The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread

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. Ideal ...

frog 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 ...

s. The 683 species are in 63 genera and 11 subfamilies, which is the largest number of genera of any frog family.

Evolution

A molecular phylogenetic study by van der Meijden, et al. (2007) has estimated the initial internal divergence of the family Microhylidae to have taken place about 66 million years ago, or immediately after the Cretaceous extinction event. The

most recent common ancestor In biology and genetic genealogy, the most recent common ancestor (MRCA), also known as the last common ancestor (LCA) or concestor, of a set of organisms is the most recent individual from which all the organisms of the set are descended. The ...

of the Microhylidae and their closest ranoid relatives is estimated to have lived 116 million years ago in

Gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and st ...

Description

As suggested by their name, microhylids are mostly small frogs. Many species are below in length, although some species are as large as . They can be

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...

or terrestrial, and some even live close to water. The ground-dwellers are often found under leaf litter within forests, occasionally venturing out at night to hunt. The two main shapes for the microhylids are wide bodies and narrow mouths and normal frog proportions. Those with narrow mouths generally eat

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattode ...

s and ants, and the others have diets typical of most frogs. Egg-laying habits are highly varied.

Reproduction

The microhylids of

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Mainlan ...

and Australia completely bypass 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 ...

stage, with direct development from egg to frog. The arboreal species can therefore lay the eggs within the trees, and never need venture to the ground. Where species do have tadpoles, these almost always lack the teeth or horny beaks typical of the tadpoles of other families.

Anatomy

The skull has paired palatines and frontoparietals. The facial nerve passes through the anterior acoustic foramen in the auditory capsule; the trigeminal and facial nerve ganglia are fused to form a prootic ganglion. The eight (or seven) presacral holochordal vertebrae are all procoelous except for a biconcave surface on last presacral. The pectoral girdle is firmisternal and some show reduced clavicle and procoracoids. The terminal phalanges are blunt, pointed, or T-shaped. The tadpole lacks keratinized mouth parts and has a large spiracular chamber emptied by a caudomedial spiracle.

Taxonomy

* subfamily

Adelastinae ''Adelastes'' is a genus of frogs in the family Microhylidae. It is the only genus in the subfamily Adelastinae and is also itself monotypic, being represented by the single species, ''Adelastes hylonomos'', commonly known as the Neblina Frog.

Peloso, Frost, Richards, Rodrigues, Donnellan, Matsui, Raxworthy, Biju, Lemmon, Lemmon, & Wheeler, 2015 ** genus ''

Adelastes ''Adelastes'' is a genus of frogs in the family Microhylidae. It is the only genus in the subfamily Adelastinae and is also itself monotypic, being represented by the single species, ''Adelastes hylonomos'', commonly known as the Neblina Frog.

'' Zweifel, 1986 * subfamily Asterophryinae Günther, 1858 ** genus ''

Aphantophryne ''Aphantophryne'' is a genus of microhylid frogs found in New Guinea and in Mindanao, the Philippines. Originally described by Fry in 1917, Richard G. Zweifel considered in 1956 ''Aphantophryne'' synonymous to '' Cophixalus''. The genus was res ...

'' Fry, 1917 ** genus ''

Asterophrys ''Asterophrys'' is a genus of microhylid frogs found in New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania ...

'' Tschudi, 1838 ** genus ''

Austrochaperina ''Austrochaperina'' is a genus of microhylid frogs found on New Guinea, New Britain and Australia. Taxonomy The genus was removed from the synonymy of '' Sphenophryne'' by Richard Zweifel in 2000. However, as currently defined, it might not be ...

'' Fry, 1912 ** genus ''

Barygenys ''Barygenys'' is a genus of microhylid frogs. They are endemic to New Guinea and the adjacent Louisiade Archipelago The Louisiade Archipelago is a string of ten larger volcanic islands frequently fringed by coral reefs, and 90 smaller co ...

'' Parker, 1936 ** genus ''

Callulops ''Callulops'' is a genus of microhylid frogs from Sulawesi as well as the New Guinea region, from Talaud Islands and the Maluku Islands (Moluccas) in the northwest to the Louisiade Archipelago The Louisiade Archipelago is a string of ten ...

'' Boulenger, 1888 ** genus ''

Choerophryne ''Choerophryne'' is a genus of microhylid frogs, commonly known as Torricelli mountain frogs, endemic to New Guinea. These frogs are small, with the body length measured from snout to vent between 11 and 23 mm. Taxonomy and systematics The ...

