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Limnodynastidae
Limnodynastidae, commonly known as the Australian ground frogs, is a family (biology), family of frogs found in Australia, New Guinea, and the Aru Islands Regency, Aru Islands. They were formerly considered a subfamily of the Myobatrachidae, the other large radiation of terrestrial frogs in Australia, but are now considered a distinct family. Both Limnodynastidae and Myobatrachidae are thought to be the only members of the superfamily Myobatrachoidea. The earliest fossils of this group are of ''Platypectrum casca'' from the Early Eocene. Taxonomy The following genera are recognised in the family Limnodynastidae: References Limnodynastidae Myobatrachoidea Amphibian families Amphibians of Australia Amphibians of New Guinea Amphibians of Papua New Guinea {{Neobatrachia-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Platyplectrum
''Platyplectrum'' is a genus of ground-dwelling frog in the family Limnodynastidae. Species in this genus are found in Australia, New Guinea, and on the Aru Islands Regency, Aru Islands. They are medium-sized frogs and the dorsal skin has a sandpaper-like texture. Although this genus was described in 1863 for the species ''Ornate burrowing frog, Platyplectrum ornatum'', in 2009 it was synonymized with the genus ''Opisthodon.'' This classification was found to be paraphyletic with respect to the former genus ''Lechriodus''. For this reason, ''Platyplectrum'' was revived in 2021 for the members of ''Opisthodon'' and ''Lechriodus''. They inhabit a range of environments from arid areas to rainforests and wet sclerophyll forests, and are active after heavy rains in summer and rarely seen during drier conditions. Breeding takes place in temporary pools and small streams and the tadpoles as well as the frogs are noted for their cannibalistic behaviour, due to which some members are com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myobatrachoidea
Myobatrachoidea is a superfamily of frogs. It contains two families, both of which are found in Australia, New Guinea, and the Aru Islands. Some sources group these two families into a single family Myobatrachidae. Their closest relatives are thought to be the Calyptocephalellidae of southern South America, from which they diverged during the mid-Cretaceous (about 100 million years ago). Together, they comprise the clade Australobatrachia; their common ancestor is thought to have inhabited South America, with the ancestors of Myobatrachoidea dispersing to Australasia during the Cretaceous via (then ice-free) Antarctica. Both families within Myobatrachoidea are thought to have diverged from each other during the Late Cretaceous or during the earliest Paleocene (immediately after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event). The earliest fossils of this group are of '' Platypectrum casca'' from the Early Eocene. Taxonomy Myobatrachoidea contains the following families: * Limnod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adelotus
The tusked frog (''Adelotus brevis'') is a species of ground-dwelling frog native to eastern Australia from Eungella National Park, Queensland south to Ourimbah, New South Wales. It is the only species in the genus ''Adelotus'' - ''adelotus'' meaning "unseen" and ''brevis'' meaning "short".Martyn Robinson (2005) A Field Guide to the Frogs of Australia. Australian Museum and Reed New Holland Publication. Description The tusked frog is a unique frog within Australia, as it is the only species where the female is smaller than male. Males can reach a maximum length of about , while females reach . The common name of "tusked frog" derives from the small protrusions on the lower jaw, similar in position to tusks, which can reach about in length in males (only visible when the mouth is open). The pair of bony tusks are modified teeth that protrude from the middle of the lower jaw and fit into special grooves on the upper jaw when the mouth is closed. They are slightly curved and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frogs
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough skin texture due to wart-like parotoid glands tend to be called toads, but the distinction between frogs and toads is informal and purely cosmetic, not from taxonomy or evolutionary history. Frogs are widely distributed, ranging from the tropics to subarctic regions, but the greatest concentration of species diversity is in tropical rainforest and associated wetlands. They account for around 88% of extant amphibian species, and are one of the five most diverse vertebrate orders. The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is known from the Early Triassic of Madagascar (250million years ago), but molecular clock dating suggests their divergence from other amphibians may extend further back to the Permian, 265million years ago. Adult frogs have a st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philoria
''Philoria'' is a genus of frogs native to eastern and southern Australia. These frogs are all confined to mountain areas, with 7 species occurring in the mountains of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. One species occurs in Victoria. All species are listed as endangered, except the Baw Baw frog, which is listed as critically endangered. They are small to medium-sized frogs that live in water saturated sites, such as sphagnum bogs and seepages on rocky slopes. The eggs are laid in foam nests hidden from light. The tadpoles remain within the nest and live entirely on the yolk.Altig, R., & Johnston, G. (1989). Guilds of Anuran Larvae: Relationships among Developmental Modes, Morphologies, and Habitats. Herpetological Monographs, 3, 81-109. doi:10.2307/1466987 Some taxonomists class only the Baw Baw frog (''Philoria frosti'') in the genus ''Philoria'' and class the other 5 species in the genus ''Kyarranus'' because of osteological features, size differences (''Philor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Spotted Frog
