''Lysapsus'' is a genus of

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

s in the family Hylidae found in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

east of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

. Their common name is harlequin frogs. Many frogs in ''Lysapsus'' have a paradoxical life cycle. They are most massive when they are older tadpoles and slightly smaller when they are adult frogs.

Species

There are four species: * ''

Lysapsus bolivianus ''Lysapsus bolivianus'' is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to the Amazon valley in Bolivia and Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both Sou ...

'' (Gallardo, 1961) * ''

Lysapsus caraya ''Lysapsus caraya'' is a species of frog in the family Hylidae found in central and southern Brazil. Its common name is Mato Verde harlequin frog. ''Lysapsus caraya'' is an aquatic frog of open flooded savanna A savanna or savannah is a mi ...

'' (Gallardo, 1964) * ''

Lysapsus laevis ''Lysapsus laevis'' is a species of frog in the family Hylidae found in southwestern Guyana and adjacent northern Brazil. Common name Guyana harlequin frog has been coined for this species. Description Adult are less than in body length. The ...

'' (Parker, 1935) * ''

Lysapsus limellum ''Lysapsus limellum'', sometimes known as the Uruguay harlequin frog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae found in northern Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are moist savanna, subtropical or tropical ...

'' (Cope, 1862) The status of ''Lysapsus bolivianus'' is unclear; it might be a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of ''Lysapsus limellum''.

References

Hylidae Amphibians of South America Amphibian genera Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope {{Hylidae-stub