''Limnonectes nguyenorum'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

of fanged

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...

in the family

Dicroglossidae The frog family Dicroglossidae occurs in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa, with most genera and species being found in Asia. The common name of the family is fork-tongued frogs. The Dicroglossidae were previously considered to ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

northern Vietnam Northern Vietnam ( vi, Bắc Bộ) is one of three geographical regions within Vietnam. It consists of three administrative regions: the Northwest (Vùng Tây Bắc), the Northeast (Vùng Đông Bắc), and the Red River Delta (Đồng Bằng S ...

and only known from the area of its

type locality Type locality may refer to: * Type locality (biology) * Type locality (geology) See also * Local (disambiguation) * Locality (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

in Vi Xuyen District, northwestern

Ha Giang Province Ha may refer to: Agencies and organizations * Health authority * Hells Angels Motorcycle Club * Highways Agency (now ''National Highways''), UK government body maintaining England's major roads * Homelessness Australia, peak body organisation f ...

. It is part of the ''

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, bu ...

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 ...

Description

''Limnonectes nguyenorum'' is a relatively small-sized species within the ''Limnonectes kuhlii'' group: in the

type series In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

consisting of two adult males and two adult females, the males measure about and the females in snout–vent length. Males have fang-like odontoid processes on the lower jaw. The overall appearance is slender, with the head slightly enlarged. The tympanum is hidden and the supratympanic fold is indistinct. The finger and toe tips are rounded but not expanded into discs. The fingers have no webbing whereas the toes are fully webbed. Preserved specimens have light brown dorsum with some dark brown marking and blotches. A prominent white bar extends from the nares to the arm insertion. The upper lip has distinct white spots and dark brown bars. The throat is mottled and venter is immaculate.

Habitat and conservation

''Limnonectes nguyenorum'' occurs along streams in submontane evergreen forests at elevations of about

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. The ...

. It occurs in

sympatry In biology, two related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter one another. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species s ...

with ''

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 ...

''. As of May 2018, this species has not been included the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q19843726 nguyenorum Endemic fauna of Vietnam Amphibians of Vietnam Amphibians described in 2015