- Myobatrachidae
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Myobatrachidae
Temporal range: 25–0 Ma Late Oligocene – Recent[1]The Common Eastern Froglet (Crinia signifera) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Amphibia Order: Anura Family: Myobatrachidae
Schlegel, 1850Subfamilies - See text
Distribution of Myobatrachidae (in black) 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.
Contents
Characteristics
The Myobatrachidae family contains forms of parental care unique in the animal kingdom. The two species of gastric-brooding frog (genus: Rheobatrachus), are found in this family. The female of these species will swallow her young, where they develop until metamorphosis. The Pouched Frog (Assa darlingtoni) has pouches on the sides of its body. The male will guard the eggs until hatching, and assist the tadpoles into its side, where they stay until metamorphosis.[1] Another form of parental care, although not unique, is found in many species of the genus, Limnodynastes, where the male will bury itself near an egg mass, and protect the eggs.
While many species are adapted to burrowing, helping them survive in a semi-arid or seasonally arid environment, the Turtle Frog and Sandhill Frog go as far as to lay their eggs directly into moist sand several feet below the surface, rather than into water. These species lack tadpoles, with the eggs hatching directly into miniature frogs.[1]
These frogs lack adhesive toe discs found in the tree frogs. The family is broken up into three sub-families: Limnodynastinae, Myobatrachinae and Rheobatrachinae. This separation is based mainly upon their egg laying habits. Those of the sub-family Limnodynastinae lay foam nests. The female creates foam by agitating a chemical on her skin with her hands. The foam may float on top of water, or be on land. The sub-family Rheobatrachinae contains the two species of gastric-brooding frog, and the rest are within the sub-family Myobatrachinae.
Taxonomy
The Myobatrachids are split into three sub-families: Myobatrachinae, Limnodynastinae and Rheobatrachinae. Although most sources class the three groups as sub-families some taxonomists recognise them each as individual families.
Subfamilia Species Common name Binomial name Limnodynastinae[2] 1 Tusked Frog Adelotus Ogilby, 1907 6 Giant Burrowing Frogs Heleioporus Gray, 1841 4 Cannibal Frogs Lechriodus Boulenger, 1882 11 Australian Swamp Frogs Limnodynastes Fitzinger, 1843 10 Stubby Frogs Neobatrachus Peters, 1863 4 Australian Spadefoot Toads Notaden Günther, 1873 2 Burrowing Frogs Opisthodon Steindachner, 1867 6 Baw Baw Frogs Philoria Spencer, 1901 Myobatrachinae[3] 1 Australian Dumpy Frogs Arenophryne Tyler, 1976 1 Pouched Frogs Assa Tyler, 1972 15 Australian Froglets Crinia Tschudi, 1838 7 Ground Froglets Geocrinia Blake, 1973 1 Nicholls' Toadlets Metacrinia Parker, 1940 8 Barred Frogs Mixophyes Günther, 1864 1 Turtle Frogs Myobatrachus Schlegel In Gray, 1850 1 Haswell's Frogs Paracrinia Heyer & Liem, 1976 13 Crowned Toadlet Pseudophryne Fitzinger, 1843 1 Sunset Frog Spicospina Roberts et al., 1997 6 Australian Torrent Frogs Taudactylus Straughan & Lee, 1966 25 Australian Toadlets Uperoleia Gray, 1841 Rheobatrachinae[4] 2 Gastric Brooding Frogs Rheobatrachus Liem, 1973 References
- ^ a b c Zweifel, Richard G. (1998). Cogger, H.G. & Zweifel, R.G.. ed. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 90–91. ISBN 0-12-178560-2.
- ^ Considered a family - Limnodynastidae by some authors.
- ^ Considered a family - Myobatrachidae by some authors.
- ^ Combined with the Myobatrachidae by some authors.
- Cogger, H.G.; R.G. Zweifel, and D. Kirschner (2004). Encyclopedia of Reptiles & Amphibians Second Edition. Fog City Press. ISBN 1-877019-69-0.
External links
Extant anuran families by suborder Kingdom Animalia · Phylum Chordata · Subphylum Craniata · Superclass Tetrapoda · Class Amphibia Archaeobatrachia Mesobatrachia Neobatrachia Amphignathodontidae · Aromobatidae · Arthroleptidae · Brachycephalidae · Bufonidae · Centrolenidae · Craugastoridae · Dendrobatidae · Heleophrynidae · Hemiphractidae · Hemisotidae · Hylidae · Hyperoliidae · Leptodactylidae · Mantellidae · Microhylidae · Myobatrachidae · Petropedetidae · Pyxicephalidae · Ranidae · Rhacophoridae · Rhinodermatidae · SooglossidaeCategories:- Frogs by classification
- Myobatrachidae
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