Leptodactylidae

Taxobox
name = Leptodactylidae
fossil_range = Fossil range|65|0Early Paleocene – Recent


image_width = 240px
image_caption = "Eleutherodactylus guttilatus"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Amphibia
subclassis = Lissamphibia
ordo = Anura
subordo = Neobatrachia
superfamilia = Hyloidea
familia = Leptodactylidae
familia_authority = Werner, 1896
subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies
subdivision =
* Ceratophryinae
* Cycloramphinae
* Eleutherodactylinae
* Leptodactylinae
* Telmatobiinae
range_

range_map_width = 240px
range_map_caption = Distribution of Leptodactylidae (in black)

Leptodactylidae are a diverse Family of frogs that probably diverged from other hyloids during the Cenozoic era, or possibly at the end of the Mesozoic.cite journal | author=Heinicke, M.P., W.E. Duellman & S.B. Hedges | year=2007 | title=Major Caribbean and Central American frog faunas originated by ancient oceanic dispersal |journal = Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. | volume=104 | issue=24 | pages=10092–7 | doi=10.1073/pnas.0611051104 | pmid=17548823] 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, most of which are widely distributed throughout Central and South America. The family is often considered paraphyletic and has no morphological synapomorphies. [cite web |url=http://amphibiaweb.org/lists/Leptodactylidae.shtml | title=AmphibiaWeb: Information on Amphibian Biology and Conservation | accessdate=2007-06-17 | publisher=University of California, Berkeley, CA] The family includes terrestrial, burrowing, aquatic, and arboreal members, inhabiting a wide range of different habitats.cite book |editor=Cogger, H.G. & Zweifel, R.G.|author= Zweifel, Richard G.|year=1998|title=Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians|publisher= Academic Press|location=San Diego|pages= 89-90|isbn= 0-12-178560-2]

Several of the genera within the Leptodactylidae lay their eggs in foam nests. These can be in crevices, on the surface of water, or on forest floors. These foam nests are some of the most varied among frogs. When eggs hatch in nests on the forest floor, the tadpoles remain within the nest, without eating, until metamorphosis. In the genus "Eleutherodactylus", the eggs hatch directly into miniature frogs, with no free-living tadpole stage.

The Leptodactylids are well represented in the fossil record, and one specimen from the genus "Eleutherodactylus" was wholly preserved in amber 37 million years ago.

Classification

Family LEPTODACTYLIDAE
* Subfamily Ceratophryinae - Horned Frogs
* Subfamily Cycloramphinae - Darwin's Frogs
* Subfamily Eleutherodactylinae - Robber Frogs
* Subfamily Leptodactylinae
* Subfamily Telmatobiinae - Water Frogs

References

External links

* [http://tolweb.org/tree?group='Leptodactylidae' Leptodactylidae, from the Tree of Life Web Project]
* [http://www3.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Undef&id=8372&lvl=3&lin=s&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock Leptodactylidae taxonomy, from the NCBI taxonomy browser]
* [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/Leptodactylidae.html Leptodacylidae classification, from Animal Diversity Web]
* [http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/aw/lists/Leptodactylidae.shtml Leptodactylid description, from AmphibiaWeb]