The western spotted frog (''Heleioporus albopunctatus'') is a species of frog in the family Limnodynastidae. It is endemic to Western Australia. Its natural habitats are forests, shrublands, intermittent rivers, freshwater marshes, rocky areas, granite outcrops, arable land, pastureland, open excavations, and canals and ditches. It is threatened by habitat loss and salinity. Breeding ''Heleioporus albopunctatus'' has terrestrial egg deposition. Males excavate burrows up to 1 m deep in sandy substrates surrounding ephemeral waterbodies, and commence calling in autumn (March/April). Amplexus (mating) occurs in the burrow and females deposit a clutch of eggs embedded in foam, in a chamber at the base of the burrow. Eggs develop to mid-stage tadpoles within the eggs, but final development is dependent on winter rains filling the waterbody and flooding burrows. Tadpoles then hatch and complete development in the pond. Some clutches of eggs have been found to be infested by the larva ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neobatrachus
''Neobatrachus'' is a genus of burrowing ground frogs native to Australia. They occur in every state except Tasmania, however this genus is absent from the far north of Australia and most of Queensland. Most of the species in this genus occur in south-western Western Australia. They are often found in arid areas and burrow underground to avoid dehydration. They are typically found in temporary claypan and flooded grassland habitats. These burrowing frogs have special genetic characteristics that help them to live in extreme environments. They stand out because some species are tetraploids instead of diploids. All species have a similar body shape, they are rounded and squat with large eyes and the pupils constrict vertically. The limbs are short and the hands are free from webbing while the feet are partially webbed. Males lack a vocal sac. Approximately 1000 eggs are laid in a chain in still water. The reproductive cycle is dependent on sufficient rainfall, an unpredictable eve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amphibians Of Australia
Amphibians of Australia are limited to members of the order Anura, commonly known as frogs. All Australian frogs are in the suborder Neobatrachia, also known as the modern frogs, which make up the largest proportion of extant frog species. About 230 of the 5,280 species of frog are native to Australia with 93% of them endemic. Compared with other continents, species diversity is low, and may be related to the climate of most of the Australian continent. There are two known invasive amphibians, the cane toad and the smooth newt. Origins The Australian continent once formed part of the supercontinent Pangaea, which split into Gondwana and Laurasia approximately 180 million years ago. The earliest true frog fossil, '' Vieraella herbsti'', is dated between 188 and 213 million years old. This predates the splitting of Gondwana, and has resulted in frogs present on all continents. The first two continents to split from Australia were South America and Africa. The amphibian fauna of b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amphibian Families
Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excluding the amniotes (tetrapods with an amniotic membrane, such as modern reptiles, birds and mammals). All extant taxon, extant (living) amphibians belong to the monophyletic subclass (biology), subclass Lissamphibia, with three living order (biology), orders: Anura (frogs and toads), Urodela (salamanders), and Gymnophiona (caecilians). Evolved to be mostly semiaquatic, amphibians have adapted to inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living in freshwater ecosystem, freshwater, wetland or terrestrial ecosystems (such as riparian woodland, fossorial and even arboreal habitats). Their biological life cycle, life cycle typically starts out as aquatic animal, aquatic larvae with gills known as tadpoles, but some species have devel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Notaden
''Notaden'' is a genus of burrowing ground frogs native to central and northern Australia. Their common name is Australian spadefoot toads. Description Its body is very round in shape with a short neck. Its pupils are horizontal slits. It has long arms and short, stubby legs. Its fingers lack webbing and its toes may have slight to no webbing. The skin is slightly warty and very glandular. Because of its similarity to some species of toads it is often incorrectly referred to as a toad. It excretes poisonous sticky fluid from its skin when handled. It lays eggs in chains similar to some toad species. Species There are four species in this genus: References External links Notaden, Amphibians of Australia Amphibian genera Taxa named by Albert Günther {{Neobatrachia-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Early Eocene
In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age (geology), age or lowest stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by the Eocene Lutetian Age. The Ypresian is consistent with the Lower Eocene (Early Eocene). Events The Ypresian Age begins during the throes of the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). The Fur Formation in Denmark, the Messel shales in Germany, the Oise amber of France and Cambay amber of India are of this age. The Eocene Okanagan Highlands are an uplands subtropical to temperate series of lakes from the Ypresian. The Ypresian is additionally marked by another warming event called the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO). The EECO is the longest sustained warming event in the Cenozoic record, lasting about 2–3 million years between 53 and 50 Ma. The interval is characterized by low oxygen-18 isotopes, high levels of atmospheric pCO2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
