Pyxicephalidae
86 species in 12 genera
Commonly Called African Bullfrogs, Sand Frogs, Moss Frogs
Pyxicephalus edulis
Photo by Peter Janzen
(Click for family gallery)This family is organized into two subfamilies, Pyxicephalinae and Cacosterninae; the former are large, stocky, robust frogs while the latter are small and slender. These species span a variety of habitats; in general, the Pyxicephalinae species occur in grasslands and are terrestrial while Cacosterninae species can be found in forests and may be semi-arboreal with the exception of Tomopterna, which are semi-fossorial frogs.
News Highlight:
June 27, 2016: To gain a better understanding of the African genus Amietia, which is currently composed of 16 cryptic species, Larson et al. (2016) recently analyzed the genus using newly collected samples from The Albertine Rift, which is home to five Amietia species, and published species sequences. They showed that Amietia is monophyletic, diverged in the late-Oligocene to early-Miocene (17.44–31.97 mya), and contains more species than previously thought. Amongst the 79 samples collected, a known vertebrate biodiversity hotspot, they found six undescribed species. All of the new species were found in unprotected land and all the Amietia species in the Rift are currently threatened by political instability, habitat loss, and chytridiomycosis. Although political instability makes it difficult for researchers to gain access to areas where these undescribed species exist, the researchers are optimistic that more undescribed species can be found there and urge future surveys and conservation efforts in the area.Written by AmphibiaWebNotable Family Characteristics
- Occurs in a variety of habitats from savannah, grasslands, and scrub to rocky streams in forests
- Displays a variety of reproductive modes including laying eggs and free-living tadpoles to direct development, e.g., Arthroleptella are known to lay eggs which hatch into nonfeeding tadpoles that metamorphose into small froglets almost immediately
- Species may be terrestrial, semi-arboreal or semi-fossorial
- Many species are explosive breeders, appearing en masse after heavy rainfall
- Distribution throughout sub-Saharan Africa
Relevant Reference
Bossuyt, F., R. M. Brown, D. M. Hillis, D. C. Cannatella, and M. C. Milinkovitch. 2006. Phylogeny and biogeography of a cosmopolitan frog radiation: Late Cretaceous diversification resulted in continent-scale endemism in the family Ranidae. Systematic Biology 55: 579–594.
Channing, A., Hendricks, D., and Dawood, A. (1994). ''Description of a new moss frog from the south-western Cape (Anura: Ranidae: Arthroleptella).'' South African Journal of Zoology, 29(4), 240-243.
Frost, D. R., T. Grant, J. Faivovich, R. H. Bain, A. Haas, C. F. B. Haddad, R. O. de Sá, A. Channing, M. Wilkinson, S. C. Donnellan, C. J. Raxworthy, J. A. Campbell, B. L. Blotto, P. E. Moler, R. C. Drewes, R. A. Nussbaum, J. D. Lynch, D. M. Green, and W. C. Wheeler. 2006. The amphibian tree of life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 297: 1–370
Vitt, L. J., and J. P. Caldwell. 2013. Herpetology. An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. Fourth Edition. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Subfamily Cacosterninae (79 species)
Genus Amietia (16 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Amietia angolensis no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Amietia chapini no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Amietia delalandii no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Amietia desaegeri no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Amietia fuscigula no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Amietia hymenopus no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Amietia inyangae no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Amietia johnstoni no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Amietia moyerorum AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Amietia nutti no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Amietia poyntoni no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Amietia ruwenzorica no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Amietia tenuoplicata no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Amietia vandijki no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Amietia vertebralis no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Amietia wittei no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Anhydrophryne (3 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Anhydrophryne hewitti no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Anhydrophryne ngongoniensis AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Anhydrophryne rattrayi no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Arthroleptella (10 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Arthroleptella atermina no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella bicolor no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella draconella AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella drewesii AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Arthroleptella kogelbergensis no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella landdrosia no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella lightfooti no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella rugosa no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella subvoce no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella villiersi no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
Genus Cacosternum (17 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Cacosternum aggestum no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum australis no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum boettgeri no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Cacosternum capense no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum karooicum AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum kinangopensis no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum leleupi no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum namaquense no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Cacosternum nanogularum no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum nanum no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Cacosternum parvum no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum platys no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Cacosternum plimptoni no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Cacosternum poyntoni no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum rhythmum no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum striatum no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum thorini no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
Genus Microbatrachella (1 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Microbatrachella capensis no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Natalobatrachus (1 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Natalobatrachus bonebergi no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Nothophryne (5 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Nothophryne baylissi no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Nothophryne broadleyi no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Nothophryne inagoensis no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Nothophryne ribauensis no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Nothophryne unilurio no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
Genus Poyntonia (1 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Poyntonia paludicola AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Strongylopus (10 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Strongylopus bonaespei no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Strongylopus fasciatus no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Strongylopus fuelleborni no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Strongylopus grayii no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Strongylopus kilimanjaro no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Strongylopus kitumbeine no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Strongylopus merumontanus no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Strongylopus rhodesianus no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Strongylopus springbokensis AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Strongylopus wageri no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
Genus Tomopterna (15 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Tomopterna cryptotis AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Tomopterna damarensis no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Tomopterna delalandii no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Tomopterna elegans no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Tomopterna gallmanni no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Tomopterna kachowskii no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Tomopterna krugerensis no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Tomopterna luganga no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Tomopterna marmorata no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Tomopterna milletihorsini no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Tomopterna monticola no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Tomopterna natalensis no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Tomopterna tandyi no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Tomopterna tuberculosa no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Tomopterna wambensis no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
Subfamily Pyxicephalinae (7 species)Genus Aubria (3 species) [subfamily Pyxicephalinae]
Aubria masako no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Aubria occidentalis no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Aubria subsigillata no AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video
Genus Pyxicephalus (4 species) [subfamily Pyxicephalinae]
Pyxicephalus adspersus AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Pyxicephalus angusticeps no AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video Pyxicephalus edulis AmphibiaWeb account photos no sound/video Pyxicephalus obbianus AmphibiaWeb account no photos no sound/video
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