Unveiling Hidden Ranges: New Localities and Elevational Limits of Leyte Wart Frog, Limnonectes leytensis Boettger, 1893

The Leyte wart frog (Limnonectes leytensis Boettger, 1893) is an endemic anuran of the Philippines with a distribution that spans several islands in the central and southern regions of the archipelago. Despite its wide geographic occurrence, the full extent of its range remains incompletely documented, particularly in isolated and understudied islands. This study reassesses the species’ distribution through extensive field surveys across 18 islands and examination of preserved museum specimens from the Senckenberg Museum-Frankfurt. A total of 282 individuals were recorded from nine islands, with new locality records from Siargao Island and a significant elevational extension at 1,300 meters above sea level in Gingoog City, Mindanao—the highest known record for the species. Conversely, the absence of L. leytensis from Leyte Island, its type locality, along with other historically documented sites such as Negros and Samar, raises concerns over potential local extirpations or misidentified historical records. Examination of museum specimens also confirmed previously unpublished occurrences in Masbate, Basilan, and Tawi-Tawi, thereby expanding the species’ biogeographic context. The observed female-biased sex ratio and population variability across islands underscore the need for targeted conservation action. These findings contribute significantly to the understanding of the ecological range, biogeographic affiliations, and conservation needs of this widespread but understudied Philippine amphibian.