Myobatrachidae

family of amphibians

Myobatrachidae is a family of frogs found in Australia and New Guinea. Members of this family vary greatly in size. There are species less than 1.5 centimetres (0.59 in) long. This family also has the second-largest frog in Australia, the Giant Barred Frog at 12 centimetres (4.7 in) in length. The entire family either live in land or water. None of them live in trees.

Myobatrachidae
Temporal range: 25–0 Ma Late Oligocene – Recent
The Common Eastern Froglet (Crinia signifera)
Scientific classification
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Myobatrachidae

Schlegel, 1850
Subfamilies
  • See text
Distribution of Myobatrachidae (in black)

These frogs do not have the adhesive toe disc cups found in the tree frogs. The family is broken up into three sub-families: Limnodynastinae, Myobatrachinae and Rheobatrachinae. This separation is based mainly on their egg-laying habits. Those of the sub-family Limnodynastinae lay foam nests. The female makes foam with a chemical on her skin. The foam may float on top of water, or be on land. The sub-family Rheobatrachinae has the two species of gastric-brooding frog, and the rest are in the sub-family Myobatrachinae.

Taxonomy

change
Subfamilia Species Common name Binomial name
Limnodynastinae[1] 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[2] 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[3] 2 Gastric Brooding Frogs Rheobatrachus Liem, 1973

References

change
  1. Considered a family - Limnodynastidae by some authors.
  2. Considered a family - Myobatrachidae by some authors.
  3. 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.