''Leptolalax'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

s (

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

Anura) in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Megophryidae Megophryidae, commonly known as goose frogs, is a large family of frogs native to the warm southeast of Asia, from the Himalayan foothills eastwards, south to Indonesia and the Greater Sunda Islands in Maritime Southeast Asia, and extending to t ...

. 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 Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, from southern China and northeastern India to the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

and

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

. ''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. Leptolalax liui

Two

subgenera In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...

are recognized: ''Leptolalax'' and ''Lalos'' (the latter was first named as ''Lalax'', but the name was already occupied). ''Lalos'' has a more northern distribution and only includes species from the continental Asia, whereas ''Leptolalax'' includes all the species from

('' Leptolalax arayai'', '' Leptolalax dringi'', '' Leptolalax fritinniens'', '' Leptolalax gracilis'', '' Leptolalax hamidi'', '' Leptolalax maurus'', '' Leptolalax sabahmontanus'', '' Leptolalax marmoratus'' and '' Leptolalax pictus''A Field Guide to the Frogs of Borneo, Third Edition) as well as few continental species ('' Leptolalax croceus'', '' Leptolalax melicus'') and ''

Leptolalax kajangensis ''Leptobrachella kajangensis'', also known as the Kajang slender litter frog, is a species of amphibian in the family Megophryidae. Its natural habitats are rivers and caves. The species is Endemism, endemic to Malaysia and only known from its T ...

'' from

Tioman Island Tioman Island () is , off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, more specifically off the east coast of Rompin District, Pahang, Malaysia. It is long and wide and has seven villages, the largest and most populous being Kampung Tekek on the ...

, at least provisionally. Most ''Leptolalax'' species have been reported from very small areas and only a few species have large areas of occurrence. Whether this distinction is real or the widespread species represent

cryptic species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

es remains to be confirmed.

Species

In 2016, 50 species were known in the genus. New species are still being described, including three in 2013, four in 2014, one in 2015, and six in 2016:

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2379278 Amphibians of Asia Amphibian genera