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How little is known about “the little brown frogs”: description of three new species of the genus Leptobrachella (Anura: Megophryidae) from Yunnan Province, China
Authors: Chen Jin-Min , Xu Kai , Poyarkov Nikolay A. , Wang Kai , Yuan Zhi-Yong , Hou Mian , Suwannapoom Chatmongkon , Wang Jian , Che Jing
Number of views: 284
Asian leaf-litter toads of the genus Leptobrachella
represent a great anuran diversification in Asia.
Previous studies have suggested that the diversity of
this
genus
is
still
underestimated.
During
herpetological surveys from 2013 to 2018, a series of
Leptobrachella specimens were collected from the
international border areas in the southern and
western
parts
of
Yunnan
Province,
China.
Subsequent analyses based on morphological and
molecular data revealed three distinct and previously
unknown lineages, which we formally describe as
three new species herein. Among them, we describe
a new species that occurs at the highest known elevation for Leptobrachella in China. Four species
of Leptobrachella, including two new species, are
found in the same reserve. Furthermore, our results
suggest that the population from Longchuan County,
Yunnan, may represent an additional new species of
Leptobrachella, although we tentatively assigned it to
Leptobrachella cf. yingjiangensis due to the small
sample size examined. Lastly, we provide the first
description of females of L. yingjiangensis. Our
results further highlight that both micro-endemism
and sympatric distributions of species are common
patterns in Leptobrachella, that contribute to
taxonomic and conservation challenges in these
frogs. We provide an identification key for
Leptobrachella known to occur in Yunnan. Given the
lack
of
knowledge
on
species
diversity
of
Leptobrachella along international border areas, we
recommend that future studies include trans-
boundary collaborative surveys.
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