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Neobatrachia

(Suborder)

Overview

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Neobatrachia are a suborder of the Anura, the order of frogs and toads. This suborder is the most advanced and apomorphic of the three anuran orders alive today; hence its name, which literally means "new frogs" (from the hellenic words "neo", meaning "new" and "batrachia" meaning frogs). It is also by far the largest of the three; its more than 5,000 different species make up over 96% of all living anurans.

The differentiation between Archaeobatrachia, Mesobatrachia, and Neobatrachia is mainly based primarily anatomic differences ? especially the skeletal structure ?, as well as several visible characteristics and behaviors.

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Separating the Anura into the Archaeo-, Meso- and Neobatrachia is somewhat controversial, and as more research is done and more knowledge is gained it is even becoming less clear, because many characteristics used for this differentiation apply to more than one group.

Neobatrachia are u sually sorted into five superfamilies. But this division is also controversial, as some families are placed into different superfamilies by different authors. In addition, several families have been revealed to be paraphyletic and consequently split up to make them correspond to clades and thus be natural, evolutionary groups. This has approximately doubled the number of presently-recognized neobatrachian families.

List of families

The families currently accepted in the Neobatrachia by many authors are:

b>Neobatrachia are a suborder of the Anura, the order of frogs and toads. This suborder is the most advanced and apomorphic of the three anuran orders alive today; hence its name, which literally means "new frogs" (from the hellenic words "neo", meaning "new" and "batrachia" meaning frogs). It is also by far the largest of the three; its more than 5,000 different species make up over 96% of all living anurans.

The differentiation between Archaeobatrachia, Mesobatrachia, and Neobatrachia is mainly based primarily anatomic differences ? especially the skeletal structure ?, as well as several visible characteristics and behaviors.

[ Back to top ]

Separating the Anura into the Archaeo-, Meso- and Neobatrachia is somewhat controversial, and as more research is done and more knowledge is gained it is even becoming less clear, because many characteristics used for this differentiation apply to more than one group.

Neobatrachia are usually sorted into five superfamilies. But this division is also controversial, as some families are placed into different superfamilies by different authors. In addition, several families have been revealed to be paraphyletic and consequently split up to make t hem correspond to clades and thus be natural, evolutionary groups. This has approximately doubled the number of presently-recognized neobatrachian families.

List of families

The families currently accepted in the Neobatrachia by many authors are:

References

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Taxonomy

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The Suborder Neobatrachia is a member of the Order Anura. Here is the complete "parentage" of Neobatrachia:

The Suborder Neobatrachia is further organized into finer groupings including:

Families

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Allophrynidae

The Tukeit Hill Frog (Allophryne ruthveni) is one of the two described species in the genus Allophryne (the other one being ), which in turn is the only member of the subfamily Allophryninae, a clade recently placed under the family Centrolenidae (elevated by some authors to the rank of a separate family Allophrynidae). These frogs live in Guyana, Venezuela, Surinam, Brazil and Bolivia. The holotype was discovered at Tukeit Hill, below Kaieteur Falls, Guyana, hence the common English name. [more]

Amphignathodontidae

The marsupial frogs are a disputed family (Amphignathodontidae) in the order Anura. Where it is treated as a separate family, it consists of two genera, Gastrotheca, and Flectonotus. These frogs are native to Neotropical America (Central America & South America). Under other classifications, these are treated as part of family Hemiphractidae. There is still an active question as to which classification is correct. [more]

Aromobatidae

[more]

Arthroleptidae

Arthroleptidae () is a family of frogs found in Sub-Saharan Africa. They are also known as squeakers because of their high-pitched call. They are small, less than 4 centimetres (1.6 in) in length, terrestrial frogs found mostly in leaf litter on the forest floor. They completely bypass any aquatic stage, and therefore do not have tadpoles. They lay their eggs on the ground, in crevices or in leaf litter, and the offspring undergo direct development. Some species hatch already completely metamorphosed into the adult form, while others still have tails when they hatch. [more]

