''Limnonectes'' 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 ...

of fork-tongued frogs of 91 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.

Habitat

These frogs are found throughout East and Southeast Asia, most commonly near forest streams. Multiple species of ''Limnonectes'' may occupy the same area in harmony. Large-bodied species cluster around fast rivers, while smaller ones live among leaf-litter or on stream banks. The Indonesian island of

Sulawesi Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...

is home to at least 15 species of this frog, only four of which have been formally described.

Lifecycle

Tadpole A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the Larva, larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully Aquatic animal, aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial animal, ...

s of this genus have adapted to a variety of conditions. Most species (e.g.

Blyth's river frog Blyth's river frog (''Limnonectes blythii''), also known as Blyth's frog, giant Asian river frog or (ambiguously) giant frog, is a species of frog in the family Dicroglossidae found from Myanmar through western Thailand and the Malay Peninsula ( ...

''L. blythii'' or the fanged river frog ''L. macrodon'') develop normally, with free-swimming tadpoles that eat food. The tadpoles of the

corrugated frog ''Limnonectes khasianus'', commonly known as the corrugated frog, rivulet frog, or sometimes (ambiguously) called "flat-headed frog", is a species of frog in the family Dicroglossidae. It is found in Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, ...

(''L. laticeps'') are free-swimming but endotrophic, meaning they do not eat but live on stored

yolk Among animals which produce eggs, the yolk (; also known as the vitellus) is the nutrient-bearing portion of the egg whose primary function is to supply food for the development of the embryo. Some types of egg contain no yolk, for example bec ...

until

metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth transformation or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and different ...

into frogs. Before, '' L. limborgi'' was assumed to have direct development (eggs hatching as tiny, full-formed frogs), but more careful observations have shown it has free-swimming but endotrophic larvae; this probably applies to the closely related '' L. hascheanus'', too. '' L. larvaepartus'' is the only known species of frog that gives live birth to tadpoles. Parental care is performed by males.

Species

* ''

Limnonectes abanghamidi ''Limnonectes'' is a genus of fork-tongued frogs of 91 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 ...

'' Matsui, 2024 * '' Limnonectes acanthi'' (Taylor, 1923) * '' Limnonectes arathooni'' (Smith, 1927) * '' Limnonectes asperatus'' (Inger, Boeadi & Taufik, 1996) * ''

Limnonectes bagoensis ''Limnonectes'' is a genus of fork-tongued frogs of 91 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 ...

'' Köhler, Zwitzers, Than & Thammachoti, 2021 * ''

Limnonectes bagoyoma ''Limnonectes'' is a genus of fork-tongued frogs of 91 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 ...

'' Köhler, Zwitzer, Than & Thammachoti, 2021 * ''

Limnonectes bannaensis ''Limnonectes bannaensis'' (vernacular name: Banna large-headed frog) is a species of frogs in the family Dicroglossidae. It is found in southern China (southern and western Yunnan, southwestern and southeastern Guangxi, and western and central G ...

'' Ye, Fei, Xie & Jiang, 2007 * ''

Limnonectes barioensis ''Limnonectes'' is a genus of fork-tongued frogs of 91 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 ...

'' Matsui & Nishikawa, 2024 * ''

Limnonectes batulawensis ''Limnonectes'' is a genus of fork-tongued frogs of 91 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 ...

'' Matsui, Nishikawa & Eto, 2024 * '' Limnonectes beloncioi'' Herr, Vallejos, Meneses, Abraham, Otterholt, Siler, Rico & Brown, 2021 * ''

Limnonectes blythii Blyth's river frog (''Limnonectes blythii''), also known as Blyth's frog, giant Asian river frog or (ambiguously) giant frog, is a species of frog in the family Dicroglossidae found from Myanmar through western Thailand and the Malay Peninsula (M ...

'' (Boulenger, 1920) * ''

Limnonectes cassiopeia ''Limnonectes'' is a genus of fork-tongued frogs of 91 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 ...

'' Herr, Som & Brown, 2024 * '' Limnonectes cintalubang'' Matsui, Nishikawa & Eto, 2014 * ''

Limnonectes coffeatus ''Limnonectes'' is a genus of fork-tongued frogs of 91 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 o ...

