Chuanbei Toothed Toad vs Lesser Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse

Oreolalax chuanbeiensis compared with Chiropodomys pusillus

Key Differences

• Chuanbei Toothed Toad is Endangered while Lesser Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chuanbei Toothed Toad	Lesser Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Amphibia (Amphibians)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Anura (Frogs & Toads)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Megophryidae	Muridae (Mice & Rats)
Genus	Oreolalax	Chiropodomys
Species	Oreolalax chuanbeiensis	Chiropodomys pusillus

Evolutionary Relationship

Chuanbei Toothed Toad and Lesser Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Chuanbei Toothed Toad

EN — Endangered

Lesser Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chuanbei Toothed Toad	Lesser Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chuanbei Toothed Toad

Habitat

Typically found in freshwater habitats, moist forests, and wetlands.

Lesser Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Chuanbei Toothed Toad

The Chuanbei Toothed Toad (Oreolalax chuanbeiensis) is an Endangered amphibian endemic to the mountains of northern Sichuan Province in southwestern China. It belongs to the family Megophryidae, a diverse group of litter frogs and toad-like amphibians that is particularly species-rich in the eastern Himalayan and southwestern Chinese highlands. The species name chuanbeiensis refers to northern Sichuan (Chuanbei), reflecting its highly restricted geographic range. Like other Oreolalax species, the Chuanbei Toothed Toad is associated with cold, fast-flowing mountain streams, where larvae develop in torrent conditions that require specialized morphological adaptations including oral suckers. Adults are terrestrial outside the breeding season, sheltering in leaf litter and rocky crevices in montane forest. The IUCN has assessed this species as Endangered due to its small known range, ongoing habitat degradation from logging, agriculture, and infrastructure development in mountain areas, and the impacts of chytridiomycosis (amphibian chytrid fungal disease) which threatens Asian megophryid frogs. Limited survey data mean that the species' full extent of occurrence and population size are poorly constrained.