Somsak Panha (1999). "On Leptobrachium from Thailand with a description of a new species (Anura: Pelobatidae)". Japanese Journal of Herpetology. 18 (1): 19–29. doi: 10.5358/hsj1972.18.1_19 .
  4. 1 2 Matsui, M.; Hamidy, A.; Murphy, R. W.; Khonsue, W.; Yambun, P.; Shimada, T.; Ahmad, N.; Belabut, D. M.; Jiang, J. P. (2010). "Phylogenetic relationships of megophryid frogs of the genus Leptobrachium (Amphibia, Anura) as revealed by mtDNA gene sequences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 56 (1): 259–272. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.03.014. PMID   20302957.
  5. Hudson, C. M.; Fu, J. (2013). "Male-biased sexual size dimorphism, resource defense polygyny, and multiple paternity in the Emei moustache toad (Leptobrachium boringii)". PLOS ONE. 8 (6): e67502. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...867502H. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067502 . PMC   3696078 . PMID   23840725.
  6. Pyron, A. R.; Wiens, J. J. (2011). "A large-scale phylogeny of Amphibia including over 2800 species, and a revised classification of extant frogs, salamanders, and caecilians". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 61 (2): 543–583. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.06.012 . PMID   21723399.
  7. 1 2 Matsui, M. (2013). "A new Leptobrachium (Vibrissaphora) from Laos (Anura: Megophryidae)". Current Herpetology. 32 (2): 182–189. doi:10.5358/hsj.32.182. hdl: 2433/216851 . S2CID   85577993.
  8. Sondhi, S.; Orlov, A. (2011). "A blue-eyed Leptobrachium (Anura: Megophryidae) from Arunachal Pradesh, India" (PDF). Zootaxa . 2912: 28–36. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2912.1.2.
  9. Ohler, A.; Teynié, A. & David, P. (204). "A green-eyed Leptobrachium (Anura: Megophryidae) from southern Laos" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology . 52 (2): 695–700. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-16.
  10. Stuart, B. L.; Rowley, J. J.; Tran, Dao T. A.; Le, Duong T. T. & Hoang, H. D. (2011). "The Leptobrachium (Anura: Megophryidae) of the Langbian Plateau, southern Vietnam, with description of a new species" (PDF). Zootaxa . 2804: 25–40. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.2804.1.3 .
  11. "Leptobrachium sylheticum Al-Razi, Maria, and Poyarkov, 2021 | Amphibian Species of the World".
  12. Hamidy, A.; Matsui, M (2010). "A new species of blue-eyed Leptobrachium (Anura: Megophryidae) from Sumatra, Indonesia" (PDF). Zootaxa . 2395: 34–44. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2395.1.3.
  13. Stuart, B. L.; Phimmachak, S.; Seateun, S.; Sivongxay, N. (2012). "A new Leptobrachium (Anura: Megophryidae) from the highlands of southeastern Laos" (PDF). Zootaxa . 2155: 29–37.