Petropedetinae
Encyclopedia
Petropedetinae are a subfamily of frog
s. They are placed in the true frog family
(Ranidae) by many authors. But this is quite disputed and at least part of this group is often treated as a distinct family Petropedetidae, in which case the Cacosterninae and Phrynobatrachinae are usually separated as subfamilies or even distinct families Cacosternidae and Phrynobatrachidae. Most members of this subfamily are in the genus
Phrynobatrachus. These frogs are essentially limited to sub-Saharan Africa
, with the highest diversity - and as it seems their evolution
ary origin - in the very south of the continent.
This group of frogs is made up from the following genera, about half of which is monotypic
:
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s. They are placed in the true frog family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Ranidae) by many authors. But this is quite disputed and at least part of this group is often treated as a distinct family Petropedetidae, in which case the Cacosterninae and Phrynobatrachinae are usually separated as subfamilies or even distinct families Cacosternidae and Phrynobatrachidae. Most members of this subfamily are in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Phrynobatrachus. These frogs are essentially limited to sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
, with the highest diversity - and as it seems their evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
ary origin - in the very south of the continent.
This group of frogs is made up from the following genera, about half of which is monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
:
- Anhydrophryne – Hogsback Frog (1 species)
- ArthroleptellaArthroleptellaArthroleptella is a genus of frog in the Petropedetidae family. Frogs in this genus are known as Moss Frogs. The seven species of this genus are endemic to South Africa.It contains the following species:...
– moss frogs (8 species) - ArthroleptidesArthroleptidesArthroleptides is a genus of frog in the Petropedetidae family, known as the African Torrent Frogs.It contains the following species:* Du Toit's Torrent Frog * Usambara Torrent Frog...
– African torrent frogs (3 species) - CacosternumCacosternumCacosternum is a genus of frog in the Petropedetidae family.It contains the following species:* Boettger's Dainty Frog * Cape Caco * Karoo Dainty Frog...
– cacos (10 species) - Dimorphognathus (1 species)
- Ericabatrachus (1 species)
- Microbatrachella – Micro Frog (1 species)
- Natalobatrachus (1 species)
- Nothophryne (1 species)
- PetropedetesPetropedetesPetropedetes is a genus of frog in the Petropedetidae family.It contains the following species:* Petropedetes cameronensis* Petropedetes johnstoni* Petropedetes natator* Petropedetes newtoni* Petropedetes palmipes...
(7 species) - PhrynobatrachusPhrynobatrachusThe dwarf puddle frogs or African puddle frogs make up the genus Phrynobatrachus with over 70 species. These Afrotropical true frogs are placed in the subfamily Petropedetinae, which some authors consider a distinct family...
– dwarf puddle frogs or African puddle frogs (70+ species) - Phrynodon (1 species)
- Poyntonia (1 species)