7 Anura

Modern Amphibian Diversity- Anura
Anura 88%
Caudata 9%
Gymnophiona 3%
Frogs

6,915 species (about the same number of mammals)
6,111 of these are frogs; 615 salamanders; 189 caecilians
all continents except Antarctica
mostly tropical

saltation
External morphology: Adult
Chiasson and Underhill 1994
Amphibian Skin
Chromatophores:
1. Xanthophores
2. Iridophore
3. Melanophore

Frogs are highly specialized amphibians - specialized for what?
Astragulus and calcaneum are fused forming a 4th main leg
segment
Fusion of radius & ulna into single element (same for tibia &
fibula)
Shortened vertebral column (9 or fewer pre-sacral vertebrae)
Hindlimb longer than forelimb
Vocal sacs well developed in males of most species
No tail (in adults)
Tongue is large and protrusible
42 families (probably more)
Skeletal characteristics of Anura

Fusion of leg elements
in anurans, shortened
vertebral column, &
elongated hind limb
bones

No fusion in
salamanders &
more than nine
vertebrae
Triadobatrachus versus modern frog
Mesozoic

Protrusible tongue
Prey capture

Vocal sacs in males
Generalized life history
Larvae

Fertilization is external except in a few species in 4 genera
Therefore most are oviparous with aquatic eggs and larvae
Most are oviparous, with direct development of terrestrial eggs
2 families are viviparous (mostly lecithotrophy)
Many species exhibit bizarre forms of parental care
Reproduction
Inguinal
Axillary
Inguinal is thought to be the ancestral character state
Anura Reproduction,
Amplexus
Anura Reproduction, Amplexus (males shaded)
glued
straddle
independent
cephalic
inguinal
axillary

Internal Fertilization & Viviparity

Anura
Reproduction, Internal Fertilization
Neoteny
Why is there no neoteny in anurans?
Most species are completely aquatic and neoteny (in salamanders,
anyway) involves the lack of a switch from aquatic to terrestrial
There are vast differences in the ecology of adult and larval anurans:
Tadpoles are almost exclusively plant eaters, adults are not. A plant
diet requires a large gut (why?) which leaves no room for ova,
oviducts, etc.
Reproduction

Aquatic larvae, when present,
lack true teeth, have keratinous
beaks, and have fold of skin
covering gills
Anura Size range: 7 mm to 33 cm & 7 lbs
Goliath Frog Conrana goliath
Worlds smallest vertebrate
Paedophryne amauensis

Relationships
Characters important in diagnosing groups:
pectoral girdle type
number of pre-sacral vertebrae
number & placement of spiracle in tadpoles

Relationships

Spiracle Anura Relationships
Order Anura (Salienta) Frogs
2006 Dr. Peter Janzen

Relationships
All other frogs
Ascaphus &
Leiopelma
Leiopelomatidae

Relationships
Leiopelomatidae
Range: New Zealand
Diagnostic Characters:
direct development in Leiopelma.
Phil Bishop

Relationships
Ascaphus 2
species
Ascaphidae Tailed frogs
Brad Moon
Diversity: 1 genus, 2 species
Distribution: Pacific Northwest of US

The tailed Frog gets its name from the copulatory organ of the male, which resembles a short tail.
This is one of the very few frogs with internal fertilization; the copulatory organ is used to transfer sperm to the female.
It inhabits cold streams in humid forests and the areas around them.
Ascaphus is semi-aquatic and is most active in the vicinity of streams at night.
Its tadpole has a large suckerlike mouth that occupies about one-half of the ventral surface of the body.
It also has a large number of denticles (2-3 upper and 7-12 lower rows).
Ascaphus uses its sucker and denticles to adhere to and move among rocks in the cold swift streams.
Tadpoles of most species of frogs have only two upper and three lower rows of denticles.
Ascaphus truei is in the family Ascaphidae, which along with the Leiopelmatidae, retains nine vertebrae in front of the sacrum,
and "tailwagging" muscles, both primitive features.

Relationships
Ascaphus &
Leiopelma
All other frogs
Rhinophrynidae
Pipidae
Introduction to select families

Relationships
Pipidae 33 species
Xenopus laevis
African clawed frog
Pipa pipa
Surinam toad

Anura Relationships
Pipidae continued
Range: South American and
Panamanian
tropics; sub-Saharan Africa.

