Conservation Actions
Conservation Actions In-Place
This species is currently only known from a small section of Bidoup Nui-Ba National Park (Rowley et al. 2011, 2015, 2016).
Conservation Needed
Evergreen forest and associated streams in its range should be prioritised for protection as part of an area-based management plan to ensure the long term viability of the species.
Research Needed
Further research into the species' ecology, true distribution, abundance and population trends would improve conservation decisions. Strategies for additional protection of habitat within its range may be warranted.
Location Information
This species is currently known from 1,553–1,908 m asl in Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, Lam Dong Province in Viet Nam. The distribution of this species was originally thought to extend into adjacent areas of the Langbian Plateau (Rowley et al. 2011), but more recent surveys (Rowley et al. 2015, 2016) have revealed that closely related species occupy parts of that range and this species is more restricted than previously anticipated, occupying a small area of evergreen forest along the border of Lam Dong and Khanh Hoa Province. Like most other species in the Leptobrachella applebyi group, this species is range-restricted due to its specific habitat requirements (dependence on evergreen forest and on stream headwaters and seeps for breeding) and low vagility (Rowley et al. 2015). Its extent of occurrence (EOO) is 42 km2, and this represents a single threat-defined location. Further surveys in these areas are warranted to determine its true distribution.
Geographic Range
Extant
Viet Nam
Population Information
Little information is available on the size or trends of this species' population except that its presence had gone undetected at or near the type locality during several surveys prior to its discovery (Le 2011). Only seven individuals were detected during initial May 2008 surveys (Rowley et al. 2011) and only a few individuals have been recorded since (Rowley et al. 2015, 2016). This may be because the species is difficult to detect due mostly to its small size, cryptic colouration and behaviour, and quiet call (Rowley et al. 2015, 2016). Due to ongoing habitat loss the species' population is inferred to be decreasing, and further surveys are needed to determine its true abundance.
Threats
The species is dependent on evergreen forest and extremely range-restricted, therefore susceptible to habitat loss. Although the majority of the species' range is thought to occur within a protected area, there is ongoing habitat degradation within its range due to illegal logging, road development, aquaculture and agriculture, particularly coffee plantations (Meyfroidt and Lambin 2008, Meyfroidt et al. 2013, Le 2011; Jodi Rowley pers. obs. November 2014).
IUCN Red List Account Link
Please click here to see the species' IUCN Red List Account page.
