The Pelobatoidea are a superfamily 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. They typically combine a toad-like body shape with a frog-like, pointed face (hence the German name 'Krötenfrösche', literally 'toad frogs'). Phylogenetically they stand between primitive frogs ( fire-bellied toads, midwife toads) on the one side and higher frogs (the family of true toads,

tree frogs A tree frog (or treefrog) is any species of frog that spends a major portion of its lifespan in trees, known as an arboreal state. Several Lineage (evolution), lineages of frogs among the Neobatrachia have given rise to treefrogs, although they a ...

, and the family of true frogs) on the other and are therefore – among other things by characteristics of bone construction – in the suborder

Mesobatrachia The Mesobatrachia (Ancient Greek ''μέσος'' (mésos, "middle") + ''batrachia'' ("frogs")) is a paraphyletic group of relatively primitive frogs. At the end of 2016, it contained 3 superfamilies ( Pelobatoidea, Pelodytoidea and Pipoidea), 6 f ...

. Per 2016, the Pelobatoidea contain 202 species in 11 genera and 2 families. The distribution covers Europe, North Africa and West Asia (Family

Pelobatidae The European spadefoot toads are a family of frogs, the Pelobatidae, with only one extant genus ''Pelobates'', containing six species. They are native to Europe, the Mediterranean, northwestern Africa, and western Asia. Description The Europe ...

) and Southeast Asia (family

Megophryidae Megophryidae, commonly known as goose frogs, is a large family of frogs native to the warm southeast of Asia, from the Himalayan foothills eastwards, south to Indonesia and the Greater Sunda Islands in Maritime Southeast Asia, and extending to th ...

). Their

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 ...

are the Pelodytoidea, consisting of North American spadefood toads and parsley frogs. A striking characteristic is the vertically slit pupil in daylight. The tongue is thick, circular, and almost entirely adhering to the floor of the mouth. When mating the males clutches the females in the lumbar region, just before the hind legs ( inguinal Amplexus).

Taxonomy to the genus level

* Family

Bonaparte, 1850 - Litter frogs or Asian toad frogs (202 species)Amphibian Species of the World 6.0
/ref> ** Genus ''

Atympanophrys ''Atympanophrys'' is a genus of frogs in the family Megophryidae. They range from central China south to northern Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in ...

'' Tian and Hu, 1983 (4 species) Chen et al. (2016) A novel multilocus phylogenetic estimation reveals unrecognized diversity in Asian horned toads, genus Megophrys sensu lato (Anura: Megophryidae), Mol Phyl. Evol. 106, 28-43 ** Genus ''

Brachytarsophrys ''Brachytarsophrys'' is a genus of the family Megophryidae in the order Anura, and are found in southern China, Myanmar, northern Thailand and northern Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic ...

'' Tian and Hu, 1983 - Karin Hills frogs (5 species) ** Genus '' Leptobrachella'' Smith, 1925 - Borneo frogs (9 species) ** Genus '' Leptobrachium'' Tschudi, 1838 - Eastern spade foot toads (35 species; including previous Vibrissaphora species) ** Genus ''

Leptolalax ''Leptolalax'' is a genus of frogs ( order Anura) in the family Megophryidae. They are sometimes known as Asian toads, metacarpal-tubercled toads, or slender litter frogs, although many species-specific common names do not follow these conventio ...

'' Dubois, 1980- Asian toads (50 species) ** Genus ''

Megophrys ''Megophrys'' is a genus of frogs in the family Megophryidae. They are endemic to Indonesia, where they are found on the islands of Java and Sumatra. They commonly have elongated upper "eyebrows" and are thus known as Indonesian horned toads. Th ...

'' Kuhl & Hasselt, 1822 - Asian spadefoot toads (8 species) *** Species '' Megophrys nasuta'' Schlegel, 1858 - Long-nosed horned frog ** Genus ''

Ophryophryne ''Ophryophryne'' is a genus of amphibian in the family Megophryidae from Southeast Asia. They are sometimes known as mountain toads. Species The genus contains the following six species: * '' Ophrophryne elfina'' * ''Ophryophryne gerti'' Ohler, ...

'' Boulenger, 1903 - Mountain toads (5 species) ** Genus ''

Oreolalax ''Oreolalax'' is a genus of amphibian in the family Megophryidae. They are mostly endemic to southwestern China, with one species in northern Vietnam ('' Oreolalax sterlingae''), and possibly extending into adjacent Laos. There is also a popul ...

'' Myers & Leviton, 1962 (18 species) ** Genus '' Scutiger'' Theobald, 1868 - Lazy Toads (21 species) ** Genus ''

Xenophrys ''Xenophrys'' is a genus of amphibians in the family Megophryidae. They are found in southeastern Asia (including China and northeastern India) to Borneo. Their common name is strange-horned toads. Conservation Of the 36 ''Xenophrys'' specie ...

'' Günther, 1864 (47 species) * Family

Bonaparte, 1850 - Palearctic Spadefoot toads (4 species) ** Genus '' Pelobates'' Wagler, 1830 - European spade foot toads (4 species) *** Species ''

Pelobates cultripes ''Pelobates cultripes'' is a toad species in the family Pelobatidae. It is known under many different common names, including the western spadefoot, Iberian spadefoot toad, Spanish spadefoot toad, and Wagler's spadefoot toad. It is found in most ...

'' Cuvier, 1829 - Western Spadefoot *** Species '' Pelobates fuscus'' Laurenti, 1768 - Common Spadefoot

Pelodytoidea

* Family

Pelodytidae Pelodytidae, also known as the parsley frogs, or rarely, mud divers, is a family of frogs. It contains a single extant genus, '' Pelodytes'', and two genera only known from fossils. The extant species are found in southwestern Europe and the Cauc ...

Bonaparte, 1850 - Parsley frogs or Mud divers (3 species) ** Genus '' Pelodytes'' Bonaparte, 1838 - Parsley frogs (3 species) *** Species ''

Pelodytes punctatus The common parsley frog (''Pelodytes punctatus'') is a species of frog in the genus '' Pelodytes''. It lives in the Iberian region in south-western Europe. Description The common parsley frog (''Pelodytes punctatus'') is a very small and sle ...

'' Daudin, 1802 - Common parsley frog * Family Scaphiopodidae Cope, 1865 - Nearctic spadefoot toads ** Genus ''

Scaphiopus ''Scaphiopus'' is a genus of North American amphibian commonly referred to as the North American spadefoots, southern spadefoots, or eastern spadefoot toads. They differ greatly from true toads (those of the family Bufonidae) by having eyes wit ...

'' Holbrook, 1836 Eastern or Southern Spadefoot Toads (3 species) *** Species '' Scaphiopus couchii'' Baird, 1854 - Couch's spadefoot toad ** Genus ''

Spea ''Spea'' is a genus of North American amphibian commonly referred to as the western spadefoot toads. They differ greatly from true toads (those of the family Bufonidae) by having eyes with vertical pupils, no parotoid gland The parotoid glan ...

'' Cope, 1866 Western Spadefoots (4 species)

Taxonomy to the genus level

Pelodytoidea

References

Further reading