Heleophrynidae is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

frogs A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

, commonly known as ghost frogs. They are thought to be the most basal group in the

Neobatrachia The Neobatrachia (New Latin ''neo-'' ("new") + ''batrachia'' ("frogs")) are a suborder of the Anura, the order of frogs and toads. This suborder is the most advanced and apomorphic of the three anuran suborders alive today, hence its name, wh ...

. The family consists of two

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

, ''

Heleophryne ''Heleophryne'' is a genus of ghost frogs. They are known from mountainous regions of South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini. One member of the genus, the Table Mountain ghost frog (''H. rosei'') is considered an EDGE species. Species The followin ...

'' and ''

Hadromophryne The Natal ghost frog (''Hadromophryne natalensis'') is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Hadromophryne''. ''Hadromophryne natalensis'' is found in Lesotho, South Africa, and Eswatini Esw ...

'', with seven species. Ghost frogs live in swift-moving mountain streams in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. The common name of "ghost frogs" may have been coined because of their occurrence in

Skeleton Gorge A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

Taxonomy

The ghost frogs were formerly thought to be closely related to the

Sooglossidae Sooglossidae, the Seychelles frogs or Seychelles Island frogs, are a family of frogs found on the Seychelles Islands. Until recently, this family was believed to include the genera ''Sechellophryne'', '' Nesomantis'' and '' Sooglossus'', but foll ...

of the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...

(which are now thought to be a

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

Ranoidea The Ranoidea are a superfamily of frogs in the order Anura. Members of this superfamily are characterised by having the pectoral girdle fused into a single complex unit, having no ribs, and using an axillary grip during amplexus. The larvae ha ...

), or to the Australian

Myobatrachidae Myobatrachidae, commonly known as Australian ground frogs or Australian water frogs, is a family of frogs found in Australia and New Guinea. Members of this family vary greatly in size, from species less than long, to the second-largest frog in ...

, which are now thought to be a sister group to

Hyloidea Hyloidea is a superfamily of frogs.R.Alexander Pyron, John J.Wiens, 2011, ''A large-scale phylogeny of Amphibia including over 2800 species, and a revised classification of extant frogs, salamanders, and caecilians'' Hyloidea accounts for 54% ...

. In contrast, more recent taxonomic studies place them as being the most basal extant members of the

and having no close relatives, having diverged from the rest of the Neobatrachia during the

Early Cretaceous The Early Cretaceous ( geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphic name), is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 145 Ma to 100.5 Ma. Geology Pro ...

, about 140 million years ago. Family Heleophrynidae * Genus ''

'' Van Dijk, 2008 **

Natal ghost frog The Natal ghost frog (''Hadromophryne natalensis'') is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Hadromophryne''. ''Hadromophryne natalensis'' is found in Lesotho, South Africa South Africa, ...

, ''Hadromophryne natalensis'' Hewitt, 1913 * Genus ''

'' Sclater, 1898 **

Cederberg ghost frog The Cederberg mountains are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about . The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam cedar (''Widdringtonia wallichii''), which is a tree end ...

, ''Heleophryne depressa'' FitzSimons, 1946 **

Hewitt's ghost frog The Hewitt's ghost frog (''Heleophryne hewitti'') is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae. It is endemic to Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Its natural habitat is fynbos heathland and grassy fynbos. Adults are difficult to see but ...

, ''Heleophryne hewitti'' Boycott, 1988 **

Eastern ghost frog The eastern ghost frog (''Heleophryne orientalis'') is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae. It is endemic to Western Cape Province, South Africa. Its natural habitats are forest patches surrounded by mountain fynbos heathland. Adult ...

, ''Heleophryne orientalis'' FitzSimons, 1946 **

Purcell's ghost frog The Purcell's ghost frog (''Heleophryne purcelli'') is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae. It is endemic to Western Cape Province, South Africa. Its natural habitat is fynbos heathland. Breeding takes place in perennial streams. Their ...

, ''Heleophryne purcelli'' Sclater, 1898 **

Royal ghost frog The royal ghost frog (''Heleophryne regis''), also known as the southern ghost frog or Cape ghost frog, is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae. It is endemic to South Africa, and lives in fast-moving streams. Description Ghost frogs g ...

, ''Heleophryne regis'' Hewitt, 1910 **

Rose's ghost frog Rose's ghost frog (''Heleophryne rosei''), or Table Mountain ghost frog, is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae endemic to South Africa. It is a medium-sized species with purple or brown blotches on a pale green background and large ...

, ''Heleophryne rosei'' Hewitt, 1925

Biology

Ghost frogs have morphological adaptations suited to surviving on the rocks around these streams. They only come out on full moons. They are medium-sized frogs, reaching a length of , with flat bodies, enabling them to climb inside rocky crevices. They have very large toe discs in comparison to their size, which helps to cling onto rocks. With the help of the labial teeth the

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...

s contain in their mouths, the mouthparts are modified into sucking discs, to allow them to cling to substrates, and remain still while they are feeding.

EDGE endangered species

On January 21, 2008,

Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species are animal species which have a high 'EDGE score', a metric combining endangered conservation status with the genetic distinctiveness of the particular taxon. Distinctive species have ...

(EDGE) identified nature's most "weird, wonderful and endangered species", stating that "the EDGE

amphibians Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbore ...

are amongst the most remarkable and unusual species on the planet and yet an alarming 85% of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention." Due to the very ancient origins and deep genetic divergence of Heleophrynidae, the

Table Mountain ghost frog Rose's ghost frog (''Heleophryne rosei''), or Table Mountain ghost frog, is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae endemic to South Africa. It is a medium-sized species with purple or brown blotches on a pale green background and large ...

(''Heleophryne rosei'') was listed as #11 on the list.guardian.co.uk/environment, Gallery: the world's strangest amphibians
/ref>

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q55470 Neobatrachia Frogs of Africa Amphibians of South Africa