AMPHIBIAWEB

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.

Written by AmphibiaWeb

Notable 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 no 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

Citation: AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: https://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed:

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