''Leptobrachella aerea'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of 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 the appropriate s ...

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

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 th ...

. It is known from Vilabouli District, Savannakhet Province,

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

(where its type locality is) and from

Hà Tĩnh Hà Tĩnh () is a city in Vietnam.Atlas of the World', Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 236. It is the capital of Hà Tĩnh Province, and lies in the North Central Coast region. It is located on National Highway 1A. The Vietnamese capital Hanoi ...

, Nghệ An,

Thanh Hóa Thanh Hóa () is the capital of Thanh Hóa Province. The city is situated in the east of the province on the Ma River (Sông Mã), about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of Hanoi and 1560 kilometers (969 miles) north of Ho Chi Minh City. Thanh ...

, and Quảng Bình Provinces of

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Description

''Leptobrachella aerea'' males measure and females in snout-vent length. It is morphologically most similar to '' Leptobrachella oshanensis''. Male ''L. aerea'' have been found to be calling from crevices between boulders, on rocks, and on stream banks in both June and November, suggesting that breeding may occur throughout the year. To the human ear, this call is a high-pitched, rapid chirping. Specimens collected from Vietnam were slightly different and seem to represent two other lineages.

Habitat and conservation

''Leptobrachella aerea'' inhabits rocky streams and adjacent areas in evergreen and semi-evergreen forest at altitudes of about . It some degree of habitat degradation, but probably requires that some evergreen or semi-evergreen riparian vegetation remains. It is known from several protected areas in Vietnam: Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Pu Huong Nature Reserve, Ky Anh-Ke Go Reserve, and Xuan Lien Nature Reserve.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q55403627, from2=Q3230049 aerea Frogs of Asia Amphibians of Laos Amphibians of Vietnam Amphibians described in 2010 Taxa named by Stephen J. Richards Taxa named by Jodi Rowley