Sterling’s toothed toad (Oreolalax sterlingae) was first described in 2013 and is the only member of the genus known from Vietnam. The species is thought to be endemic to Vietnam’s highest mountain, Mount Fansipan, in northern Vietnam at elevations exceeding 2700 m a.s.l. Sterling’s toothed toad is one of just two Critically Endangered amphibians currently known from Vietnam and has an “Extent of Occurrence” (EOO) of just 8 km2. One of the recommended conservation actions for the species is to determine its distribution. Over a period of three years our team surveyed other sites on Mount Fansipan and high elevation sites in the Hoang Lien Range and we encountered Sterling’s toothed toad larvae at relatively low elevation on Mount Pu Ta Leng in the newly created Bat Xat Nature Reserve, 20 km northeast of the type locality. This greatly increases both the elevation range of the species (from 2900 m a.s.l to 2345–3108 m a.s.l) and the EOO (from 8 km2 to 639 km2). We suggest that Sterling’s toothed toad is reassessed as Endangered in accordance with the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species categories and criteria B1ab(iii).
By Benjamin Tapley, Luan Thanh Nguyen, Christopher Portway, Timo-thy Cutajar, Chung Thanh Nguyen, Hao Van Luong, Daniel Kane, Luke Harding, and Jodi J. L. Rowley (Zoological Society of London, Asian Turtle Program, Indo-Myanmar Conservation, Australian Museum and Hoang Lien National Park)