Portal:Amphibians

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The Amphibian Portal

Anaschisma

Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniotic, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all tetrapods, excluding the amniotes (tetrapods with an amniotic membrane, such as modern reptiles, birds, and mammals). All extant (living) amphibians belong to the monophyletic subclass Lissamphibia, with three living orders: Anura (frogs), Urodela (salamanders), and Gymnophiona (caecilians). Evolved to be mostly semiaquatic, amphibians have adapted to inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living in freshwater, wetland or terrestrial ecosystems (such as riparian woodland, fossorial and even arboreal habitats). Their life cycle typically starts out as aquatic larvae with gills known as tadpoles, but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this.

The young generally undergo metamorphosis from larva with gills to an adult air-breathing form with lungs. Amphibians use their skin as a secondary respiratory surface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin. They are superficially similar to reptiles like lizards, but unlike reptiles and other amniotes, require water bodies in which to breed. With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are often ecological indicators; in recent decades there has been a dramatic decline in amphibian populations for many species around the globe.

The earliest amphibians evolved in the Devonian period from sarcopterygian fish with lungs and bony-limbed fins, features that were helpful in adapting to dry land. They diversified and became ecologically dominant during the Carboniferous and Permian periods, but were later displaced in terrestrial environments by early reptiles and basal synapsids (mammal predecessors). The origin of modern amphibians belonging to Lissamphibia, which first appeared during the Early Triassic, around 250 million years ago, has long been contentious. However the emerging consensus is that they likely originated from temnospondyls, the most diverse group of prehistoric amphibians, during the Permian period. (Full article...)

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Selected frog article

Nyctibatrachus beddomii

Nyctibatrachidae is a small family of frogs found in the Western Ghats of India and in Sri Lanka. Their common name is robust frogs. Recognition of Nyctibatrachidae as a family is fairly recent. These frogs were previously placed in the broadly defined family Ranidae, which was more recently divided into three subfamilies: Lankanectinae, Nyctibatrachinae, and Astrobatrachinae. (Full article...)

List of selected frog articles

Selected salamander article

The salamander is an amphibian of the order Urodela which, as with many real creatures, often has been ascribed fantastic and sometimes occult qualities by pre-modern authors (as in the allegorical descriptions of animals in medieval bestiaries) not possessed by the real organism. The legendary salamander is often depicted as a typical salamander in shape with a lizard-like form, but is usually ascribed an affinity with fire, sometimes specifically elemental fire. (Full article...)

List of selected salamander articles
Caudata Ambystomatidae Cryptobranchoidea Greater siren Salamandroidea Sexual selection in amphibians Sirenidae Urodela

Did you know? – show different entries

... that the Pyrenean brook salamander sometimes lives entirely underground in caves?
... that Rhachitomi, a group of temnospondyl amphibians, was established as a clade in 2013?
... that the specific name of Tambachia trogallas, the type species of the trematopid temnospondyl Tambachia, refers to the Thuringian bratwurst that was frequently eaten by the describers of the species?
... that the female tree frog Aplastodiscus leucopygius inspects the underground nesting chamber prepared by the male before accepting his advances?
... that the Italian pool frog (pictured) has been introduced into the United Kingdom?

Selected amphibian type

European fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina), a member of the family Bombinatoridae

Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands.

A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scientific taxonomy, but is common in popular culture (folk taxonomy), in which toads are associated with drier, rougher skin and more terrestrial habitats. (Full article...)

