Petropedetidae Explained

The Petropedetidae are a family of frogs containing two genera and 11 species.^{[1] [2]} They are found in sub-Saharan tropical Africa^[1] and are sometimes known under common name African torrent frogs.^[3]

They are inhabitants of the splash-water zone of clear-running streams predominantly in forests. Tadpoles are either semiterrestrial in the spray zone or fully aquatic in zones of the strongest currents. Some species guard their clutches.^[3] They are medium- to large-sized frogs (Arthroleptides and Petropedetes).^[3]

Taxonomy

The Petropedetidae are related to true frogs, family Ranidae, and have often been considered as a subfamily within a broadly defined Ranidae.^[4] However, they are now commonly treated as a family,^{[1] [2] [4]} although the genera included may differ between sources. In particular, Conraua is sometimes included in the Petropedetidae, instead of forming its own monogeneric family Conrauidae.^{[1] [2] [5]}

Genera

The two genera in the family are:^{[1] [2]}

• Arthroleptides Nieden, 1911 – African torrent frogs, three species
• Petropedetes Reichenow, 1874 – African water frogs, nine species

Recognition of Arthroleptides as a genus separate from Petropedetes is relatively recent.^{[3] [6]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Petropedetidae Noble, 1931 . Frost, Darrel R. . 2014 . Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 . American Museum of Natural History . 29 May 2014.
2. Web site: Petropedetidae . 2014 . AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application] . Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb . 29 May 2014.
3. 10.1016/j.ympev.2013.11.001. 24239613. Light shines through the spindrift – Phylogeny of African torrent frogs (Amphibia, Anura, Petropedetidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 71. 261–73. 2014. Barej . M. F. . Rödel . M. O. . Loader . S. P. . Menegon . M. . Gonwouo . N. L. . Penner . J. . Gvoždík . V. C. . Günther . R. . Bell . R. C. . Nagel . P. . Schmitz . A. .
4. Blackburn, D.C. . Wake, D.B. . Class Amphibia Gray, 1825. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness . Zootaxa. 3148. 2011. 39–55. 10.11646/zootaxa.3148.1.8 .
5. Book: Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles . 4th . Laurie J.. Vitt. Janalee P. . Caldwell. Academic Press. 2014. 507.
6. Web site: Arthroleptides Nieden, 1911 "1910" . Frost, Darrel R. . 2014 . Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 . American Museum of Natural History . 29 May 2014.