Astylosternidae

Arthroleptidae () is a family of frogs found in Sub-Saharan Africa. They are also known as squeakers because of their high-pitched call. They are small, less than 4 centimetres (1.6 in) in length, terrestrial frogs found mostly in leaf litter on the forest floor. They completely bypass any aquatic stage, and therefore do not have tadpoles. They lay their eggs on the ground, in crevices or in leaf litter, and the offspring undergo direct development. Some species hatch already completely metamorphosed into the adult form, while others still have tails when they hatch. [more]

Brachycephalidae

The saddleback toads are the family Brachycephalidae () in the order Anura. The family consist of just one genus, Brachycephalus, with 11 species. These tiny, often yellow frogs are native to Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. [more]

Brevicipitidae

Brevicipitinae is a family of Neobatrachia subordio. [more]

Bufonidae

Bufonidae is the family of the true toads, members of the order Anura (frogs and toads). They are the only family of anurans all members of which are known as "toads." The bufonids now comprise more than 35 genera, Bufo being the most widespread and well known. [more]

Calyptocephalellidae

[more]

Centrolenidae

Glass frog (or Glassfrogs) is the common name for the frogs of the amphibian family Centrolenidae (order Anura). While the general background coloration of most glass frogs is primarily lime green, the abdominal skin of some members of this family is transparent. The internal viscera, including the heart, liver, and gastrointestinal tract are visible through this translucent skin, hence the common name. [more]

Ceratobatrachidae

The true frogs, family Ranidae, have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on most continents except Antarctica. The true frogs are present in North America, northern South America, Europe, Asia, Madagascar, Africa, and from the East Indies to New Guinea; the species native to Australia?the Australian Wood Frog (Hylarana daemelii)?is restricted to the far north. [more]

Ceratophryidae

The Ceratophryinae, known as common horned frogs, are a subfamily of the leptodactylid frogs. All species in this subfamily live in South America. Fossils of the giant Beelzebufo from Cretaceous Madagascar suggest that the subfamily may have once ranged throughout the prehistoric supercontinent of Gondwana. Despite the common name, not all species in the subfamily have the horn-like projections at the eyes. All are carnivorous, terrestrial or semi-aquatic and notably thickset with proportionally large heads and mouths. Some species (especially from the genera Ceratophrys and Lepidobatrachus) are popular in herpetoculture. [more]

Cryptobatrachidae

[more]

Cycloramphidae

Cycloramphinae is a subfamily of leptodactylid frogs found in South America. [more]

Dendrobatidae

Poison dart frog (also dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to Central and South America. These species are diurnal and often have brightly-colored bodies. Although all wild dendrobatids are at least somewhat toxic, levels of toxicity vary considerably from one species to the next and from one population to another. Many species are critically endangered. These amphibians are often called "dart frogs" due to the Amerindians' indigenous use of their toxic secretions to poison the tips of blowdarts. However, of over 175 species, only three have been documented as being used for this purpose (curare plants are more commonly used), and none come from the Dendrobates genus, which is characterized by the brilliant color and complex patterns of its members. [more]

Dicroglossidae

[more]

Heleophrynidae

The Heleophrynidae, is a family of order Anura, commonly known as ghost frogs. The family consists of a 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 . [more]

Hemiphractidae

[more]

Hemisotidae

The shovelnose frogs are nine species of frog 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 centimetres (3.1 in). They are round-bodied, with short legs. Their head is small and narrow, with a hard, upturned nose. [more]

Hylidae

Hylidae is a wide-ranging family of frogs commonly referred to as "tree frogs and their allies". However, the hylids include a diversity of frog species, many of which do not live in trees, but are terrestrial or semi-aquatic. [more]

Hylodidae

[more]

Hyperoliidae

Hyperoliidae is a family of small to medium sized, brightly colored, frogs which contains more than 250 species in 19 genera. Seventeen genera are native to sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the monotypic genus Tachycnemis occurs on the Seychelles Islands, and the genus Heterixalus (currently 10 species) is endemic to Madagascar. [more]

Leiuperidae

[more]