Diagnostic Characters:
aquatic frogs that have inguinal
amplexus and that vocalize using the
hyoid apparatus to make clicks.
Tounge absent

Relationships
Rhinophrynidae
- 1 species
Rhinophrynis dorsalis
Mexican burrowing toad
Rhinophrynidae

Relationships
Range E: Tropical and subtropical lowland North and
Central America.
Diagnostic Characters: contains a single species,
Rhinophrynus dorsalis, which is of medium-size,
with a cone-shaped head and globular body,
reflecting its burrowing life history. Like the pipids,
it has inguinal amplexus

Relationships
Bombinatoridae 10 species
RANGE: France and
Italy east to western
Russia and Turkey;
China, Korea, and
northern Indochina;
Borneo and the
Philippines.
Diagnostic characters:
aquatic, brightly colored,
biphasic life cycle

Relationships
Alytidae 5 species

Relationships
Bufonidae - 569 species
Bufonidae True toads
2006 Brian Kubicki
Atelopus zeteki
Bufo americanus; American Toad
2001 Joyce Gross
Diversity: 33 genera, 494 species
Distribution: Cosmopolitan
Bufo fowleri Fowlers toad
2003 John White

Relationships
Ranidae 1,445 species
Ranidae True frogs
Diversity: 35 genera
11 subfamilies

Distribution: North America to Northern South America,
Europe, Asia, subsaharan Africa, Indonesia
Members of this family are known as the true frogs and occur worldwide
Ranids have generalized frog body plans and generalized aquatic tadpole stage (although various types of
direct development have evolved independently in many groups)
Most have firmisternal pelvic girdles (some have overlapping coracoids but are fused to one another)
and all have toothed upper jaw
Habitats for these groups vary from dry to temperate to tropical.
Lithobates clamitans Green frog
1999 Joyce Gross
Lithobates sphenocephala
Southern Leopard Frog

Relationships
Leptodactylidae - over 1400 species

Relationships
Rhacaphoridae - gliding frogs

Relationships
Dendrobatidae - poison arrow frogs
Dendrobatidae Poison arrow frogs
Distribution: Central and South America
2006 Henk Wallays
Dendrobates reticulatus
Dendrobatids
known as poison-arrow, arrow-poison, and dart-poison frogs.
generally small species, about 20 to 40 mm in snout-vent length. They are also
mostly diurnal, and observed hopping on the forest floor by day. A few species
are arboreal, or at least partly so.
Many dendrobatids are brightly colored (and presumably poisonous to some
degree). As a group they are the most brightly colored of frogs. However, there
are many dull-colored species in the genus Colostethus, mostly brownish, that
do not appear to be poisonous. Indians of the Ember Choc in Colombia rub
their blowgun darts onto the backs of Phyllobates terribilis to load the darts with
poison (Myers et al., 1978).
The reproductive behaviors are diverse. In all species of dendrobatids for which
data are known, the tadpoles are carried on the back of the adult. Generally the
tadpoles are transported to a body of water, usually a stream, but also small
ponds, the water-filled axils of bromeliads or some other small container, in the
case of some Dendrobates. The female has evolved the remarkable behavior of
depositing unfertilized eggs in the axil to feed the developing tadpole.

Relationships
Hylidae - tree frogs-- over 800 species
Hylidae Tree frogs
Distribution: See map
Hylids (treefrogs)
one of the largest families of frogs. There are
about 48 genera.
Toe pads

Hyla chrysoscelis Copes Gray treefrog
Hyla cinerea Green treefrog
Pelobatidae Spadefoot toads
Distribution: Europe and North America
Eastern spadefoot
John White
Spadefoot toads
keratinized spade on the
hind limbs which aid in burrowing
Pelobatids inhabit arid habitats and are known as
explosive breeders due to their seeming to explode
out of the ground after the first heavy rain in order to
mate. They produce tadpoles that develop rapidly in
temporary ponds, even in desert regions.
They have short legs and stocky bodies with vertical
pupils

Scaphiopus holbrookii; Eastern Spadefoot

Relationships
Microhylidae 500 species
Microhylidae Narrow mouthed frogs
Distribution: Eastern USA, Central and South America.
Africa, South East Asia
Microhylids - Narrow-Mouthed Frogs
In size they range from tiny forms (10 mm) to moderately large
animals (100 mm). In many the body form is tear-drop-shaped,
with a narrow, pointed snout and rather rounded body. However,
some are more treefrog like, with expanded digital tips, such as
Kaloula.
Many microhylids are burrowers, emerging only after heavy
rains.
As a group they tend to be ant and termite-specialists.
terrestrial or arboreal frogs stout hind legs, short snout, and
globose bodies. They have a generalized teardrop shape.
Breviceps have such short limbs relative to their volume that they
are unable to amplex; as a result they have developed an
adhesive secretion from the epidermis to allow males and
females to stick while mating takes place
Gastrophryne carolinensis;
Eastern Narrowmouth Toad

7 Anura

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Modern Amphibian Diversity- Anura

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