| Arthroleptidae | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Leptopelis uluguruensis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Clade: | Afrobatrachia |
| Family: | Arthroleptidae Mivart, 1869 |
| Genera | |
See text | |
The Arthroleptidae /ˌɑːrθroʊˈlɛptɪdiː/ are a family of frogs found in sub-Saharan Africa. This group includes African treefrogs in the genus Leptopelis along with the terrestrial breeding squeakers Arthroleptis , and several genera restricted to the Guinean forests of central and west Africa, such as the hairy frog (Trichobatrachus).
This family is the phylogenetic sister group of reed frogs, the Hyperoliidae, which together form the lineage Laurentobatrachia, [1] a name that commemorates work on African frogs by the Argentine herpetologist Raymond Laurent. This group is further nested within the Afrobatrachia, an ancient African endemic lineage that includes the Brevicipitidae and Hemisotidae. [1] The Arthroleptidae are separated, based on phylogenetic analyses, into three deeply divergent and dissimilar subfamilies: Arthroleptinae, Astylosterninae, and Leptopelinae. [2] [3] Some consider these to be separate families, [4] while others do not recognize any subfamilies, in particular due to uncertainty in the phylogenetic placement of Leptopelis and Scotobleps. [5] [6]
The three subfamilies consist of these genera: [3]
| Subfamilia | Species | Common name | Scientific name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arthroleptinae Mivart, 1869 | 48 | Screeching frogs | Arthroleptis Smith, 1849 |
| 19 | Long-fingered frogs | Cardioglossa Boulenger, 1900 | |
| Astylosterninae Noble, 1927 | 12 | Night frogs | Astylosternus Werner, 1898 |
| 15 | Egg frogs | Leptodactylodon Andersson, 1903 | |
| 1 | Southern night frog | Nyctibates Boulenger, 1904 | |
| 1 | Gaboon forest frog | Scotobleps Boulenger, 1900 | |
| 1 | Hairy frog | Trichobatrachus Boulenger, 1900 | |
| Leptopelinae Laurent, 1972 | 54 | Forest treefrogs | Leptopelis Günther, 1859 |
True frogs is the common name for the frog family Ranidae. They have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica. The true frogs are present in North America, northern South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Asian range extends across the East Indies to New Guinea and a single species, the Australian wood frog, has spread into the far north of Australia.
The Alytidae are a family of primitive frogs. Their common name is painted frogs or midwife toads. Most are endemic to Europe, but three species occur in northwest Africa, and a species formerly thought to be extinct is found in Israel.
The Rhinophrynidae are a family of frogs containing one extant genus, the monotypic Rhinophrynus, and a number of fossil genera. The family is sometimes known as the Mexican burrowing toads or simply burrowing toads.
The Ceratophryidae, also known as common horned frogs, are a family of frogs found in South America. It is a relatively small family with three extant genera and 12 species. Despite the common name, not all species in the family have the horn-like projections at the eyes. They have a relatively large head with big mouth, and they are ambush predators able to consume large prey, including lizards, other frogs, and small mammals. They inhabit arid areas and are seasonal breeders, depositing many small eggs in aquatic habitats. Tadpoles are free-living and carnivorous or grazers (Chacophrys).
The Cycloramphidae are a family of frogs endemic to southeastern Brazil. This family has seen large changes in its composition. Genera that have at some point been included in the Cycloramphidae are at present placed in the Alsodidae, Hylodidae, Leptodactylidae, and Rhinodermatidae. Of these, the Alsodidae and/or Hylodidae have also been considered as subfamilies of Cycloramphidae ; the Cycloramphidae, as recognized at present, would be similar to subfamily Cycloramphinae under such system.
Arthroleptis is a genus of frogs in the family Arthroleptidae found in tropical sub-Saharan Africa. Their common names include screeching frogs, sometimes simply squeakers.
Leptopelis is a genus of frogs in the family Arthroleptidae. They are found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, excluding Madagascar. It is placed in monotypic subfamily Leptopelinae, although this subfamily is not always recognized. They have a number of common names, including forest treefrogs, tree frogs, leaf-frogs, and big-eyed frogs.
The Aromobatidae are a family of frogs native to Central and South America. They are sometimes referred to as cryptic forest frogs or cryptic poison frogs. They are the sister taxon of the Dendrobatidae, the poison dart frogs, but are not as toxic as most dendrobatids are.
Leptopelis aubryi, also known as the Aubry's tree frog and Gaboon forest treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in southeastern Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, western and northern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola.
Leptopelis broadleyi is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae of uncertain status. The Amphibian Species of the World, the IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, and the African Amphibians do not recognize it, but instead consider it synonym with Leptopelis argenteus. However, the AmphibiaWeb recognizes it as a valid species.
Leptopelis flavomaculatus is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in the lowlands eastern and southern Africa, from Mozambique north of the Save River and Zimbabwe to Malawi, eastern Tanzania, and coastal Kenya. Its common names are yellow-spotted tree frog, brown-backed tree frog, brown forest treefrog, and Johnston's treefrog.
The Petropedetidae are a family of frogs containing two genera and 11 species. They are found in sub-Saharan tropical Africa and are sometimes known under common name African torrent frogs.
Nyctibatrachidae is a small family of frogs found in the Western Ghats of India and in Sri Lanka. Their common name is robust frogs. Recognition of Nyctibatrachidae as a family is fairly recent. These frogs were previously placed in the broadly defined family Ranidae, which was more recently divided into three subfamilies: Lankanectinae, Nyctibatrachinae, and Astrobatrachinae.
The frog family Dicroglossidae occurs in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa, with most genera and species being found in Asia. The common name of the family is fork-tongued frogs.
Craugastoridae, commonly known as fleshbelly frogs, is a family of New World direct-developing frogs. As delineated here, following the Amphibian Species of the World, it contains 129 species. They are found from the southern United States southwards to Central and South America.
Hylinae is a large subfamily of "tree frogs", family Hylidae.
The Alsodidae are a small family of frogs from South America between Patagonia and southern Brazil. It contains 30 species in three genera. This family, along with several other families, used to be included in the family Leptodactylidae. It was then a subfamily in the family Cycloramphidae, before being recognized as a family first in 2011.
The Odontophrynidae are a family of frogs from southern and eastern South America. This family was first established in 1969 as the tribe Odontophrynini within the (then) very large family Leptodactylidae. Molecular phylogenetics analyses prompted the move of this group to the Cycloramphidae in 2006, before they became recognized as their own family Odontophrynidae in 2011.
Hylodidae, commonly known as giant Neotropical torrent frogs, is a family of frogs native to Brazil and northern Argentina. Phylogenetic evidence suggests the Hylodidae being the sister group to the Alsodidae.
The Leiuperinae are a subfamily of frogs in the family Leptodactylidae. Over 90 species are in five genera. The distribution of this subfamily is from southern Mexico to the Central America and much of South America.
^ *" 'Horror frog' breaks own bones to produce claws." NewScientist.com, 2008