Brachycephalidae (see family information on Tree of Life site)
49 species in 2 genera
This family is an assemblage of direct-developing frogs from Brazil and northern Argentina, and is composed of two genera, Brachycephalus and Ischnocnema. The family Brachycephalidae is defined primarily by molecular characters; no unique morphological characters are shared by these genera. Members of this family range in size from 10.2 mm SVL in females of Brachycephalus didactylus to 54 mm in females of Ischnocnema guentheri (Hedges et al. 2008).
Frogs of the genus Brachycephalus are known as “Saddle-back Toads,” due to the presence of bony shields above their vertebrae, or “Pumpkin Toads,” from the bright orange coloration of some of the members of this family. At first they were considered to be Bufonids, but absence of a Bidder’s organ (ovarian tissue on the testes, a synapomorphy of Bufonidae) led to their recognition as an independent family. Due to their small size and large genomes (an amphibian characteristic), these frogs have “lost” some of their digits (2 on the hand and 3 or 4 on the feet). These frogs are direct developers with inguinal or axillary amplexus. Brachycephalus ephippium is known to possess tetrodotoxin, a strong toxin also found in newts of the genus Taricha and in puffer fish.
Brachycephalus ephippium
Photo by Germano Woehl Jr.
(Click for details)Frogs of the genus Ischnocnema are found throughout the Atlantic Coastal Forest in eastern Brazil, and in the Araucaria forest in extreme southeastern Brazil and northern Argentina (Hedges et al. 2008).
Literature cited:
Hedges, S. B., Duellman, W. E., and Heinicke, M. P. (2008). New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): Molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and conservation. Zootaxa 1737: 1-182.
Genus Brachycephalus (14 species)
Brachycephalus alipioi no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Brachycephalus brunneus no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Brachycephalus didactylus no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Brachycephalus ephippium English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Brachycephalus ferruginus no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Brachycephalus hermogenesi English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Brachycephalus izecksohni no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Brachycephalus nodoterga no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Brachycephalus pernix English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Brachycephalus pitanga no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Brachycephalus pombali no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Brachycephalus pulex no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Brachycephalus toby no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Brachycephalus vertebralis no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video
Genus Ischnocnema (35 species)
Ischnocnema abdita no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema bilineata no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Ischnocnema bolbodactyla no English account no non-English account no photos sound/video Ischnocnema concolor no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema epipeda no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema erythromera no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema gehrti no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema gualteri no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema guentheri English account no non-English account photos sound/video Ischnocnema henselii no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Ischnocnema hoehnei no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Ischnocnema holti English account no non-English account photos sound/video Ischnocnema izecksohni no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Ischnocnema juipoca no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Ischnocnema lactea no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema manezinho no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Ischnocnema melanopygia no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema nasuta no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Ischnocnema nigriventris no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema octavioi no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema oea no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Ischnocnema paranaensis no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema parva no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Ischnocnema paulodutrai no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Ischnocnema penaxavantinho no English account no non-English account photos sound/video Ischnocnema pusilla no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema ramagii no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Ischnocnema randorum no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Ischnocnema sambaqui no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema spanios no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema surda no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema venancioi no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Ischnocnema verrucosa no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Ischnocnema vinhai no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Ischnocnema vizottoi no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video
Citation: AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. 2012. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: http://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed: 2012).
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