Raoul Bain is Biodiversity Specialist to Herpetology for the Museum's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation. He carries out research and field expeditions to CBC sites where he surveys biodiversity, makes conservation recommendations, and trains local scientists in conservation techniques. He also serves as a link between the CBC and the Museum's Department of Herpetology. Raoul has participated in expeditions to Vietnam and Bolivia, where he joined other CBC and Museum staff in the professional development of local scientists, and collection of herpetological data. Most of his work focuses on the systematics and conservation of amphibians and reptiles of Southeast Asia. Recent research includes teasing out the diversity of cryptic species of frogs from Southeast Asia. He is also studying patterns of herpetofaunal diversity and distribution of Indochina, and how these patterns should help to shape our conservation priorities. Raoul serves as the Working Group Chair, Mainland Southeast Asia, of the Species Survival Commission's Amphibian Specialist Group and as a reviewer for the IUCN's Global Amphibian and Global Reptile Assessments. He is a member of the Editorial Board of Copeia (journal of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists), and of The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal. Preceding his work at the CBC, he was an environmental and research consultant in the United States and Canada. Raoul holds a Master's degree in Zoology from the University of Toronto.

Biodiversity Specialist
Herpetology

Representative Publications

Bain, R.H., T.Q. Nguyen, K.V. Doan. In press. A new species of the genus Theloderma Tschudi, 1838 (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from Northwestern Vietnam. Zootaxa.

Bain, R.H., B.L. Stuart, T.Q. Nguyen, J. Che, and D.-q. Rao. 2009. A new Odorrana (Amphibia: Ranidae) from Vietnam and China. Copeia 2009(2): 348-362. PDF

Bain, R.H., T.Q. Nguyen, and K.V. Doan. 2009. First record of Leptobrachium promustache from Vietnam. Herpetology Notes 2: 27–29. PDF

Bain, Raoul, S.D. Biju, Rafe Brown, Indraneil Das, Arvin Diesmos, Sushil Dutta, David Gower, Robert Inger, Djoko Iskander, Yoshio Kaneko, Michael Wai Neng Lau, Madhava Meegaskumbura, Annemarie Ohler, Theodore Pappenfus, Rohan Pethiyagoda, Bryan Stuart, Mark Wilkinson, and Feng Xie. 2008. Chapter 7. Amphibians of the Indomalayan Region. In: Threatened Amphibians of the World. Simon Stuart, Michael Hoffmann, Janice Chanson, Neil Cox, Richard Berridge, Pavithra Ramani, and Bruce Young (editors). Lynx Edicions, Barcelona; IUCN Gland; and Conservation International, Arlington: pp 74–79.

Frost, D.R., T. Grant. J. Faivovich, R.H. Bain, A. Haas, C.F.B. Haddad, R.O. de Sa, A. Channing, M. Wilkinson, S.C. Donnellan, C.J. Raxworthy, J.A. Campbell, B.L. Blotto, R. Moler, R.C. Drewes, R.A. Nussbaum, J.D. Lynch, D.M. Green, and W.C. Wheeler. 2008. Is The Amphibian Tree of Life Really Fatally Flawed? Cladistics 24(3): 385–395. PDF

Li, J., J. Che, R.H. Bain, E.-M. Zhao and Y.-P. Zhang. 2008. Molecular phylogeny of Rhacophoridae (Anura): a framework of taxonomic reassignment of species within the genera Aquixalus, Chiromantis, Rhacophorus, and Philautus. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 48: 302-312. PDF

Stuart, Bryan L., and Raoul H. Bain. 2008. Amphibian species discovery in mainland Southeast Asia. In: Threatened Amphibians of the World. Simon Stuart, Michael Hoffmann, Janice Chanson, Neil Cox, Richard Berridge, Pavithra Ramani, and Bruce Young (editors). Lynx Edicions, Barcelona; IUCN Gland; and Conservation International, Arlington: 83.

David, P., R.H. Bain, Q.T. Nguyen, N.L. Orlov, G. Vogel, T.N. Vu, and T. Ziegler. 2007. A new species of the natricine snake genus Amphiesma from the Indochinese Region (Squamata: Colubridae: Natricinae). Zootaxa 1462: 41–60. PDF

Bain, R.H., Q.T. Nguyen, and K.V. Doan. 2007. New herpetofaunal records from Vietnam. Herpetological Review 38(1): 107 – 117. PDF

Nguyen, Q.T. R. Bain 2006. An Assessment of the Herpetofauna of the Green Corridor Forest Landscape, Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam. Report No 2: Green Corridor Project, WWF Greater Mekong & Vietnam Country Programme and FPD Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam: pp 47. PDF (Vietnamese)    PDF (English)

Nguyen, Q. T., N. N. Le, and R.H. Bain 2006. Species composition of amphibians (Amphibia) and Reptiles (Reptilia) from Ha Giang Province. Journal of Biology, Hanoi, 28(2): 21-26 (in Vietnamese).

