Ghost frog

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Ghost frog
Hadromophryne natalensis.jpeg
Natal ghost frog (Hadromophryne natalensis)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Suborder: Neobatrachia
Family: Heleophrynidae
Noble, 1931
Genera
Heleophrynidae range.PNG
Distribution of Heleophrynidae (in black)

Heleophrynidae is a family of frogs, commonly known as ghost frogs. [1] They are thought to be the most basal group in the Neobatrachia. [1] [2] The family consists of two genera, Heleophryne and Hadromophryne , with seven species. Ghost frogs live in swift-moving mountain streams in South Africa. The common name of "ghost frogs" may have been coined because of their occurrence in Skeleton Gorge . [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

The ghost frogs were formerly thought to be closely related to the Sooglossidae of the Seychelles (which are now thought to be a sister group to Ranoidea), or to the Australian Myobatrachidae, which are now thought to be a sister group to Hyloidea. In contrast, more recent taxonomic studies place them as being the most basal extant members of the Neobatrachia and having no close relatives, having diverged from the rest of the Neobatrachia during the Early Cretaceous, about 140 million years ago. [4] [5]

Family Heleophrynidae

Biology

Ghost frogs have morphological adaptations suited to surviving on the rocks around these streams. They only come out on full moons. They are medium-sized frogs, reaching a length of 6 cm (2.4 in), with flat bodies, enabling them to climb inside rocky crevices. They have very large toe discs in comparison to their size, which helps to cling onto rocks. With the help of the labial teeth the tadpoles contain in their mouths, the mouthparts are modified into sucking discs, to allow them to cling to substrates, and remain still while they are feeding. [3]

EDGE endangered species

On January 21, 2008, Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) identified nature's most "weird, wonderful and endangered species", stating that "the EDGE amphibians are amongst the most remarkable and unusual species on the planet and yet an alarming 85% of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention." Due to the very ancient origins and deep genetic divergence of Heleophrynidae, the Table Mountain ghost frog (Heleophryne rosei) was listed as #11 on the list. [6] [7] [5]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alytidae</span> Family of amphibians

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megophryidae</span> Family of amphibians

Megophryidae, commonly known as goose frogs, is a large family of frogs native to the warm southeast of Asia, from the Himalayan foothills eastwards, south to Indonesia and the Greater Sunda Islands in Maritime Southeast Asia, and extending to the Philippines. Fossil remains are also known from North America. As of 2014 it encompasses 246 species of frogs divided between five genera. For lack of a better vernacular name, they are commonly called megophryids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leptodactylidae</span> Family of amphibians

The southern frogs form the Leptodactylidae, a name that comes from Greek meaning a bird or other animal having slender toes. They are a diverse family of frogs that most likely diverged from other hyloids during the Cretaceous. The family has undergone major taxonomic revisions in recent years, including the reclassification of the former subfamily Eleutherodactylinae into its own family the Eleutherodactylidae; the Leptodactylidae now number 206 species in 13 genera distributed throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The family includes terrestrial, burrowing, aquatic, and arboreal members, inhabiting a wide range of habitats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sooglossidae</span> Family of amphibians

Sooglossidae, the Seychelles frogs or Seychelles Island frogs, are a family of frogs found on the Seychelles Islands. Until recently, this family was believed to include the genera Sechellophryne, Nesomantis and Sooglossus, but following a major revision of amphibians in 2006, the genus Nesomantis was named a junior synonym of Sooglossus. Their closest relatives are the purple frogs (Nasikabatrachidae) of India.

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The Rhacophoridae are a family of frogs that occur in tropical sub-Saharan Africa, South India and Sri Lanka, Japan, northeastern India to eastern China and Taiwan, south through the Philippines and Greater Sundas, and Sulawesi. They are commonly known as shrub frogs, or more ambiguously as "moss frogs" or "bush frogs". Some Rhacophoridae are called "tree frogs". Among the most spectacular members of this family are numerous "flying frogs".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parsley frog</span> Family of amphibians

The parsley frogs or Pelodytidae are a family of order Anura. The family consists of a single genus, Pelodytes, which contains five species. These frogs can be found in south-western Europe and the Caucasus. The common name of "parsley frogs" comes from the common parsley frog which, because of its colouring, appears to be garnished with parsley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shovelnose frog</span> Genus of amphibians

The shovelnose frogs are the species of frogs in the genus, Hemisus, the only genus in the family Hemisotidae. They are found in tropical and subtropical sub-Saharan Africa. The shovelnose frogs are moderate-sized frogs, reaching a length of 8 cm (3.1 in). They are round-bodied, with short legs. Their heads are small and narrow, with hard, upturned noses.

