Bombinatoridae (see family information on Tree of Life site)

This family is composed of the two genera Barboroula and Bombina. Barboroula is found in the Philippines and Borneo while Bombina occurs in Europe, Soviet Republics, China, Vietnam, and Korea. Species of Bombina are active during the day and have aposematic coloration ventrally. Bombina arch their bodies backward in an "unken reflex" when threatened, exposing their bright ventral colors and thus advertising their toxic skin secretions. (This defensive reflex is also found in some salamanders.) Barboroula species are not as colorful and are very secretive and active at night. These are small aquatic toads that lay eggs and vocalize during inhalation (unique among extant anurans). Morphological characters for this group are: 1) halves of sphenethmoid fused, 2) 8 presacral vertebrae; 3) epipubic muscle absent; 4) pupil triangular or vertically elliptical; 5) expanded flange of quadratojugal; 6) presence of endochondral ossifications in the hyoid plate.

Bombina variegata variegata Photo by Boris I. Timofeev (Click for details)

Genus Barbourula (2 species)

Barbourula busuangensis	species account	photos	no range maps	no sounds
Barbourula kalimantanensis	species account	photos	no range maps	no sounds

Genus Bombina (8 species)

Bombina bombina	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Bombina fortinuptialis	no species account	no photos	range maps	no sounds
Bombina lichuanensis	no species account	no photos	range maps	no sounds
Bombina maxima	no species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Bombina microdeladigitora	no species account	no photos	range maps	no sounds
Bombina orientalis	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Bombina pachypus	no species account	no photos	no range maps	no sounds
Bombina variegata	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds

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