'' Van Kampen, 1914 ** genus '' Cophixalus'' Boettger, 1892 ** genus '' Copiula'' Méhely, 1901 ** genus '' Gastrophrynoides'' Noble, 1926 ** genus '' Hylophorbus'' Macleay, 1878 ** genus '' Mantophryne'' Boulenger, 1897 ** genus '' Oninia'' Günther, Stelbrink & von Rintelen, 2010 ** genus '' Oreophryne'' Boettger, 1895 ** genus '' Paedophryne'' Kraus, 2010 ** genus '' Siamophryne'' Suwannapoom, Sumontha, Tunprasert, Ruangsuwan, Pawangkhanant, Korost, and Poyarkov, 2018 ** genus '' Sphenophryne'' Peters & Doria, 1878 ** genus '' Vietnamophryne'' Poyarkov, Suwannapoom, Pawangkhanant, Aksornneam, Duong, Korost and Che, 2018 ** genus '' Xenorhina'' Peters, 1863 * subfamily Chaperininae Peloso, Frost, Richards, Rodrigues, Donnellan, Matsui, Raxworthy, Biju, Lemmon, Lemmon, & Wheeler, 2015 ** genus '' Chaperina'' Mocquard, 1892 * subfamily Cophylinae Cope, 1889 ** genus '' Anilany'' Scherz, Vences, Rakotoarison, Andreone, Köhler, Glaw, and Crottini, 2016 ** genus '' Anodonthyla'' Müller, 1892 ** genus '' Cophyla'' Boettger, 1880 ** genus '' Madecassophryne'' Guibé, 1974 ** genus ''

Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...

'' Scherz, Hutter, Rakotoarison, Riemann, Rödel, Ndriantsoa, Glos, Roberts, Crottini, Vences & Glaw, 2019 ** genus '' Plethodontohyla'' Boulenger, 1882 ** genus '' Rhombophryne'' Boettger, 1880 ** genus '' Stumpffia'' Botteger, 1881 * subfamily

Dyscophinae Tomato frogs are any of the three species of genus ''Dyscophus'' (family Microhylidae): ''D. antongilii'', ''D. insularis'', or ''D. guineti''. ''Dyscophus'' is the only genus in subfamily Dyscophinae. They are endemic to Madagascar. The common ...

Boulenger, 1882 ** genus '' Dyscophus'' Grandidier, 1872 * subfamily Gastrophryninae Fitzinger, 1843 ** genus '' Arcovomer'' Carvalho, 1954 ** genus '' Chiasmocleis'' Méhely, 1904 ** genus '' Ctenophryne'' Mocquard, 1904 ** genus '' Dasypops'' Miranda-Ribeiro, 1924 ** genus '' Dermatonotus'' Méhely, 1904 ** genus '' Elachistocleis'' Parker, 1927 ** genus '' Gastrophryne'' Fitzinger, 1843 ** genus '' Hamptophryne'' Carvalho, 1954 ** genus '' Hypopachus'' Keferstein, 1867 ** genus '' Myersiella'' Carvalho, 1954 ** genus '' Stereocyclops'' Cope, 1870 * subfamily Hoplophryninae Noble, 1931 ** genus '' Hoplophryne'' Barbour & Loveridge, 1928 ** genus '' Parhoplophryne'' Barbour & Loveridge, 1928 * subfamily Kalophryninae Mivart, 1869 ** genus '' Kalophrynus'' Tschudi, 1838 * subfamily Melanobatrachinae Noble, 1931 ** genus '' Melanobatrachus'' Beddome, 1878 * subfamily Microhylinae Günther, 1858 ** genus '' Glyphoglossus'' Gunther, 1869 "1868" ** genus '' Kaloula'' Gray, 1831 ** genus '' Metaphrynella'' Parker, 1934 ** genus '' Microhyla'' Tschudi, 1838 ** genus '' Micryletta'' Dubois, 1987 ** genus '' Mysticellus'' Sonali & Biju, 2019 **genus '' Nanohyla'' ** genus '' Phrynella'' Boulenger, 1887 ** genus '' Uperodon'' Duméril & Bibron, 1841 * subfamily Otophryninae Wassersug & Pyburn, 1987 ** genus '' Otophryne'' Boulenger, 1900 ** genus '' Synapturanus'' Carvalho, 1954 * subfamily Phrynomerinae Noble, 1931 ** genus '' Phrynomantis'' Peters, 1867 * subfamily Scaphiophryninae Laurent, 1946 ** genus '' Paradoxophyla'' Blommers-Schlösser & Blanc, 1991 ** genus '' Scaphiophryne'' Boulenger, 1882

Range

Frogs from the Microhylidae occur throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of North America, South America, Africa, eastern India,

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

, and Australia. Although most are found in tropical or subtropical regions, a few species can be found in arid or nontropical areas. They are the majority of frog species in New Guinea and

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...

. The ranges of each subfamily are:De Sá, R. O., Streicher, J. W., Sekonyela, R., Forlani, M. C., Loader, S. P., Greenbaum, E., … Haddad, C. F. B. (2012). Molecular phylogeny of microhylid frogs (Anura: Microhylidae) with emphasis on relationships among New World genera. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 12, 241. http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-12-241 * Hoplophryninae:

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

* Scaphiophryninae:

* Microhylinae:

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Kore ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. ...

* Asterophryinae: Australia,

* Phrynomerinae:

* Kalophryninae:

* Otophyninae: South America * Cophylinae:

* Gastrophryninae:

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

* Melanobatrachinae:

* Chaperininae:

: South America

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q56057 Extant Miocene first appearances Taxa named by Albert Günther Amphibian families