Pipidae (see family information on Tree of Life site)
33 species in 4 genera
Tongueless Frogs There are 4 genera and over 30 species in this family. These frogs lack a tongue, have dorsoventrally flattened bodies, fully webbed hind feet, small dorsally placed eyes, and retain a lateral line system. Tadpoles resemble small catfish due to their paired anterior barbells (absent in Hymenochirus whose tadpoles are carnivorous). Males in this family lack vocal cords but are able to communicate underwater via “clicking” sounds generated through a modified laryngeal apparatus. The Surinam Toad, Pipa pipa, amplexes (mates) in a circular motion underwater, allowing for the eggs to be deposited on the female's back. The fertilized eggs are later enveloped by skin and complete their development within the female's dorsal skin, so that eventually froglets emerge fully formed. Members of this family can be found in almost every kind of water body in Africa and South America. Two members of the genus Xenopus have become model lab organisms (the tetraploid Xenopus laevis and more recently the smaller, diploid Xenopus tropicalis), due to their hardiness and ability to be easily maintained in a laboratory, as well as ease of inducing ovulation and mating year-round by gonadotropin injection. The early development of Xenopus laevis has been studied by developmental biologists for over a hundred years. Characters for the Pipidae are: 1) epipubis present; 2) unpaired epipubic muscle; 3) quadratojugal absent; 4) free ribs in larvae; 5) sacrococcygeal articulation fused; 6) short, stocky sacrum; 7) elongate septomaxillae; 8) lateral line system present in adults; 9) tongues absent; 10) non-pedicellate teeth in Xenopus and some Pipa (other Pipa are edentate – have very few or no teeth).
Pipa pipa
Photo by Hugo Classen
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Genus Hymenochirus (4 species)
Hymenochirus boettgeri AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Hymenochirus boulengeri no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Hymenochirus curtipes no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Hymenochirus feae no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
Genus Pipa (7 species)
Pipa arrabali no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Pipa aspera no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Pipa carvalhoi AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Pipa myersi no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Pipa parva AmphibiaWeb account photos sound/video Pipa pipa AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Pipa snethlageae no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
Genus Pseudhymenochirus (1 species)
Pseudhymenochirus merlini no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Xenopus (21 species)
Xenopus amieti no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Xenopus andrei no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Xenopus borealis no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Xenopus boumbaensis no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Xenopus clivii no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Xenopus epitropicalis no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Xenopus fraseri no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Xenopus gilli AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Xenopus itombwensis no AmphibiaWeb account no photos sound/video Xenopus laevis AmphibiaWeb account photos sound/video Xenopus largeni no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Xenopus lenduensis AmphibiaWeb account photos sound/video Xenopus longipes AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Xenopus muelleri AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Xenopus petersii no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Xenopus pygmaeus no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Xenopus ruwenzoriensis no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Xenopus tropicalis AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Xenopus vestitus no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Xenopus victorianus no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Xenopus wittei no AmphibiaWeb account no 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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