''Synapturanus'' is a genus of

microhylid The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread family of frogs. The 683 species are in 57 genera and 11 subfamilies. Evolution A molecular phylogenetic study by van der Meijden, et al. (2007) has estima ...

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. They are found in northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. Common name disc frogs has been coined for the genus. Because of their

fossorial A fossorial animal () is one that is adapted to digging and which lives primarily (but not solely) underground. Examples of fossorial vertebrates are Mole (animal), moles, badgers, naked mole-rats, meerkats, armadillos, wombats, and mole salamand ...

life style, their natural history is poorly known.

Ecology and behavior

''Synapturanus'' are

and mostly

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

tropical rainforest frogs found in the leaf litter and soft soils. Calling takes place usually during rain, which apparently triggers the calling. Eggs are deposited terrestrially in a small burrow below the soil surface. 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 are endotrophic (developing without external food sources). Stomach contents have included nematodes and various arthropods (ants, termites, and spiders).

Description

Females are larger than males. Breeding males have a glandular swelling on the wrist. Males and females are otherwise similar. The largest species is '' Synapturanus mirandaribeiroi'', which reaches a snout–vent length of at least .

Species

This genus has ten recognized species:

References

Microhylidae Amphibian genera Taxa named by Antenor Leitão de Carvalho Amphibians of South America {{Microhylidae-stub