Pyxicephalidae |  |
87 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
Cartography Credit: Zoe Yoo, UC Berkeley
Range maps sources: AmphibiaWeb, UC Berkeley, and IUCN RedListRelevant 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 (80 species)
Genus Amietia (16 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Amietia angolensis no account photos no sound/video Amietia chapini no account no photos no sound/video Amietia delalandii no account photos no sound/video Amietia desaegeri no account no photos no sound/video Amietia fuscigula no account photos no sound/video Amietia hymenopus no account photos no sound/video Amietia inyangae no account no photos no sound/video Amietia johnstoni no account no photos no sound/video Amietia moyerorum account no photos no sound/video Amietia nutti no account photos no sound/video Amietia poyntoni no account photos no sound/video Amietia ruwenzorica no account no photos no sound/video Amietia tenuoplicata no account photos no sound/video Amietia vandijki no account no photos no sound/video Amietia vertebralis no account photos no sound/video Amietia wittei no account photos no sound/video
Genus Anhydrophryne (3 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Anhydrophryne hewitti no account no photos no sound/video Anhydrophryne ngongoniensis account no photos no sound/video Anhydrophryne rattrayi no account photos no sound/video
Genus Arthroleptella (10 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Arthroleptella atermina no account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella bicolor no account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella draconella account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella drewesii account photos no sound/video Arthroleptella kogelbergensis no account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella landdrosia no account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella lightfooti no account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella rugosa no account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella subvoce no account no photos no sound/video Arthroleptella villiersi no account no photos no sound/video
Genus Cacosternum (17 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Cacosternum aggestum no account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum australis no account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum boettgeri no account photos no sound/video Cacosternum capense no account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum karooicum account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum kinangopensis no account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum leleupi no account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum namaquense no account photos no sound/video Cacosternum nanogularum no account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum nanum no account photos no sound/video Cacosternum parvum no account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum platys no account photos no sound/video Cacosternum plimptoni no account photos no sound/video Cacosternum poyntoni no account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum rhythmum no account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum striatum no account no photos no sound/video Cacosternum thorini no account no photos no sound/video
Genus Microbatrachella (1 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Microbatrachella capensis account photos no sound/video
Genus Natalobatrachus (1 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Natalobatrachus bonebergi no account photos no sound/video
Genus Nothophryne (5 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Nothophryne baylissi no account no photos no sound/video Nothophryne broadleyi no account no photos no sound/video Nothophryne inagoensis no account no photos no sound/video Nothophryne ribauensis no account no photos no sound/video Nothophryne unilurio no account no photos no sound/video
Genus Poyntonia (1 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Poyntonia paludicola account photos no sound/video
Genus Strongylopus (10 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Strongylopus bonaespei no account no photos no sound/video Strongylopus fasciatus no account photos no sound/video Strongylopus fuelleborni no account no photos no sound/video Strongylopus grayii no account photos no sound/video Strongylopus kilimanjaro no account no photos no sound/video Strongylopus kitumbeine no account no photos no sound/video Strongylopus merumontanus no account no photos no sound/video Strongylopus rhodesianus no account no photos no sound/video Strongylopus springbokensis account no photos no sound/video Strongylopus wageri no account no photos no sound/video
Genus Tomopterna (16 species) [subfamily Cacosterninae]
Tomopterna branchi no account no photos no sound/video Tomopterna cryptotis account photos no sound/video Tomopterna damarensis no account photos no sound/video Tomopterna delalandii no account photos no sound/video Tomopterna elegans no account no photos no sound/video Tomopterna gallmanni no account no photos no sound/video Tomopterna kachowskii no account photos no sound/video Tomopterna krugerensis no account photos no sound/video Tomopterna luganga no account photos no sound/video Tomopterna marmorata no account photos no sound/video Tomopterna milletihorsini no account no photos no sound/video Tomopterna monticola no account no photos no sound/video Tomopterna natalensis no account photos no sound/video Tomopterna tandyi no account photos no sound/video Tomopterna tuberculosa no account photos no sound/video Tomopterna wambensis no account no photos no sound/video
Subfamily Pyxicephalinae (7 species)Genus Aubria (3 species) [subfamily Pyxicephalinae]
Aubria masako no account photos no sound/video Aubria occidentalis no account no photos no sound/video Aubria subsigillata no account photos no sound/video
Genus Pyxicephalus (4 species) [subfamily Pyxicephalinae]
Pyxicephalus adspersus account photos no sound/video Pyxicephalus angusticeps no account no photos no sound/video Pyxicephalus edulis account photos no sound/video Pyxicephalus obbianus account no photos no sound/video
Citation: AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: https://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed:AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use.