Heleophrynidae is a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
of
frogs
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...
, commonly known as ghost frogs.
They are thought to be the most
basal group in the
Neobatrachia.
The family consists of two
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
, ''
Heleophryne'' and ''
Hadromophryne'', with seven species. Ghost frogs live in swift-moving mountain streams in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
. The common name of "ghost frogs" may have been coined because of their occurrence in
Skeleton Gorge.
Taxonomy
The ghost frogs were formerly thought to be closely related to the
Sooglossidae of the
Seychelles
Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...
(which are now thought to be a
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 ...
to
Ranoidea
The Ranoidea are a superfamily of frogs in the order Anura. Members of this superfamily are characterised by having the pectoral girdle fused into a single complex unit, having no ribs, and using an axillary grip during amplexus. The larvae hav ...
), or to the Australian
Myobatrachidae, which are now thought to be a sister group to
Hyloidea. In contrast, more recent taxonomic studies place them as being the most basal extant members of the
Neobatrachia and having no close relatives, having diverged from the rest of the Neobatrachia during the
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name), is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 145& ...
, about 140 million years ago.
Family Heleophrynidae
* Genus ''
Hadromophryne''
Van Dijk, 2008
**
Natal ghost frog
The Natal ghost frog (''Hadromophryne natalensis'') is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Hadromophryne''.
''Hadromophryne natalensis'' is found in Lesotho, South Africa, and Eswatini
Esw ...
, ''Hadromophryne natalensis''
Hewitt, 1913
* Genus ''
Heleophryne''
Sclater, 1898
**
Cederberg ghost frog, ''Heleophryne depressa''
FitzSimons, 1946
**
Hewitt's ghost frog
The Hewitt's ghost frog (''Heleophryne hewitti'') is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae.
It is endemic to Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.
Its natural habitat is fynbos heathland and grassy fynbos. Adults are difficult to see ...
, ''Heleophryne hewitti''
Boycott, 1988
**
Eastern ghost frog, ''Heleophryne orientalis''
FitzSimons, 1946
**
Purcell's ghost frog, ''Heleophryne purcelli''
Sclater, 1898
**
Royal ghost frog, ''Heleophryne regis''
Hewitt, 1910
**
Rose's ghost frog, ''Heleophryne rosei''
Hewitt, 1925
Biology
Ghost frogs have morphological adaptations suited to surviving on the rocks around these streams. They only come out on full moons. They are medium-sized frogs, reaching a length of , with flat bodies, enabling them to climb inside rocky crevices. They have very large toe discs in comparison to their size, which helps to cling onto rocks. With the help of the labial teeth 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 ...
s contain in their mouths, the mouthparts are modified into sucking discs, to allow them to cling to substrates, and remain still while they are feeding.
[
]
EDGE endangered species
On January 21, 2008, Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered
Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species are animal species which have a high 'EDGE score', a metric combining endangered conservation status with the genetic distinctiveness of the particular taxon. Distinctive species have ...
(EDGE) identified nature's most "weird, wonderful and endangered species", stating that "the EDGE amphibians
Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbo ...
are amongst the most remarkable and unusual species on the planet and yet an alarming 85% of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention." Due to the very ancient origins and deep genetic divergence of Heleophrynidae, the Table Mountain ghost frog (''Heleophryne rosei'') was listed as #11 on the list.guardian.co.uk/environment, Gallery: the world's strangest amphibians
/ref>
References
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q55470
Neobatrachia
Frogs of Africa
Amphibians of South Africa