Family MYOBATRACHIDAE Schlegel, 1850

Museums

Regional Maps

Introduction

Members of this family are generally moderate-sized to small terrestrial frogs confined to the Australian Region. Until recently they were regarded as a subfamily within the family Leptodactylidae (Southern Frogs). Currently recognised are 21 genera and approximately 126 species; of these, all are confined to Australia except 3 genera and 4 species which either also occur in New Guinea or are confined to New Guinea.

Diagnosis

Characterised in Australia by: arciferal pectoral girdle; intercalary cartilages absent; finger and toe discs small or absent, without lateral grooves; sacral diapophyses more or less dilated; eight presacral vertebrae, the first two fused in some genera; maxillary teeth present or, if absent, the toes never more than about half-webbed.

General References

Barker, J., Grigg, G. & Tyler, M. 1995. A Field Guide to Australian Frogs. Chipping Norton, NSW : Surrey Beatty & Sons 1995 edn xi, 407 pp.

Brattstrom, B.H. 1970. Thermal acclimation in Australian amphibians. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 35: 69-103

Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. Sydney : Reed New Holland 6th edition, 808 pp.

Lynch, J.D. 1971. Evolutionary relationships, osteology, and zoogeography of leptodactyloid frogs. Miscellaneous Publications of the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History 53: 1-238

Parker, H.W. 1940. The Australasian frogs of the family Leptodactylidae. Novitates Zoologicae 42: 1-106

Tyler, M.J. 1999. Australian Frogs. Sydney : Reed New Holland pp. 1-192.

Tyler, M.J., Watson, F.G. & Martin, A.A. 1981. The Amphibia: diversity and distribution. pp. 1275-1302 in Keast, A. (ed.). Ecological Biogeography of Australia. The Hague : Dr. W. Junk.

Watson, G.F. & Martin, A.A. 1973. Life history, larval morphology and relationships of Australian leptodactylid frogs. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 97: 33-45

History of changes