Kingdom Animalia Scientific name Leptobrachella Higher classification Megophryidae Order Frog | Family Megophryidae Phylum Chordata Rank Genus | |
Lower classifications Leptobrachella mjobergi | ||
Leptobrachella is a genus of the Megophryidae family in the order Anura, and are found on Borneo and Natuna Islands. They are sometimes referred to as Borneo frogs, slender-armed frogs, or dwarf litter frogs.
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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.
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.
Species
Currently nine species are included in Leptobrachella: