Alytidae

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Alytidae
Temporal range: Late Jurassic to Recent[1]
AlytesObstet.jpg
Alytes obstetricans
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Suborder: Archaeobatrachia
Family: Alytidae
Fitzinger, 1843
Genera

Genus Alytes
Genus Discoglossus
Genus Latonia
   

Discoglossidae distrib.PNG
Distribution of Discoglossidae (in black)
Synonyms

Discoglossidae Günther, 1859

The Alytidae are a family of primitive frogs.[2][3][4][5] Their common name is painted frogs[2] or midwife toads.[4] Most are endemic to Europe, but three species occur in northwest Africa, and a species formerly thought to be extinct is found in Israel.

This family is also known as Discoglossidae, but the older name Alytidae has priority and is now recognized by major reference works.[2][3][4][5] Some researchers, though, suggest that Alytes and Discoglossus are different enough to be treated as belonging to separate families, implying resurrection of the Discoglossidae.[2]

Genera and species[]

The family contains three extant genera, Alytes, Discoglossus, and Latonia. The first is somewhat toad-like and can often be found on land. The second is smoother and more frog-like, preferring the water.[6] The third genus was until recently considered extinct, and is represented by the recently rediscovered Hula painted frog. All of the species have pond-dwelling tadpoles.

The genera Bombina and Barbourula also used to be under this family, but have now been moved to the Bombinatoridae.[7]

Extant genera[]

Image Genus Species
Benny Trapp Alytes cisternasii.jpg Alytes Wagler, 1830
  • Alytes cisternasii - Iberian midwife toad
  • Alytes dickhilleni - southern midwife toad
  • Alytes maurus - Moroccan midwife toad
  • Alytes muletensis - Majorcan midwife toad
  • Alytes obstetricans - common midwife toad
BennyTrapp Cädiz-Scheibenzüngler bzw Iberischer Scheibenzüngler Discoglossus (galganoi) jeannaea.jpg Discoglossus Otth, 1837
  • Discoglossus galganoi - West Iberian painted frog
  • Discoglossus jeanneae - Spanish painted frog
  • Discoglossus montalentii - Corsican painted frog
  • Discoglossus pictus - common painted frog
  • Discoglossus sardus - Tyrrhenian painted frog
  • Discoglossus scovazzi - Moroccan painted frog
PikiWiki Israel 79040 latonia nigriventer.jpg Latonia Meyer, 1843
  • Latonia nigriventer - Hula painted frog
  • †
  • †
  • †
  • †

Extinct genera[]

Family Alytidae

  • Genus †Enneabatrachus (prehistoric)[1]
    • †Enneabatrachus hechti[1]
  • Genus †Aralobatrachus (prehistoric)
    • †Aralobatrachus robustus
  • Genus †Callobatrachus (prehistoric)
    • †Callobatrachus sanyanensis
  • Genus †Bakonybatrachus (prehistoric)
    • †Bakonybatrachus fedori
  • Genus †Eodiscoglossus (prehistoric)
    • †Eodiscoglossus oxoniensis
    • †Eodiscoglossus santonjae

  • Iberian midwife toad (Alytes cisternasii)

  • Iberian or Portuguese painted frog (Discoglossus galganoi)

  • Fossil discoglossid from Miocene (†Latonia seyfriedi)

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Foster, J. (2007). "Enneabatrachus hechti" Jurassic West: The Dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation and Their World. Indiana University Press. p. 137.
  2. ^ a b c d Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Alytidae Fitzinger, 1843". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Alytidae Fitzinger, 1843". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  4. ^ a b c "Alytidae". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  5. ^ a b Blackburn, D.C.; Wake, D.B. (2011). "Class Amphibia Gray, 1825. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3148: 39–55.
  6. ^ Zweifel, Richard G. (1998). Cogger, H.G.; Zweifel, R.G. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 85–86. ISBN 0-12-178560-2.
  7. ^ Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Bombinatoridae Gray, 1825". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 12 April 2014.

External links[]

  • Media related to Alytidae at Wikimedia Commons
  • Data related to Alytidae at Wikispecies
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