Leptodactylidae

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Leptodactylidae

Eleutherodactylus guttilatus

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Lissamphibia
Order:	Anura
Suborder:	Neobatrachia
Superfamily:	Hyloidea
Family:	Leptodactylidae Werner, 1896

Distribution of Leptodactylidae (in black)

Subfamilies

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.^[1] 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.^[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 tadpole-like stages remain within the nest, without eating, until metamorphosis.

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.

[edit] Subfamilies

[edit] References

^ Heinicke, M.P., W.E. Duellman & S.B. Hedges (2007). "Major Caribbean and Central American frog faunas originated by ancient oceanic dispersal". Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 104 (24): 10092-7. doi:10.1073/pnas.0611051104.
^ AmphibiaWeb: Information on Amphibian Biology and Conservation. University of California, Berkeley, CA. Retrieved on 2007-06-17.

[edit] External links

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