Leptodactylidae

▪ frog family

      family of frogs (order Anura), including more than 900 species, most of which are found in South and Central America. Leptodactylid frogs live in water, on land, or in trees. More than 300 species, most of them West Indian or Central American, are of the genus Eleutherodactylus, or robber frogs. The young of this genus hatch as small frogs, rather than as tadpoles. The greenhouse frog (E. planirostis), a small brown frog commonly found in gardens, is a Cuban frog introduced into the southern United States. Many species have a very restricted distribution, such as E. jasperi, which is found only in the cloud forests of Puerto Rico.

      The genus Leptodactylus, or nest-building frogs, includes frogs that have a wide variety of reproductive modes. Some species lay their eggs on land in a frothy mass, the young living in the foam until washed into a pool by rain. The South American bullfrogs are of this genus. These animals resemble true frogs (Rana) but lack webbing on the feet. The edible L. pentadactylus of Panama and South America is a large form with a maximum length of more than 15 cm (6 inches).

      Horned frogs (Ceratophrys) are frog-eating South American forms that typically have a projecting flap, or “horn,” of skin above each eye. They have wide heads and mouths and range in length from about 2.5 cm (1 inch) in the small species to more than 15 cm (6 inches) in the Amazonian C. cornuta. Horned frogs may be aggressive when disturbed; some are capable of giving sharp bites.

      The numerous Australian frogs of the families Limnodynastidae and Myobatrachidae are considered by some authorities to belong to the Leptodactylidae.

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