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Leptodactylidae
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 undergone major taxonomic revisions in recent years, including the reclassification of the former subfamily Eleutherodactylinae into its own family the Eleutherodactylidae; the Leptodactylidae now number 206 species in 13 genera distributed throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The family includes terrestrial, burrowing, aquatic, and arboreal members, inhabiting a wide range of habitats. Several of the genera within the Leptodactylidae lay their eggs in foam nests. These can be in crevices, on the surface of water, or on forest floors. These foam nests are some of the most varied among frogs. When eggs hatch in nests on the forest floor, the tadpoles remain within the nest, without eating, until metamorphosis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lithodytes
''Lithodytes'' is a genus of frogs in the family of Leptodactylidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species, ''Lithodytes lineatus'', also commonly known as the gold-striped frog or painted antnest frog. It is found in tropical South America where it lives in humid forests among the leaf litter. These frogs build foam nests at the edge of temporary pools, and the tadpoles develop within these. The frogs also associate with certain leafcutter ants (''Atta cephalotes'') and breed inside their nests without being attacked by the ants. Description The female ''Lithodytes lineatus'' grows to a length ranging from , and the male is slightly smaller. It has a slender body and blunt snout. The overall color is black apart from a pair of yellow lateral stripes running from the snout to the groin, where there is a red or orange patch. The limbs are brown banded with black. This frog is similar in appearance to the brilliant-thighed poison frog (''Allobates femoralis''), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
