''Dendrophryniscus'' is a genus of

true toads A true toad is any member of the family Bufonidae, in the order Anura (frogs and toads). This is the only family of anurans in which all members are known as toads, although some may be called frogs (such as harlequin frogs). The bufonids now ...

in the family Bufonidae, sometimes known as tree toads. They are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and th ...

of Brazil.

Taxonomy

Until 2012, the genus ''Dendrophryniscus'' included the species now separated to the genus ''

Amazophrynella ''Amazophrynella'' is a genus of toads in the family Bufonidae. They are found throughout the Amazon Basin. Taxonomy ''Amazophrynella'' was separated from ''Dendrophryniscus'' in 2012 based on molecular genetic evidence that indicated deep dive ...

''. This was based on molecular genetic evidence that indicated deep divergence between an Amazonian and an Atlantic Forest

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

, the latter retaining the name ''Dendrophryniscus'' whereas the former was described as a new genus ''Amazonella'', later amended to ''Amazophrynella'' because of

homonymy In linguistics, homonyms are words which are homographs (words that share the same spelling, regardless of pronunciation), or homophones (equivocal words, that share the same pronunciation, regardless of spelling), or both. Using this definition, ...

Description

The species of ''Dendrophryniscus'' are small to medium-sized toads measuring in snout–vent length. Their body form resembles those of the genus ''

Atelopus ''Atelopus'' is a large genus of Bufonidae, commonly known as harlequin frogs or toads, from Central America, Central and South America, ranging as far north as Costa Rica and as far south as Bolivia. ''Atelopus'' species are small, generally br ...

''. The hind limbs are well developed. The

parotoid gland The parotoid gland (alternatively, paratoid gland) is an external skin gland on the back, neck, and shoulder of toads and some frogs and salamanders. It can secrete a number of milky alkaloid substances (depending on the species) known collective ...

s are absent, as are external tympana. The skin is uniformly granulose to warty. Dorsal coloration is cryptic. With the exception of ''

Dendrophryniscus leucomystax ''Dendrophryniscus leucomystax'' is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to southern and southeastern Brazil and occurs in coastal forests of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Santa Catarina states. It is a very common specie ...

'', species of the genus ''Dendrophryniscus'' breed in

phytotelmata Phytotelma (plural phytotelmata) is a small water-filled cavity in a terrestrial plant. The water accumulated within these plants may serve as the habitat for associated fauna and flora. A rich literature in German summarised by Thienemann (19 ...

. In contrast, species of the genus ''Amazophrynella'' are pond breeders, which is presumably an ancestral trait in bufonids.

Species

The following species are recognized in the genus ''Dendrophryniscus'':

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q903964 Amphibians of South America Endemic fauna of Brazil Taxa named by Marcos Jiménez de la Espada Amphibian genera