Brevicipitidae
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.
Breviceps fuscus
Photo by Miguel Vences and Frank Glaw
(Click for details)
Genus Balebreviceps (1 species)
Balebreviceps hillmani no species account no photos no range maps no sounds
Genus Breviceps (16 species)
Breviceps acutirostris no species account photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps adspersus species account no photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps bagginsi no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps fichus no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps fuscus no species account photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps gibbosus no species account photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps macrops no species account photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps maculatus no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps montanus no species account photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps mossambicus no species account photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps namaquensis no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps poweri no species account photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps rosei no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps sopranus no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps sylvestris no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Breviceps verrucosus species account photos no range maps no sounds
Genus Callulina (2 species)
Callulina kisiwamsitu no species account photos no range maps no sounds Callulina kreffti no species account photos no range maps no sounds
Genus Probreviceps (5 species)
Probreviceps durirostris no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Probreviceps loveridgei no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Probreviceps macrodactylus no species account photos no range maps no sounds Probreviceps rhodesianus no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Probreviceps uluguruensis no species account no photos no range maps no sounds
Genus Spelaeophryne (1 species)
Spelaeophryne methneri no species account no photos no range maps no sounds
Citation: AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. 2008. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: http://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed: 2008).
AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use.