'' Phimmachak, Sivongxay, Seateun, Yodthong, Rujirawan, Neang, Aowphol & Stuart, 2018 * '' Limnonectes conspicillatus'' (Günther, 1872) * '' Limnonectes dabanus'' (Smith, 1922) * '' Limnonectes dammermani'' (Mertens, 1929) * '' Limnonectes deinodon'' Dehling, 2014 * '' Limnonectes diuatus'' (Brown & Alcala, 1977) * '' Limnonectes doriae'' (Boulenger, 1887) * '' Limnonectes fastigatus'' Stuart, Schoen, Nelson, Maher, Neang, Rowley & McLeod, 2020 * '' Limnonectes finchi'' (Inger, 1966) * '' Limnonectes fragilis'' (Liu & Hu, 1973) * '' Limnonectes fujianensis'' Ye & Fei, 1994 * '' Limnonectes ghoshi'' (Chanda, 1991) * '' Limnonectes grunniens'' (Latreille, 1801) * '' Limnonectes gyldenstolpei'' (Andersson, 1916) * ''

Limnonectes hascheanus ''Limnonectes hascheanus'' is a species of frog in the family Dicroglossidae. It is found in the Malay Peninsula (from southern Myanmar and Thailand to Peninsular Malaysia); its occurrence in the Andaman Islands requires confirmation. It is a sma ...

'' (Stoliczka, 1870) * '' Limnonectes heinrichi'' (Ahl, 1933) * '' Limnonectes hikidai'' Matsui & Nishikawa, 2014 * '' Limnonectes ibanorum'' (Inger, 1964) * '' Limnonectes ingeri'' (Kiew, 1978) * '' Limnonectes isanensis'' McLeod, Kelly & Barley, 2012 * '' Limnonectes jarujini'' Matsui, Panha, Khonsue & Kuraishi, 2010 * '' Limnonectes kadarsani'' Iskandar, Boeadi & Sancoyo, 1996 * '' Limnonectes kenepaiensis'' (Inger, 1966) * '' Limnonectes khammonensis'' (Smith, 1929) * '' Limnonectes khasianus'' (Anderson, 1871) * '' Limnonectes kiziriani'' Pham, Le, Ngo, Ziegler & Nguyen, 2018 * '' Limnonectes kohchangae'' (Smith, 1922) * '' Limnonectes kong'' Dehling & Dehling, 2017 * ''

Limnonectes kuhlii Kuhl's creek frog or large-headed frog (''Limnonectes kuhlii'') is a species of frog in the family Dicroglossidae. Species complex ''L. kuhlii'' was once believed to have a broad distribution in Northeast India (Assam) and Southeast Asia, but a ...

'' (Tschudi, 1838) * '' Limnonectes lambirensis'' Matsui & Nishikawa, 2024 * '' Limnonectes lanjakensis'' Matsui & Nishikawa, 2024 * '' Limnonectes lanjakensis'' Matsui & Nishikawa, 2024 * ''

Limnonectes larvaepartus ''Limnonectes larvaepartus'' is a species of fanged frog in the family Dicroglossidae endemic to northern and western Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is unique in that it has internal fertilization and gives live birth to tadpoles. Other frog species t ...

'' Iskandar, Evans & McGuire, 2014 * '' Limnonectes lauhachindai'' Aowphol, Rujirawan, Taksinum, Chuaynkern & Stuart, 2015 * '' Limnonectes leporinus'' (Andersson, 1923) * '' Limnonectes leytensis'' (Boettger, 1893) * '' Limnonectes limborg'' (Sclater, 1892) * '' Limnonectes longchuanensis'' Suwannapoom, Yuan, Sullivan & McLeod, 2016 * '' Limnonectes macrocephalus'' (Inger, 1954) * '' Limnonectes macrodon'' (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) * '' Limnonectes macrognathus'' (Boulenger, 1917) * '' Limnonectes magnus'' (Stejneger, 1910) * '' Limnonectes malesianus'' (Kiew, 1984) * '' Limnonectes mawlyndipi'' (Chanda, 1990) * '' Limnonectes megastomias'' McLeod, 2008 * '' Limnonectes micrixalus'' (Taylor, 1923) * '' Limnonectes microdiscus'' (Boettger, 1892) * '' Limnonectes microtympanum'' (Van Kampen, 1907) * '' Limnonectes mocquardi'' Matsui, Dubois & Ohler, 2013 * '' Limnonectes modestus'' (Boulenger, 1882) * '' Limnonectes namiyei'' (Stejneger, 1901) * '' Limnonectes nguyenorum'' McLeod, Kurlbaum & Hoang, 2015 * ''

Limnonectes nitidus ''Limnonectes nitidus'' (common name: Tanah Rata wart frog) is a species of frog in the family Dicroglossidae. It is endemic to Peninsular Malaysia where it is only known from the Cameron Highlands and Fraser's Hill, both in Pahang state. ''Lim ...

