Brevicipitidae
33 species in 5 genera
Previously considered as part of the Microhylidae, there is now strong support that the five genera comprising the monophyletic Brevicipitidae, following Frost et al. (2006), are part of a larger lineage of African frogs including the Hemisotidae, Hyperoliidae and Arthroleptidae. The Brevicipitids are restricted to the eastern and southern parts of sub-Saharan Africa, from Ethiopia south to Angola and South Africa. Some genera, such as Breviceps, exhibit an extreme difference in male and female body sizes. Male frogs are so much smaller and have such short limbs relative to their volume that they are unable to amplex. Instead, they have an adhesive secretion from the skin that allows males and females to “stick” together during mating. Roughly spherical clutches of eggs are deposited in subterranean chambers. All five genera are believed to have direct development in which fully metamorphosed young hatch directly from eggs. Characters uniting this clade include (1) lack of ossified sphenethmoids; (2) an extremely short head; (3) direct development. (account by David Blackburn)
Breviceps fuscus
Photo by Miguel Vences and Frank Glaw
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Genus Balebreviceps (1 species)
Balebreviceps hillmani no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
Genus Breviceps (16 species)
Breviceps acutirostris no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Breviceps adspersus AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Breviceps bagginsi no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Breviceps fichus no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Breviceps fuscus no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Breviceps gibbosus no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Breviceps macrops AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Breviceps maculatus no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Breviceps montanus no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Breviceps mossambicus no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Breviceps namaquensis no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Breviceps poweri no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Breviceps rosei no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Breviceps sopranus no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Breviceps sylvestris no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Breviceps verrucosus AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Callulina (9 species)
Callulina dawida no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Callulina hanseni no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Callulina kanga no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Callulina kisiwamsitu no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Callulina kreffti no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Callulina laphami AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Callulina meteora no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Callulina shengena no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Callulina stanleyi no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Probreviceps (6 species)
Probreviceps durirostris no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Probreviceps loveridgei no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Probreviceps macrodactylus no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Probreviceps rhodesianus no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Probreviceps rungwensis no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Probreviceps uluguruensis no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
Genus Spelaeophryne (1 species)
Spelaeophryne methneri no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
Citation: AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. 2012. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: http://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed: 2012).
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