Description
Leptobrachella picta is a Bornean Frog. The description is based on Inger et al. (2017) as well as the Frogs of Borneo Website (Haas et al. 2024): Relatively large species within the Leptobrachella genus with males around 35 mm in snout-vent lenght and females slightly larger (45 mm).

Juveniles in particular might be confused with L. sabahmontana, which appears to also occur sympatrically (compare Inger et al. 2017). The latter species however, is smaller in adults and shows a speckled venter, which is completely white in L. picta (Matsui et al. 2014).

Dorsally light brown, with dark brown markings (which are light-edged). These markings also form an irregular band from the eye to the groin. Uniformly white or cream venter. The skin is smooth and the toes are slightly webbed at the base (Inger et al. 2017, Haas et al. 2024).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Malaysia

Malaysian region distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Sabah

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

The species is endemic to the island of Borneo. According to Inger et al. (2017) it occurs in the lowland and submontane dipterocarp rainforests of north-eastern Sarawak, through Brunei, to Western Sabah. Probably it can also be found in northern Kalimantan (Indonesia). While Inger et al. (2017) mention altitudes of 100 - 1100 m asl, "Amphibian species of the world" give a range from 500 - 1500 m asl (Frost 2024).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
The species is mostly found at night in close proximity to small forest streams (Inger et al. 2017).

Males call at night from low vegetation, 20-150cm above ground. The call series of around 30 notes last between 1,9 and 4,9 sec. followed by breaks of 4 - 5 sec. A single note lasts 62 ms and shows a decreasing modulation from 7160 to 6800 Hz (Malkmus and Riede 1993).

Larva
As of 2024, the tadpoles are unknown to science (Inger et al. 2017), however, it is assumed to be similar to the tadpoles of other Leptobrachella species, namely a slender body, strong muscular tail with low fins. The oral discs is assumed to form a cup-like structure of unknown function and the eyes are assumed to be small. As of 2024, no morphological key has been developed to distinguish the tadpoles of the Bornean Leptobrachella (Haas et al. 2024).

Trends and Threats
As of 2024, L. picta is considered "Least Concern" by the IUCN Red List. This is because it has a wide distribution, is found in protected areas, and in Malaysian Borneo below 1000 m a.s.l, it is common and populations appear stable. The species may tolerate some habitat disturbance, however, this there is habitat loss in unprotected areas and the species has not been found in plantations or agricultural areas. As such its main threat is the clear-cutting of lowland tropical forest that is occurring for land concession and oil palm plantations. This change in environment also creates siltation of streams, which affects microhabitats that larval stages depend on for feeding (IUCN 2018).

At least 50% of L. picta individuals can be found in protected areas, such as: Crocker Range and Kinabalu National Parks (Sabah), Kayan Mentarang National Park (Kalimantan), and Ulu Temburong National Park (Brunei) (IUCN 2018).

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss
Intensified agriculture or grazing
Subtle changes to necessary specialized habitat

References
Frost, D. R. (2024). Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.2 (12.12.2023). Electronic Database accessible at https://amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. Accessed on 16 December 2024.

Haas A., Das I., and Hertwig S.T. (2024). Leptobrachella pictus Painted Slender Litter Frog. Frogs of Borneo – The frogs of East Malaysia and their larval forms. Electronic Database accessible at https://www.frogsofborneo.org/frogs/megophryidae/leptobrachella/pictus. Accessed on 16 December 2024.

Inger, R. F., Stuebing, R. B., Grafe, U., and Dehling, J. M. (2017). A Field Guide to the Frogs of Borneo. Natural History Publications (Borneo) Limited, Kota Kinabalu.

IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. (2018). Leptobrachella picta. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T57573A114918465. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T57573A114918465.en. Accessed on 18 December 2024. Malkmus, R. and Riede, K. (1993). Nachtrag zu Leptolalax pictus MALKMUS, 1992 (Anura: Pelobatidae). SAURIA, 15(3), 7-9. [link]

Matsui, M., Nishikawa, K., and Yambun, P. (2014). A new Leptolalax from the mountains of Sabah, Borneo (Amphibia, Anura, Megophryidae). Zootaxa, 3753(3), 440-452. [link]

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2024 Leptobrachella picta: Painted Slender Litter Frog (Haas <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/5651> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed May 1, 2025.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2025. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 1 May 2025.

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