New records and potential distribution of Bufo luchunnicus (Yang & Rao, 2008) in Vietnam

The Luchun Stream Toad – Bufo luchunnicus (Yang & Rao, 2008) is a Critically Endangered species with a restricted distribution in southern China and northwestern Vietnam. Habitat loss and disturbance is the main threat to this species, but a lack of understanding of its natural history has hindered urgent conservation efforts to safeguard the species and its habitats. As a result of our field surveys, we herein report two new population records of B. luchunnicus in Vietnam and provide novel data on its natural history. In addition, species distribution models (MaxEnt – Maximum Entropy Algorithm) using current climatic data are applied to predict the potential distribution of B. luchunnicus.