<i>Heleophryne</i> Genus of amphibians

Heleophryne is a genus of ghost frogs. They are known from mountainous regions of South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brachycephalidae</span> Family of amphibians

The Brachycephalidae are a family of frogs confined to eastern and southern Brazil and northern Argentina. The family is composed of two externally quite different genera: the tiny, often colourful and plump saddleback toads (Brachycephalus) from Brazil, and the larger, slimmer and more drab genus Ischnocnema from both Brazil and Argentina. The family is mainly defined by molecular characteristics, and are linked by few anatomical features. It was erected from two genera of the previously large family Eleutherodactylidae, which is now split into four families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myobatrachidae</span> Family of amphibians

Myobatrachidae, commonly known as Australian ground frogs or Australian water frogs, is a family of frogs found in Australia and New Guinea. Members of this family vary greatly in size, from species less than 1.5 cm (0.59 in) long, to the second-largest frog in Australia, the giant barred frog, at 12 cm (4.7 in) in length. The entire family is either terrestrial or aquatic frogs, with no arboreal species.

The Hewitt's ghost frog is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae. It is endemic to Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Its natural habitat is fynbos heathland and grassy fynbos. Adults are difficult to see but live in or near fast-flowing perennial rivers and streams where they also breed. Each female lays up to 200 eggs. Tadpoles are more readily seen and take two years to develop fully.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern ghost frog</span> Species of amphibian

The eastern ghost frog is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purcell's ghost frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Purcell's ghost frog is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae. It is endemic to Western Cape Province, South Africa. Its natural habitat is fynbos heathland. Breeding takes place in perennial streams. Their tadpoles take two years to develop fully.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal ghost frog</span> Species of amphibian

The royal ghost frog, also known as the southern ghost frog or Cape ghost frog, is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae. It is endemic to South Africa, and lives in fast-moving streams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose's ghost frog</span> Species of amphibian endemic to South Africa

Rose's ghost frog, or Table Mountain ghost frog, is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae endemic to South Africa. It is a medium-sized species with purple or brown blotches on a pale green background and large discs on its fingers and toes. It has a very restricted range, being only known from the slopes of parts of Table Mountain. The tadpoles live in permanent streams but these are in danger of drying up because of the establishment of pine plantations. Because of its small range and changes in its habitat, this frog is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Richard George Zweifel was an American herpetologist, who classified several species in the American Southwest and in Australia, including the rattling frog. Zweifel contributed immensely to the documentation of the nowadays Aspidoscelis costatus species. Out of the eight costata subspecies, Dr. Zweifel reported and named five of them. Zweifel worked at the American Museum of Natural History from 1954 to 1989, and was Herpetology Department Chairman from 1968 to 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cederberg ghost frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Cederberg ghost frog , also known as the Hex River ghost frog or Hex River torrent frog, is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae. It is endemic to the Western Cape Province of South Africa, living in the Cederberg mountain range.

References

  1. 1 2 "Heleophrynidae Noble, 1931 | Amphibian Species of the World". amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  2. Dubois, Alain (July 2005). "Amphibia Mundi. 1.1. An ergotaxonomy of recent amphibians". Alytes. Paris. 23 (1/2): 1–24. ProQuest   1319774213.
  3. 1 2 Zweifel, Richard G. (1998). Cogger, H.G.; Zweifel, R.G. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 104–105. ISBN   0-12-178560-2.
  4. Feng, Yan-Jie; Blackburn, David C.; Liang, Dan; Hillis, David M.; Wake, David B.; Cannatella, David C.; Zhang, Peng (2017-07-18). "Phylogenomics reveals rapid, simultaneous diversification of three major clades of Gondwanan frogs at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 114 (29): E5864–E5870. Bibcode:2017PNAS..114E5864F. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1704632114 . ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   5530686 . PMID   28673970.
  5. 1 2 "Table Mountain Ghost Frog". EDGE of Existence. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  6. Lovell, Jeremy (21 January 2008). "Giant newt, tiny frog identified as most at risk". Reuters.[ dead link ]
  7. "World's weirdest amphibians". the Guardian. 21 January 2008.