Leptodactylidae

Leptodactylidae is a diverse family of frogs that probably diverged from other hyloids during the Cenozoic era, or possibly at the end of the Mesozoic. There are roughly 50 genera, one of which is Eleutherodactylus, the largest vertebrate genus, with over 700 species. In total, there are approximately 1100 leptodactylid species, which are widely distributed throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The family is often considered paraphyletic and has no morphological synapomorphies. The family includes terrestrial, burrowing, aquatic, and arboreal members, inhabiting a wide range of different habitats. [more]

Limnodynastidae

Myobatrachidae 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 centimetres (0.59 in) long, to the second largest frog in Australia, the Giant Barred Frog (Mixophyes iteratus), at 12 centimetres (4.7 in) in length. The entire family are either terrestrial or aquatic frogs, with no arboreal species. [more]

Mantellidae

Mantellidae is a family of the order Anura. These frogs are found only in Madagascar and Mayotte. [more]

Micrixalidae

[more]

Microhylidae

Microhylidae is a geographically widespread family of frogs. There are 495 species in 68 genera and nine subfamilies, which is the largest number of genera of any frog family. [more]

Myobatrachidae

Myobatrachidae 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 centimetres (0.59 in) long, to the second largest frog in Australia, the Giant Barred Frog (Mixophyes iteratus), at 12 centimetres (4.7 in) in length. The entire family are either terrestrial or aquatic frogs, with no arboreal species. [more]

Nasikabatrachidae

Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis is a frog species belonging to the family Sooglossidae. It can be found in the Western Ghats in India. Common names for this species are Purple Frog, Indian Purple Frog, Pignose Frog or Doughnut Frog. It was discovered by S.D. Biju and F. Bossyut in October 2003 and was found to be unique for the geographic region. [more]

Nyctibatrachidae

[more]

Petropedetidae

Petropedetinae are a subfamily of frogs. They are placed in the true frog family (Ranidae) by many authors. But this is quite disputed and at least part of this group is often treated as a distinct family Petropedetidae, in which case the Cacosterninae and Phrynobatrachinae are usually separated as subfamilies or even distinct families Cacosternidae and Phrynobatrachidae. Most members of this subfamily are in the genus Phrynobatrachus. These frogs are essentially[] limited to sub-Saharan Africa, with the highest diversity - and as it seems their evolutionary origin - in the very south of the continent. [more]

Phrynobatrachidae

[more]

Ptychadenidae

[more]

Pyxicephalidae

[more]

Ranidae

The true frogs, family Ranidae, have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on most continents except Antarctica. The true frogs are present in North America, northern South America, Europe, Asia, Madagascar, Africa, and from the East Indies to New Guinea; the species native to Australia?the Australian Wood Frog (Hylarana daemelii)?is restricted to the far north. [more]

Ranixalidae

[more]

Rhacophoridae

Rhacophoridae is a family of frog species, which occur in tropical regions of Asia and Africa. 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". [more]

Rheobatrachidae

The gastric-brooding frogs or Platypus frogs (Rheobatrachus) were a genus of ground-dwelling frogs native to Queensland in eastern Australia. The genus consisted of only two species, both of which became extinct in the mid-1980s. The genus was unique because it contained the only two known frog species that incubated the prejuvenile stages of their offspring in the stomach of the mother. [more]

Rhinodermatidae

Rhinodermatidae are a family of small frogs found on the south-west coast of South America. There is only one genus (Rhinoderma), with just two species, of which the Chile Darwin's Frog (R. rufum) is highly endangered or may already be extinct. The better known Darwin's Frog (R. darwinii) is vulnerable. [more]

Sooglossidae

The Seychelles frogs (Sooglossidae) are a family of frogs found on the Seychelles Islands and India. Until recently this family was believed to include the genera Nesomantis and Sooglossus, but following a major revision of amphibians in 2006 the genus Nesomantis was named a junior synonym of Sooglossus; conversely, the recently-discovered purple frog which was initially assigned to a distinct monotypic family (Nasikabatrachidae) is now included in the Sooglossidae. [more]

At least 8 species and subspecies belong to the Family Sooglossidae.

More info about the Family Sooglossidae may be found here.

References

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Sources

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Last Revised: August 24, 2012
2012/08/24 13:17:43