''Pleurodema'' is a genus of

leptodactylid The southern frogs form the Leptodactylidae, a name that comes from Greek meaning a bird or other animal having slender toes. They are a diverse family of frogs that most likely diverged from other hyloids during the Cretaceous. The family has u ...

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 from

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 ...

. They are sometimes known under the common name four-eyed frogs, although this name can also refer to a particular species, ''

Pleurodema bibroni ''Pleurodema bibroni'' is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. Its common name is four-eyed frog, although this name can also refer to the genus ''Pleurodema'' in general. The common name refers to two inguinal poison glands that rese ...

''. The common name is a reference to two inguinal poison glands that resemble eyes. When threatened, the frog lowers its head and raises its rear. When the frog adopts this posture, the poison glands are also raised toward the predator. The predator may also confuse the frog's raised posterior for the head of a larger animal.

Species

The genus contains only the following 15 species: * ''

Pleurodema alium ''Pleurodema'' is a genus of leptodactylid frogs from South America. They are sometimes known under the common name four-eyed frogs, although this name can also refer to a particular species, '' Pleurodema bibroni''. The common name is a referen ...

'' Maciel and Nunes, 2010 * ''

'' Tschudi, 1838 * ''

Pleurodema borellii ''Pleurodema borellii'' (common name: rufous four-eyed frog) is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is found in northwestern Argentina and southern Bolivia. The taxonomic status of this species is uncertain, and it may be a junio ...

'' (Peracca, 1895) * ''

Pleurodema brachyops The Colombian four-eyed frog (''Pleurodema brachyops''; in Spanish: ''sapito lipon'') is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is found in an area stretching from Guyana and northern Brazil ( Roraima state) through Venezuela (includ ...

'' (Cope, 1869) * ''

Pleurodema bufoninum ''Pleurodema bufoninum'', the large four-eyed frog, is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is found in Argentina and Chile. Its natural habitats are subantarctic forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hund ...

'' Bell, 1843 * ''

Pleurodema cinereum ''Pleurodema cinereum'' is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is found in the Andes in northwestern Argentina, Bolivia, and southeastern Peru. Its common name is Juliaca four-eyed frog, after its type locality, Juliaca. '' Pleu ...

'' Cope, 1878 * ''

Pleurodema cordobae ''Pleurodema cordobae'' is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is endemic to the Sierras de Córdoba of Argentina. This endemic species also resides with the highly similar species, '' Pleurodema kriegi''. ''P. cordobae'' exhibits ...

'' Valetti, Salas, and Martino, 2009 * ''

Pleurodema diplolister ''Pleurodema diplolister'', the Peters' four-eyed frog, is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropi ...

'' (Peters, 1870) * ''

Pleurodema guayapae ''Pleurodema guayapae'' is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is found in Argentina and Bolivia. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, ...

'' Barrio, 1964 * ''

Pleurodema kriegi ''Pleurodema kriegi'' is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is endemic to Argentina. Its natural habitats are temperate grassland, intermittent freshwater marshes, and rocky areas. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat d ...

'' (Müller, 1926) * ''

Pleurodema marmoratum ''Pleurodema marmoratum'' is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude gr ...

'' (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) * ''

Pleurodema nebulosum ''Pleurodema nebulosum'' is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is endemic to Argentina. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, temperate grassland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland ...

'' (Burmeister, 1861) * ''

Pleurodema somuncurense ''Pleurodema somuncurense'' (the Somuncura frog or El Rincon stream frog, in Spanish ''rana de Somuncura'') is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is endemic to the Somuncura Plateau in Patagonia, Argentina. Description Females ...

'' (Cei, 1969) * '' Pleurodema thaul'' (Lesson, 1827) * ''

Pleurodema tucumanum ''Pleurodema tucumanum'' is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is endemic to Argentina. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, pasturela ...

'' Parker, 1927

References

Leptodactylinae Amphibians of South America Amphibian genera Taxa named by Johann Jakob von Tschudi {{Leptodactylidae-stub