Sulawesi "fanged frogs" (genus Limnonectes) are stream-dwelling dicroglossids that exhibit remarkable divergence in modes of reproduction, body size, prey acquisition, habitat use, and eco-physiology. The Sulawesi Limnonectes assemblage remains understudied, but recent research has identified many cryptic species via phylogenomic, morphometric, and acoustic analyses. Frederick et al. (2023) describes a sixth species of Sulawesi Limnonectes, the terrestrially-nesting species Limnonectes phyllofolia. At least eight additional undescribed species (and possibly many more) have been alluded to in the literature. Sulawesi fanged frogs exhibit 1000-fold variation in adult body mass, with the largest species weighing up to 2 kg; L. phyllofolia represents the smallest species with an average mass of only ~2 grams. Notably, this new species is only the second known Sulawesi exemplar to exhibit terrestrial egg deposition and male egg-guarding behavior, possibly an adaptative response to predation pressure from larger stream-inhabiting Limnonectes species. Males of the new species were observed guarding clutches of 10-20 eggs festooned on the leaves of small bushes or saplings, or on mossy boulders over small side-streams. The authors chose the specific epithet 'phyllofolia' (meaning "leaf nest") to characterize this unique breeding behavior not seen in other Sulawesi fanged frogs.

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