Assessment Results
Leptobrachella kecil
Order:
Anura
Family:
Megophryidae
Synonym(s):
Leptolalax kecil
Assessed for:
Malaysia
on:
18 Jan 2018
by:
AArk/ASG Malaysia Assessment Workshop
IUCN Global Red List:
Critically Endangered (CR)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Malaysia
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
21.09883497
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
Assessment compiled by M.A. Muin, D. Belabut, N. Ahmad, S. Anuar, K.O. Chan and E. Quah.
| Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
| 1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Critically Endangered (CR) | |
| 2 | Possibly extinct | Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild? | Yes / probably | Pending publication of paper showing the species is present at Fraser's Hill Wildlife Reserve, the only currently known population is likely extinct due to habitat destruction. |
| 3 | Phylogenetic significance | The taxon’s Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) score, as generated by the ZSL EDGE program. (These data are not editable by Assessors). | ED value 20 - 50 | |
| 4 | Protected habitat | Is a population of at least 50% of the individuals of the taxon included within a well-managed or reliably protected area or areas? | No / unlikely | Only known from its type locality in the Cameron Highlands in central Peninsular Malaysia at 1522 m asl (which has since been developed), but is likely to occur more widely within the Banjaran Titiwangsa mountain chain. Several specimens collected from Fraser's Hill Wildlife Reserve in 2016/17 (paper currently in review), but further molecular work is needed to confirm this. Fraser's Hill Wildlife Reserve is protected. it is thought to be restricted to high-elevation forest above 900 m asl (Malaysia Red List Assessment Workshop January 2018). |
| 5 | Habitat for reintroduction, conservation translocation or supplementation | Does enough well-managed and reliably protected habitat exist, either within or outside of currently protected areas that is suitable for conservation translocation, including population restoration or conservation introduction? | Yes / probably | There is a lot of similar, suitable habitat still in the region. |
| 6 | Previous reintroductions | Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species? | No | |
| 7 | In situ conservation activities | Are any in situ conservation actions currently in place for this species? (Only required if a Red List Assessment has not been completed, or if new actions have been implemented since the last Red List Assessment. (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.). | Yes / probably | Several specimens collected from Fraser's Hill Wildlife Reserve in 2016/17 (paper currently in review), but further molecular work is needed to confirm this. Fraser's Hill Wildlife Reserve is protected. |
| 8 | In situ conservation activities | Are additional in situ conservation actions required to help conserve this species in the wild (e.g. habitat restoration and/or protection, control of invasive species, national legislation etc.)? | Yes / probably | Adequate protection of the Cameron Highlands is necessary for the conservation of this species (Malaysia Red List Assessment Workshop January 2018). Efforts to develop a National Red List for amphibians of Malaysia are needed to identify species in need of conservation efforts (Malaysia Red List Assessment Workshop January 2018). |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Studies on its population size, distribution and trends, life history and ecology, and threats are needed. Additional surveys are needed throughout other upland areas along the Titiwangsa Mountain Range, particularly in areas which have received inadequate survey effort. |
| 10 | Threat mitigation | Are the threats facing the taxon, including any new and emerging threats not considered in the IUCN Red List, potentially reversible? | Threats unlikely to be reversed in time to prevent further decline / extinction | Type locality population is definitely threatened as habitat has been cleared (in 2016, agricultural development - large scale tea, fruit and vegetable farming and housing), but Fraser's Hill Wildlife Reserve population (if validated this species) is more secure. Continued protection of Fraser's Hill Wildlife Reserve is urgent, as well as protection of remaining habitat in Cameron Highlands. Agricultural development continues to be the greatest threat to the species' habitat in the Cameron Highlands. |
| 11 | Over-collection from the wild | Is the taxon suffering from collection within its natural range, either for food, for the pet trade or for any other reason, which threatens the species’ continued persistence in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 12 | Population recovery | Is the known population of this species in the wild large enough to recover naturally, without ex situ intervention if threats are mitigated? | Unknown | This species is known only from several specimens. No surveys have been carried out recently, and it is unknown whether the species persists following the habitat conversion that has taken place at its type locality (N. Ahmad pers. comm. April 2018). However, due to ongoing decline in habitat at Cameron Highlands, the population is suspected to be decreasing. |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | ||
| 14 | Biological distinctiveness | Does the taxon exhibit a distinctive reproductive mode, behaviour, aspect of morphology or physiology, within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.)? | No aspect of biology known to be exceptional | |
| 15 | Cultural/socio-economic importance | Does the taxon have a special human cultural value (e.g. as a national or regional symbol, in a historic context, featuring in traditional stories) or economic value (e.g. food, traditional medicine, tourism) within its natural range or in a wider global context? | No | |
| 16 | Scientific importance | Is the species vital to current or planned research other than species-specific ecology/biology/conservation within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.) e.g. human medicine, climate change, environmental pollutants and conservation science? | No research dependent on this species | |
| 17 | Ex situ research | Does conserving this species (or closely related species) in situ depend upon research that can be most easily carried out ex situ? | No | |
| 18 | Ex situ conservation activities | Is any ex situ research or other ex situ conservation action currently in place for this species? (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.) | ||
| 19 | Husbandry analog required | If an ex situ rescue program is recommended for this species, would an analog species be required to develop husbandry protocols first? | Yes / probably | |
| 20 | Husbandry analog | Do the biological and ecological attributes of this species make it suitable for developing husbandry regimes for more threatened related species? i.e. could this species be used in captivity to help to develop husbandry and breeding protocols which could be used for a similar, but more endangered species at a later stage? | No | |
| 21 | Captive breeding | Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity? | Not held in captivity to date | |
| 22 | Conservation education/ecotourism potential | Is the species especially diurnal, active or colourful, or is there an interesting or unusual aspect of its ecology that make it particularly suitable to be an educational ambassador for conservation of the species in the range country, either in zoos or aquariums or within ecotourism activities? | No | |
| 23 | Mandate | Is there an existing conservation mandate recommending the ex situ conservation of this taxon? | No | |
| 24 | Range State approval | If an ex situ initiative was proposed for this species, would it be supported (and approved) by the range State (either within the range State or out-of-country ex situ)? | Yes / probably | Note that permit approval is challenging, permit is required for each specimen and is expensive. |
| 25 | Founder specimens | Are sufficient animals of the taxon available or potentially available (from wild or captive sources) to initiate an ex situ program, if one was recommended? | No / unlikely | |
| 26 | Taxonomic status | Has a complete taxonomic analysis of the species in the wild been carried out, to fully understand the functional unit you wish to conserve (i.e. have species limits been determined)? | Yes | Chan et al. (2010), suggested that the dubious records of Leptolalax gracilis from Gunung Tahan might actually represent this species. |
Citation:
AArk/ASG Malaysia Assessment Workshop. 2018. Conservation Needs Assessment for Leptobrachella kecil, Malaysia.
https://www.conservationneeds.org/assessment/4387
Accessed 01 May 2025
