The shovelnose frogs are the
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...
s in the
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
, ''Hemisus'', the
only genus in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Hemisotidae. They are found in tropical and subtropical
sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...
. The shovelnose frogs are moderate-sized frogs, reaching a length of . They are round-bodied, with short legs. Their heads are small and narrow, with hard, upturned noses.
The shovelnose frogs are
burrowing
An eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of s ...
frogs, living most of their lives underground. The female digs underground while in
amplexus
Amplexus (Latin "embrace") is a type of Mating, mating behavior exhibited by some External fertilization, externally fertilizing species (chiefly amphibians, Amphipoda, amphipods, and horseshoe crabs) in which a male grasps a female with his fro ...
, and lays her
eggs
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop.
Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to:
Biology
* Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms
Food
* Eggs as food
Places
* Egg, Austria
* Egg, Switzerland ...
in an underground cavity. The male leaves through the tunnel, and the female remains with the eggs. Once sufficient rain has fallen, the female burrows with her nose towards a water source, where the
tadpole
A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the Larva, larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully Aquatic animal, aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial animal, ...
s will remain until
metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth transformation or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and different ...
.
[ The tadpoles may remain out of water up to a few days.
Unlike most burrowing frogs, the shovelnose frogs burrow head-first, as opposed to rear-first, hence their other common names - snout-burrowers. Some species are kept as pets.
]
Species
Family HEMISOTIDAE
* Genus ''Hemisus''
** ''H. barotseensis'' - Mongu shovelnose frog
''Hemisus barotseensis'' is a species of frogs in the family Hemisotidae. It is Endemism, endemic to western Zambia and known with certainty only from the Barotse Floodplain, along the Zambezi River. The record from the Kafue Flats is uncertain.
...
(Channing & Broadley, 2002)
** ''H. brachydactylus'' - Masiliwa snout-burrower or Masiliwa shovelnose frog (Laurent
Laurent may refer to:
*Laurent (name), a French masculine given name and a surname
**Saint Laurence (aka: Saint ''Laurent''), the martyr Laurent
**Pierre Alphonse Laurent, mathematician
**Joseph Jean Pierre Laurent, amateur astronomer, discoverer ...
, 1963)
** ''H. guineensis'' - Guinea snout-burrower
The Guinea snout-burrower (''Hemisus guineensis''), or Guinea shovelnose frog, is a species of frog in the family Hemisotidae found in sub-Saharan Africa.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, moist ...
or Guinea shovelnose frog (Cope
A cope ( ("rain coat") or ("cape")) is a liturgical long mantle or cloak, open at the front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour.
A cope may be worn by any rank of the Catholic or Anglican clerg ...
, 1865)
** ''H. guttatus'' - spotted snout-burrower or spotted shovelnose frog (Rapp, 1842)
** ''H. marmoratus'' - marbled snout-burrower, mottled shovelnose frog, or marbled shovelnose frog (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 descri ...
, 1863)
** ''H. microscaphus'' - Ethiopian snout-burrower, Lake Zwai snout-burrower or Lake Zwai shovelnose frog (Laurent, 1972)
** ''H. olivaceus'' - olive snout-burrower or olive shovelnose frog (Laurent, 1963)
** ''H. perreti'' - Perret's shovelnose frog (Laurent, 1972)
** ''H. wittei'' - De Witte's snout-burrower or Witte's shovelnose frog (Laurent, 1963)
References
*
Amphibian Species of the World: ''Hemisus''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q55472
Afrobatrachia
Taxa named by Albert Günther
Amphibians of Sub-Saharan Africa