Pipidae (see family information on Tree of Life site)
Tongueless frogs
There are 5 genera and over 30 species in this family. These frogs lack a tongue, have dorsoventrally flattened bodies, fully webbed hind feet, small dorsally placed eyes, and retain a lateral line system. Tadpoles resemble small catfish due to their paired anterior barbells (absent in Hymenochirus whose tadpoles are carnivorous). Males in this family lack vocal cords but are able to communicate underwater via “clicking” sounds generated through a modified laryngeal apparatus. The Surinam Toad, Pipa pipa, amplexes (mates) in a circular motion underwater, allowing for the eggs to be deposited on the female's back. The fertilized eggs are later enveloped by skin and complete their development within the female's dorsal skin, so that eventually froglets emerge fully formed. Members of this family can be found in almost every kind of water body in Africa and South America. Two members of the genus Xenopus have become model lab organisms (the tetraploid Xenopus laevis and more recently the smaller, diploid Xenopus tropicalis), due to their hardiness and ability to be easily maintained in a laboratory, as well as ease of inducing ovulation and mating year-round by gonadotropin injection. The early development of Xenopus laevis has been studied by developmental biologists for over a hundred years. Characters for the Pipidae are: 1) epipubis present; 2) unpaired epipubic muscle; 3) quadratojugal absent; 4) free ribs in larvae; 5) sacrococcygeal articulation fused; 6) short, stocky sacrum; 7) elongate septomaxillae; 8) lateral line system present in adults; 9) tongues absent; 10) non-pedicellate teeth in Xenopus and some Pipa (other Pipa are edentate – have very few or no teeth).
Pipa pipa
Photo by Hugo Classen
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Genus Hymenochirus (4 species)
Hymenochirus boettgeri species account no photos no range maps no sounds Hymenochirus boulengeri no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Hymenochirus curtipes no species account photos no range maps no sounds Hymenochirus feae no species account no photos no range maps no sounds
Genus Pipa (7 species)
Pipa arrabali no species account photos no range maps no sounds Pipa aspera no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Pipa carvalhoi no species account photos no range maps no sounds Pipa myersi no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Pipa parva no species account photos no range maps sounds Pipa pipa species account photos no range maps no sounds Pipa snethlageae no species account no photos no range maps no sounds
Genus Pseudhymenochirus (1 species)
Pseudhymenochirus merlini no species account photos no range maps no sounds
Genus Silurana (2 species)
Silurana epitropicalis no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Silurana tropicalis species account no photos no range maps no sounds
Genus Xenopus (17 species)
Xenopus amieti no species account photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus andrei no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus borealis no species account photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus boumbaensis no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus clivii no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus fraseri no species account photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus gilli species account no photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus laevis species account photos no range maps sounds Xenopus largeni no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus longipes species account photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus muelleri species account photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus petersii no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus pygmaeus no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus ruwenzoriensis no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus vestitus no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus victorianus no species account no photos no range maps no sounds Xenopus wittei no species account no photos no range maps no sounds
Citation: AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. 2008. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: http://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed: 2008).
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