Hyperoliidae (see family information on Tree of Life site)
223 species in 18 genera
African Tree Frogs The family Hyperoliidae consists of 18 genera and over 200 species. The diversity of hyperoliids is restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and several islands. One genus, Heterixalus, is endemic to Madagascar. Another genus, Tachycnemis, is found only in the Seychelles Islands. One of the most basal genera, Kassina (running frogs), is terrestrial, but most remaining genera are arboreal (the vernacular name of the family refers to the sedge and bush frogs). Tadpoles typically inhabit ponds, or possibly slow-moving parts of streams, and usually have large tailfins. Many species exhibit bright colors and striking patterns, which are sexually dimorphic in some species. One example is Hyperolius argus, which has been used to study the effects of estrogen-like compounds on development of reproductive organs and external secondary sex features. Males of nearly all species have a prominent gular pad and compete over calling sites. Acanthixalus may communicate via pheromones rather than typical advertisement calls.
Morphological characters for this group are: 1) nuptial pads absent; 2) posterolateral process of hyoid absent; 3) sternum cartilaginous; 4) dentomentalis muscle present; 5) pupil vertical in most. (account by David Blackburn)
Taxonomy is still unsettled for some groups within Hyperoliidae, particularly the following:
The Hyperolius nasutus group, consisting of H. nasutus, H. acuticeps, H. adspersus, H. igbettensis, H. benguellensis, and possibly H. lamottei and H. viridis. Both species delimitation and nomenclature are under debate. For a brief discussion, see the account for H. acuticeps.
The Hyperolius viridiflavus superspecies, where it is generally accepted that the group consists of several biological species, but where the species delimitation has not been settled. The superspecies is here treated as an entity under the name H. viridiflavus, and the forms which are regarded by some as full species are treated also under their respective names: H. angolensis, H. glandicolor, H. marginatus, H. mariae, H. marmoratus, H. nitidulus, H. pyrrhodichtyon, H. reesi, H. rhodesianus, H. sheldricki, H. swynnertoni, and H. viridiflavus.
The Afrixalus fulvovittatus complex, which probably consists of several cryptic species. In West Africa, the restricted western farmbush form A. fulvovittatus and the widespread savanna form A. vittiger are reasonably well separated. From Cameroun eastwards the taxonomy is unclear, with the names A. vittiger, A. quadrivittatus, and A. brevipalmatus used in recent literature.
The "Eastern Dwarf" Afrixalus are a bewildering group of small, savanna-living forms. The taxonomy used here follows the latest revision, that of Pickersgill (2007). This group consists of Afrixalus aureus, A. crotalus, A. delicatus, A. knysnae, A. morerei, A. septentrionalis, A. spinifrons, and A. stuhlmanni. (account by Arne Schiøtz)
Hyperolius argus
Photo by Robert C. Drewes
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Afrixalus quadrivittatus
Photo by David Blackburn
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Genus Acanthixalus (2 species)
Acanthixalus sonjae AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Acanthixalus spinosus AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Afrixalus (31 species)
Genus Alexteroon (3 species)
Alexteroon hypsiphonus AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Alexteroon jynx AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Alexteroon obstetricans AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Arlequinus (1 species)
Arlequinus krebsi AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Callixalus (1 species)
Callixalus pictus AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
Genus Chlorolius (1 species)
Chlorolius koehleri AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Chrysobatrachus (1 species)
Chrysobatrachus cupreonitens AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Cryptothylax (2 species)
Cryptothylax greshoffii AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Cryptothylax minutus AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
Genus Heterixalus (11 species)
Genus Hyperolius (143 species)
Genus Kassina (16 species)
Kassina arboricola AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Kassina cassinoides AmphibiaWeb account photos sound/video Kassina cochranae AmphibiaWeb account no photos sound/video Kassina decorata AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Kassina fusca AmphibiaWeb account no photos sound/video Kassina jozani AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Kassina kuvangensis AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Kassina lamottei AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Kassina maculata AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Kassina maculifer AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Kassina maculosa AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Kassina mertensi AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Kassina schioetzi AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Kassina senegalensis AmphibiaWeb account photos sound/video Kassina somalica AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Kassina wazae AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
Genus Kassinula (1 species)
Kassinula wittei AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Morerella (1 species)
Morerella cyanophthalma no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
Genus Opisthothylax (1 species)
Opisthothylax immaculatus AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Paracassina (2 species)
Paracassina kounhiensis AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Paracassina obscura AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Phlyctimantis (4 species)
Phlyctimantis boulengeri AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Phlyctimantis keithae AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Phlyctimantis leonardi AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Phlyctimantis verrucosus AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Semnodactylus (1 species)
Semnodactylus wealii AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Tachycnemis (1 species)
Tachycnemis seychellensis AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Citation: AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. 2013. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: http://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed: 2013).
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