''Pyxicephalus'' (πυξίς, ''

pyxis Pyxis is a small and faint constellation in the southern sky. Abbreviated from Pyxis Nautica, its name is Latin for a mariner's compass (contrasting with Circinus, which represents a draftsman's compasses). Pyxis was introduced by Nicolas-Lo ...

'' = "(round) box," κεφαλή, ''kephalē'' = "head") is a genus of

true frog True frogs is the common name for the frog family Ranidae. They have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica. The true frogs are present in North A ...

s from

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

, commonly referred to as African bull frogs or bull frogs. They are very large (''P. adspersus'') to large (remaining species) frogs, with females significantly smaller than males. They may take decades to reach their full size potential and they are some of the longest-living frogs, possibly able to reach ages as high as 45 years. These bulky and voracious predators will eat any animal (including small vertebrates and

conspecifics Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organis ...

) they can fit in their large mouth that has two fang-like projections on the lower jaw, but they are themselves commonly eaten by humans, predatory birds, mammals and

monitor lizard Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are recogn ...

s. They remain hidden—they are

fossorial A fossorial () animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily, but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees. Prehistoric eviden ...

—for much of the year, but emerge to breed in temporary pools after rains. 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 often are guarded by the male.

Species

There are four recognized species: * ''

Pyxicephalus adspersus The African bullfrog (''Pyxicephalus adspersus'') is a species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is also known as the pixie frog due to its scientific name. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa ...

'' Tschudi, 1838 –

African bullfrog The African bullfrog (''Pyxicephalus adspersus'') is a species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is also known as the pixie frog due to its scientific name. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, ...

* ''

Pyxicephalus angusticeps ''Pyxicephalus'' (πυξίς, ''pyxis'' = "(round) box," κεφαλή, ''kephalē'' = "head") is a genus of true frogs from Sub-Saharan Africa, commonly referred to as African bull frogs or bull frogs. They are very large (''P. adspersus'') to l ...

'' Parry, 1982 * '' Pyxicephalus edulis''

Peters Peters may refer to: People * Peters (surname) * Peters Band, a First Nations band in British Columbia, Canada Places United States * Peters, California, a census-designated place * Peters, Florida, a town * Peters Township, Kingman County, Kan ...

, 1854 –

edible bullfrog The edible bullfrog (''Pyxicephalus edulis''), also known as the pixie frog, lesser bullfrog or Peter's bullfrog, is a large-bodied African species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. Description The edible bullfrog is a large bodied frog in w ...

* '' Pyxicephalus obbianus''

Calabresi Calabresi is an Italian surname (meaning "Calabrese, Calabrian, from Calabria", plural masculine) may refer to * Enrica Calabresi (1891–1944), Italian zoologist, herpetologist, and entomologist * Guido Calabresi (born 1932), Italian American leg ...

, 1927 –

Calabresi's bullfrog Calabresi's bullfrog (''Pyxicephalus obbianus'') is a species of frogs in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is endemic to northeastern and central Somalia. This uncommon species breeds in temporary ponds. Outside the breeding season, it is fossorial ...

''P. edulis'' has long been confused with ''P. adspersus'', and species limits between them are not fully understood. Additionally, ''P. angusticeps'' was only revalidated in 2013, and some authorities still do not recognize it. Another sometimes used name is '' P. cordofanus''

Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...

, 1867, but it is a ''

nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q543601 Pyxicephalidae Amphibians of Sub-Saharan Africa Amphibian genera Taxa named by Johann Jakob von Tschudi