List of selected amphibian type articles
Frog Salamander Caecilian

Selected images

Image 1
White's Tree Frog
Illustration credit: Ernst Haeckel
A frog is an amphibian characterized by long hind legs, a short body, webbed digits, protruding eyes and the absence of a tail. Frogs are most noticeable through their call, which can be widely heard during the mating season. It is estimated that up to 20% of amphibian species may care for their young in one way or another, and there is a great diversity of parental behaviours. For example, frogs in the Gastrotheca genus (upper left) carry their eggs in a pouch, and females of the Eleutherodactylus lineatus species (center left) carry their young on their back.
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Image 2
Southern brown tree frog
Photograph: JJ Harrison
The southern brown tree frog (Litoria ewingii) is a species of tree frog native to Australia found in a wide range of habitats. Reaching 45 millimetres (1.8 in), this species is generally brown, but green and green-striped morphs are also recorded.
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Image 3
Balearic green toad
Photograph: Richard Bartz
A female Balearic green toad (Bufo balearicus), a lowland species of toad native to Italy.
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Image 4
White's Tree Frog
Photo credit: liquidGhoul
Native to Australia, White's Tree Frog grows up to 10 centimetres in length and is a popular household pet. In captivity, they have an average lifespan of 16 years. Its skin secretions contain caerins, a group of peptides with antibacterial and antiviral properties. Other peptides have been found to destroy HIV without harming healthy T-cells.
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Image 5
Eastern newt
Photo credit: Patrick Coin
A terrestrial subadult Eastern newt or red eft (Notophthalmus viridescens). Salamanders of the family Salamandridae with aquatic adult stages are called newts. Some newts, including the Eastern newt, have a juvenile terrestrial stage called the eft. The red eft has bright aposematic coloration to warn predators of its highly toxic skin.
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Image 6
Spanish painted frog
Photograph: Benny Trapp
The Spanish painted frog (Discoglossus jeanneae) is a species of frog in the family Alytidae. Endemic to Spain, it mostly lives in open areas, pine groves and shrublands. It feeds mostly on insects and worms.
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Image 7
Marsh frog
Photograph credit: Charles James Sharp
The marsh frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) is a species of amphibian native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is the largest type of frog in most of its range, growing to a snout-to-vent length of around 100 mm (4 in); tadpoles can reach up to 190 mm (7.5 in) in length, but this usually occurs in places with long winters where the tadpole has time to grow. Marsh frogs hibernate during the winter, either underwater or in burrows, and are able to use the Earth's magnetic field to locate breeding ponds. This marsh frog was photographed in Kampinos National Park, Poland.
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Image 8
New England Tree Frog
Photo credit: LiquidGhoul
The New England Tree Frog (Litoria subglandulosa) is a species of frog native to the streams of the New England Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia.
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Image 9
Dendropsophus microcephalus
Photo: Brian Gratwicke
A male Dendropsophus microcephalus frog, displaying its vocal sac—membranes of skin under the throat or on the corner of the mouth that distend to amplify its call. The species lives in moist areas in most of Central America and northern South America.
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Image 10
Vocal sac
Photo: Benny Trapp
An Italian tree frog (Hyla intermedia) with an inflated vocal sac. Vocal sacs, flexible membranes of skin possessed by most male frogs, are generally used to amplify mating or advertisement calls. However, some species in the family Rhinodermatidae may also use the sac to store or transport their tadpoles.
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Image 11
Ecnomiohyla rabborum
Photograph: Brian Gratwicke
Rabbs' fringe-limbed treefrog (Ecnomiohyla rabborum) is a large species of frog originally found in the forest canopies of central Panama. Only discovered in 2005, the species is thought to be extinct in the wild; only one specimen, a male at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, survives.
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Image 12
Albanian water frog
Photograph: Benny Trapp
The Albanian water frog (Pelophylax shqipericus) is a species of true frog in the family Ranidae. It is native to Albania and Montenegro, where it lives in aquatic environments. The frogs are medium-sized. Males sometimes bear a distinctive bright green stripe down the length of the backbone, but otherwise are green to light brown in overall colouring with large black or dark brown spots. Females are olive green or light brown in colour and also bear brown or black large spots. The species is endangered and known populations are currently in decline.
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Image 13
Eastern Banjo Frog
Photo credit: Fir0002
The Eastern Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes dumerilli) is native to eastern Australia and has been introduced to New Zealand. The frog is also commonly called the pobblebonk after its distinctive "bonk" call, which is likened to a banjo string being plucked. Adults are roughly seven to eight cm long.
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Image 14
Rana clamitans
Photo credit: Derek Ramsey
The American Green Frog (Rana clamitans) is native to the eastern half of the United States and Canada. Green frogs live wherever there is shallow freshwater: ponds, road-side ditches, lakes, swamps, streams and brooks. The green frog is abundant wherever it occurs.
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Image 15
Agile frog
Photograph credit: Petar Milošević
The agile frog (Rana dalmatina) is a species of true frog in the family Ranidae. Native to central and southern Europe, its brownish dappled colouring helps to conceal it among the leaf litter on the forest floor. This frog, about 5 cm (2.0 in) long, was photographed in the Golovec Forest in Slovenia.
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Selected toad article

Poyntonophrynus fenoulheti

Poyntonophrynus, also known as pygmy toads, are a genus consisting of ten true toad species native to Sub-Saharan Africa. Originally, all Poyntonophrynus species were included in the genus Bufo. The genus was split due to large enough taxonomic divergence as evidenced by molecular markers. The genus is named in honour of John C. Poynton [fr], South African herpetologist, with phrynus being Greek for toad. (Full article...)

List of selected toad articles

Selected caecilian article

Epicrionops sp.

Rhinatrematidae is a family of caecilians, also known as the Neotropical tailed caecilians, American tailed caecilians. or beaked caecilians. They are found in the equatorial countries of South America.

They are usually regarded as the most basal of the caecilian families, with numerous characteristics lacking in the other groups. For example, they still possess tails, and their mouths are not recessed on the underside of their heads. They lay their eggs in cavities in the soil. The larvae have external gills, and live in seepage areas until they metamorphose. The adults live in moist soil and leaf litter. (Full article...)

List of selected caecilian articles