Brevicipitidae
33 species in 5 genera
Previously considered as part of the Microhylidae, there is now strong support that the five genera comprising the monophyletic Brevicipitidae, following Frost et al. (2006), are part of a larger lineage of African frogs including the Hemisotidae, Hyperoliidae and Arthroleptidae. The Brevicipitids are restricted to the eastern and southern parts of sub-Saharan Africa, from Ethiopia south to Angola and South Africa. Some genera, such as Breviceps, exhibit an extreme difference in male and female body sizes. Male frogs are so much smaller and have such short limbs relative to their volume that they are unable to amplex. Instead, they have an adhesive secretion from the skin that allows males and females to “stick” together during mating. Roughly spherical clutches of eggs are deposited in subterranean chambers. All five genera are believed to have direct development in which fully metamorphosed young hatch directly from eggs. Characters uniting this clade include (1) lack of ossified sphenethmoids; (2) an extremely short head; (3) direct development. (account by David Blackburn)
Breviceps fuscus
Photo by Miguel Vences and Frank Glaw
(Click for details)
Genus Balebreviceps (1 species)
Balebreviceps hillmani no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video
Genus Breviceps (16 species)
Breviceps acutirostris no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Breviceps adspersus English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Breviceps bagginsi no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Breviceps fichus no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Breviceps fuscus no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Breviceps gibbosus no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Breviceps macrops English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Breviceps maculatus no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Breviceps montanus no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Breviceps mossambicus no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Breviceps namaquensis no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Breviceps poweri no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Breviceps rosei no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Breviceps sopranus no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Breviceps sylvestris no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Breviceps verrucosus English account no non-English account photos no sound/video
Genus Callulina (9 species)
Callulina dawida no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Callulina hanseni no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Callulina kanga no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Callulina kisiwamsitu no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Callulina kreffti no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Callulina laphami English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Callulina meteora no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Callulina shengena no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Callulina stanleyi no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video
Genus Probreviceps (6 species)
Probreviceps durirostris no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Probreviceps loveridgei no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Probreviceps macrodactylus no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Probreviceps rhodesianus no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Probreviceps rungwensis no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Probreviceps uluguruensis no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video
Genus Spelaeophryne (1 species)
Spelaeophryne methneri 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).
AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use.