Bain R.H. and B.L. Stuart. 2006, “2005”. A new species of cascade frog (Amphibia: Ranidae) from Thailand, with new data on Rana banaorum and Rana morafkai. Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society 53 (1): 3 –16. PDF

Bain R.H. and Stuart, B.L. 2006. Significant new records of the Junlian odorous frog, Odorrana junlianensis Huang, Fei, and Ye, 2001. Hamadryad 30 (1 & 2): 151 – 156. PDF

Frost, D.R., T. Grant. J. Faivovich, R.H. Bain, A. Haas, C.F.B. Haddad, R.O. deSa, A. Channing, M. Wilkinson, S.C. Donnellan, C.J. Raxworthy, J.A. Campbell, B.L. Blotto, R. Moler, R.C. Drewes, R.A. Nussbaum, J.D. Lynch, D.M. Green, and W.C. Wheeler. 2006. The Amphibian Tree of Life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 297: 1–370. PDF

Bain R.H., B.L. Stuart, B.L., N.L. and Orlov. 2006. Three new Indochinese species of cascade frogs (Amphibia: Ranidae) allied to Rana archotaphus. Copeia 2006 (1): 43–59. PDF

Lötters, S., S. Reichle, J. Faivovich, and R.H. Bain. 2005. The stream-dwelling tadpole of Hyloscirtus charazani (Anura: Hylidae) from Andean Bolivia. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Development 40(3):181–185. PDF

Stuart, B.L. and R.H. Bain. 2005. Three new species of spinule-bearing frogs allied to Rana megatympanum Bain, Lathrop, Murphy, Orlov and Ho, 2003 from Laos and Vietnam. Herpetologica 61(4):478–492. PDF

Bain, R.H., and Nguyen Quang Truong. 2004. Three new species of narrow-mouth frogs (Genus: Microhyla) from Indochina, with comments on Microhyla annamensis. Copeia 2004(3): 507–524. PDF
 
Bain, R.H., and Nguyen Quang Truong. 2004. Herpetofaunal Diversity of Ha Giang Province in Northeastern Vietnam with Descriptions of Two New Species. American Museum Novitates 3543, 1–42. PDF DOC
 
Bain, R.H., A. Lathrop, Murphy, R.W., Orlov, N., and Ho, T.C. 2003.

Cryptic species of cascade frogs from Vietnam: taxonomic revisions and descriptions of six new species. American Museum Novitates  #3417: 1–60. PDF DOC
 
Sterling, E.J., M.M. Hurley, and R. H. Bain. 2003. Vietnam's Secret Life. Natural History, 112 (2), pp. 50–59. PDF

Shorter Publications

Nicodemo, P., and R.H. Bain. In press. Geographic distribution. Dendrelaphis ngansonensis. Herpetological Review.

Bain, R.H., Q.T. Nguyen, and V.K. Doan. 2007. Geographic distribution. Calloselasma rhodostoma. Herpetological Review 38(1): 102.

Bain, R.H., Q.T. Nguyen, and V.K. Doan. 2007. Geographic distribution. Lyocodon laoensis. Herpetological Review 38 (1): 104

Bain, R.H., and Q.T. Nguyen. 2006. Geographic distribution. Leptobrachium mouhoti. Herpetological Review 37(3):358

Nguyen. Q.T., Doan, V.K. and R.H. Bain. 2005. Geographic distribution. Cuora galbinifrons.  Herpetological Review 36(3) 335.

Bain, R.H., and Nguyen Quang Truong. 2005. Geographic distribution. Huia absita. Herpetological Review 36(3):332.

Bain, R. and Nguyen Quang Truong. 2002. Geographic distribution. Leptolalax tuberosus. Herpetological Review 33(2):145.

Bain, R. and Nguyen Quang Truong. 2002. Geographic Distribution. Amolops spinapectoralis. Herpetological Review 33(1):61.

Bain, R. and Nguyen Quang Truong. 2002. Geographic Distribution. Rana attigua. Herpetological Review 33(1):63. 

Bain, R. and Nguyen Quang Truong. 2002. Geographic Distribution. Rhacophorus exechopygus. Herpetological Review 33(1):64. 

Bain, R. and Nguyen Quang Truong. 2002. Geographic Distribution. Ophisaurus sokolovi. Herpetological Review 33(1):66.

Bain, R. and Nguyen Quang Truong. 2001. Geographic distribution. Amolops cremnobatus. Herpetological Review 32(4):269.

Bain, R. and Nguyen Quang Truong. 2001. Geographic distribution. Rana chapaensis. Herpetological Review 32(4):272.

Presentations

Bain, R.H., and M.M. Hurley (2004). Towards an understanding of the biogeography of the herpetofauna of Indochina. Contributed paper, 19th Meeting of the International Congress of Zoology, Beijing, China, August, 2004.

Bain, R.H., M.M. Hurley, and M.Le (2004). Biogeography of the herpetofauna of Indochina: identifying important areas for amphibian and reptile conservation. Contributed paper, 18th Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology, New York City, Mew York, July-August, 2004.

Bain, R.H., and Nguyen Quang Truong (2001). A Rare Glimpse into Remnant Yunnan Forests of Southeast Asia: Herpetological Surveys of Far Northeastern Vietnam. Poster Presentation, Joint Meetings of the Herpetologists League and Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Indianapolis, Indiana, July 2001.

Educational Web Links

Southeast Asian Frog Diversity (The Science Show, Radio National, ABC). Aired 21 March 2009.

New Frog Species Hiding in Plain Sight. AMNH Bio Bulletin. April 30, 2007.

Ask a Scientist. AMNH Ology.