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| Leptobrachella deocaensis Do, Nguyen, Hoang, Ziegler & Pham, 2026 |
Abstract
A new species of Leptobrachella is described from the coastal forest of Deo Ca Mountain in Dak Lak Province, Vietnam, based on morphological differences and genetic divergences in 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene sequences. The new species is distinguished from other species of the genus Leptobrachella by body size, dorsal skin texture, absence of ventrolateral and femoral glands, absence of lateral fringes on fingers and toes, color pattern of head and body, and iris color. The new species is divergent from other congeners by at least 6.34% uncorrected genetic distance (16S rRNA gene). Leptobrachella deocaensis sp. nov. is genetically closest to L. macrops from Vietnam, with strong nodal support from both BI and ML analyses (1.00/98).
Key words: Asian Leaf-litter toads, Deo Ca Mountain, genetic divergence, Leptobrachella deocaensis sp. nov., morphology, taxonomy
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| Holotype of Leptobrachella deocaensis sp. nov. in life (IB A.6440, male). A. Dorsolateral view; B. Ventral view; C. Underside of right foot; D. Underside of left hand; E. Cloacal and hamstrings area. Scale bars: 5 mm (C, D). |
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| Female paratypes of Leptobrachella deocaensis sp. nov. in life in dorsolateral view. A. IB A.6441; B. IB A.6443. |
Leptobrachella deocaensis sp. nov.
Dang Trong Do, Truong Quang Nguyen, Chung Van Hoang, Thomas Ziegler and Cuong The Pham. 2026. A New Species of Leptobrachella Smith, 1925 (Anura, Megophryidae) from the coastal forest of Dak Lak Province, Vietnam. ZooKeys. 1267: 15-30. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1267.177118
[20 Jan 2026]
