| Skeleton frogs | |
|---|---|
| Green Skeleton Frog, Boophis jaegeri Note skull visible through skin |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Subclass: | Lissamphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Suborder: | Neobatrachia |
| Family: | Mantellidae |
| Subfamily: | Boophinae Vences & Glaw, 2001 |
| Genus: | Boophis Tschudi, 1838 |
| Diversity | |
| Nearly 60 described species see below. | |
Boophis is a frog genus in the family Mantellidae. Like other frogs of their family, they are small, toxic, arboreal, and colorful[1]. They have adaptations simiar to the unrelated tree frogs. This genus can only be found on Madagascar and Mayotte Island (Comoros) and is the single member of the subfamily Boophinae[2].
Many species of Boophis have nearly translucent skin, allowing bones and internal organs to be observed like in the unrelated glass frogs (Centrolenidae) of the tropical Americas. This has led to the vernacular name skeleton frogs for the present genus.
The genus has presently nearly 60 species; new ones are being described every few months on average. This list is not exhaustive.