| Saddleback toads | |
|---|---|
| Spix’s Saddleback Toad, Brachycephalus ephippium | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Suborder: | Neobatrachia |
| Family: | Brachycephalidae Günther, 1858 |
| Genus: | Brachycephalus Fitzinger, 1826 |
| Species | |
|
Brachycephalus alipioi |
|
| Distribution of Brachycephalidae (in black) | |
The saddleback toads are the family Brachycephalidae ( /ˈbrækɨsɛˈfælɨdiː/) in the order Anura. The family consist of just one genus, Brachycephalus, which consists of nine species. These frogs are native to southeastern Brazil.
The saddleback toads are very small frogs, mostly around 1 centimetre (0.39 in) in length, and include the smallest frog in the southern hemisphere, Izecksohn's Toad (Brachycephalus didactylus)[1]. They have only three toes on each foot, and two fingers on each hand. This is in contrast to the usual five toes and four fingers of most frogs.
The saddleback toads are active during the day, and live in the leaf litter on forest floors. The eggs undergo direct development, hatching into miniature frogs, without a tadpole stage[1]. The eggs are laid on the ground, and covered in soil to protect from the heat and predators. Their amplexus method is unusual, in that it begins with inguinal amplexus, with the male holding the female around the waist, and then shifts to axillary amplexus, in which the male grips above the female's arms. Most frogs species only use one technique.
Family BRACHYCEPHALIDAE