Bombinatoridae (see family information on Tree of Life site)
10 species in 2 genera
This family is composed of the two genera Barbourula and Bombina. Barbourula 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
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Genus Barbourula (2 species)
Barbourula busuangensis English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Barbourula kalimantanensis English account no non-English account photos no sound/video
Genus Bombina (8 species)
Bombina bombina English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Bombina fortinuptialis no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Bombina lichuanensis no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Bombina maxima no English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Bombina microdeladigitora no English account no non-English account no photos no sound/video Bombina orientalis English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Bombina pachypus English account no non-English account photos no sound/video Bombina variegata English account no non-English account 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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