'' (Smedley, 1932) * '' Limnonectes paginatanensis'' Matsui, Niskikawa & Shimada, 2024 * '' Limnonectes palavanensis'' (Boulenger, 1894) * '' Limnonectes paramacrodon'' (Inger, 1966) * '' Limnonectes parvus'' (Taylor, 1920) * '' Limnonectes paulyambuni'' Matsui, Nishikawa & Shimada, 2024 * '' Limnonectes penerisanensis'' Matsui, Niskikawa & Shimada, 2024 * '' Limnonectes phuyenensis'' Pham, Do, Le, Ngo, Nguyen, Ziegler & Nguyen, 2020 * '' Limnonectes phyllofolia'' Frederick, Iskandar, Riyanto, Hamidy, Reilly, Stubbs, Bloch, Bach & McGuire, 2023 * '' Limnonectes plicatellus'' (Stoliczka, 1873) * '' Limnonectes poilani'' (Bourret, 1942) * '' Limnonectes pseudodoriae'' Yodthong, Rujirawan, Stuart & Aowphol, 2021 * '' Limnonectes quangninhensis'' Pham, Le, Nguyen, Ziegler, Wu & Nguyen, 2017 * '' Limnonectes savan'' Phimmachak, Richards, Sivongxay, Seateun, Chuaynkern, Makchai, Som & Stuart, 2019 * '' Limnonectes selatan'' Matsui, Belabut & Ahmad, 2014 * '' Limnonectes separatus'' Matsui, Nishikawa & Shimada, 2024 * '' Limnonectes shompenorum'' Das, 1996 * '' Limnonectes sinuatodorsalis'' Matsui, 2015 * '' Limnonectes sisikdagu'' McLeod, Horner, Husted, Barley & Iskandar, 2011 * '' Limnonectes tawauensis'' Matsui, Nishikawa & Shimada. 2024 * '' Limnonectes taylori''Matsui, Panha, Khonsue & Kuraishi, 2010 * '' Limnonectes timorensis'' (Smith, 1927) * '' Limnonectes tweediei'' (Smith, 1935) * '' Limnonectes utara'' Matsui, Belabut & Ahmad, 2014 * '' Limnonectes visayanus'' (Inger, 1954) * '' Limnonectes woodworthi'' (Taylor, 1923)

Phylogeny

Pyron & Wiens (2011)

The following phylogeny of ''Limnonectes'' is from Pyron & Wiens (2011). 35 species are included. ''Limnonectes'' is a

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

of ''

Nanorana ''Nanorana'' is a genus of dicroglossid frogs. They are found in Asia, from the Himalayan region of northern Pakistan and northern India, Nepal, and western China east to montane southern China and southeast to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and north ...

''.

Aowphol, et al. (2015)

The following ''Limnonectes'' phylogeny is from Aowphol, et al. (2015). 20 species are included.

McLeod, et al. (2015)

Below is a phylogeny of species within the '' L. kuhlii''

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 ...

(McLeod, et al. 2015). '' Limnonectes longchuanensis'', '' Limnonectes hikidai'', and '' Limnonectes cintalubang''Matsui, Nishikawa, and Eto, 2014, Raffles Bull. Zool., Singapore, 62: 681. Holotype: KUHE 47859, by original designation. Type locality: "Ranchan, Serian, Samarahan Division, Sarawak, East Malaysia (01° 08′ 30″ N, 110° 34′ 57″ E, 64 m asl)". http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9C21B7C4-27AD-4103-89C0-513D2E80106C are also part of the ''L. kuhlii''

References

{{Authority control Dicroglossidae Amphibians of Asia Amphibian genera Taxa named by Leopold Fitzinger