Sirenidae:

Common name

Cryptobranchidae:

Common name

Ambystomatidae:

Common Name

Dicamptodontidae:

Common name

Salamandridae:

Common name

Proteidae:

Common name

Rhyacotritonidae:

Common name

Amphiumidae:

Common name

Plethodontidae:

Common name

Sirenidae:

Physical characteristics

• long, slender bodies
• external gills
• no hind limbs

Cryptobranchidae:

Physical characteristics

• large bodies
• wrinkled, fleshy folds of skin

Hynobiidae:

Physical characteristics

• small bodies
• skeletal characteristics
• usually identified by distribution/habitat

Ambystomatidae:

Physical characteristics

• stout body
• blunt head
• distinct costal grooves
• 5 toes on hind feet

Dicamptodontidae:

Physical characteristics

• stout body
• blunt head
• indistinct costal grooves
• large, sharp teeth

Salamandridae:

Physical characteristics

• no nasolabial grooves
• indistinct costal grooves
• rough, pebbly skin

Proteidae:

Physical characteristics

• bushy gills
• small eyes
• 2 or 4 toes/foot
• lateral-line-like sense organs

Rhyacotritonidae:

Physical characteristics

• squared-off glands behind vent in adult males

Plethodontidae:

Physical characteristics

• lungless
• nasolabial grooves
• large variation in body form

Sirenidae:

Distribution

• SE US
• NE Mexico

Cryptobranchidae:

Distribution

• E North America
• E China
• Japan

Hynobiidae:

Distribution

• Central/E Asia
• Japan
• Taiwan

Ambystomatidae:

Distribution

• North America

Dicamptodontidae:

Distribution

• Pacific Northwest

• North America
• NW Africa
• Asia
• Europe

Proteidae:

Distribution

• E USA
• central/SE Europe

Rhyacotritonidae:

Distribution

• coastal Pacific Northwest

Amphiumidae:

Distribution

• SE USA

Plethodontidae:

Distribution

• North, Central, & South America
• S Europe

Caudata:

Families with only aquatic species

• Sirenidae
• Cryptobranchidae
• Proteidae
• Amphiumidae

Sirenidae:

Habitat

• aquatic
• slow-moving water

Cryptobranchidae:

Habitat

• aquatic
• cold, clear, fairly shallow streams

• mostly terrestrial as adults
• high elevations, breed in mountain streams

• terrestrial or aquatic

Dicamptodontidae:

Habitat

• Terrestrial or aquatic

• terrestrial and/or aquatic

Proteidae:

Habitat

• aquatic
• Necturus: lakes, streams
• Proteus: caves

• cold, fast-flowing headwaters in humid, old-growth forests

• aquatic
• slow-moving, weedy streams, rivers, swamps

• subterranean, aquatic, terrestrial, or arboreal

• Sirenidae
• Cryptobranchidae
• Hynobiidae
• Ambystomatidae
• Salamandridae
• Rhyacotritonidae

Caudata:

families that eat vertebrates along with invertebrates

• Dicamptodontidae
• Prooteidae
• Amphiumidae (tadpoles)
• Plethodontidae

Caudata:

families including paedomorphic species

• Sirenidae
• Cryptobranchidae
• Ambystomatidae
• Dicamptodontidae
• Proteidae
• Amphiumidae

Caudata:

families with external fertilization

• Sirenidae
• Cryptobranchidae
• Hynobiidae

Caudata:

families with internal fertilization

• Ambystomatidae
• Dicamptodontidae
• Salamandridae
• Proteidae
• Rhyacotritonidae
• Amphiumidae
• Plethodontidae

Caudata:

family with internal fertilization, males deposit spermatophores directly into cloaca

Caudata:

families with parental care

• Sirenidae
• Cryptobranchidae
• Salamandridae
• Amphiumidae

Sirenidae:

parental care

Cryptobranchidae:

parental care

• males build nest under rocks
• herd female into nest
• tend egg clutch

Salamandridae:

Parental care

• European species: keep developing eggs in body, give birth to advanced larvae or fully metamorphosed young

Amphiumidae:

Parental care

• females lay eggs on land (often on alligator nests)
• tend nests for up to 5 months

Caudata:

families that create mucous cocoon during drought

• Sirenidae
• Amphiumidae

Caudata:

families with aposematic coloration

• Ambystomatidae
• Salamandridae

Caudata:

families that use tail-lashing

• Ambystomatidae
• Rhyacotritonidae

Caudata:

families with unken reflex

• Salamandridae

Salamandridae:

Defense mechanisms

• pointed ribs poke through skin to puncture wart, releasing toxic compounds
• pressure-sensitive granular glands that shoot toxins

Caudata:

family that has increased in abundance due to water hyacinth

Caudata:

family with largest extant salamanders, long time to sexual maturity (4-6 years)

Caudata:

family dried and sold for stomach ailments in China

Caudata:

only family that regularly eats mammals and one of few groups that vocalizes

Caudata:

family with mental glands, cirri, projectile tongues

Ascaphidae:

Common name

Bombinatoridae:

Common name

Alytidae:

Common name

Leptodactylidae:

Common name

Eleutherodactylidae:

Common name

Hylidae:

Common name

Centrolenidae:

Common name

Cycloramphidae:

Common name

Dendrobatidae:

Common name

Ranidae:

Common Name

Ascaphidae:

Physical characteristics

• retain tail muscles as adults
• males have intromittent organ that looks like a tail
• flat bodies
• rough skin

Bombinatoridae:

Physical characteristics

• derived skull/hyloid features
• disc-shaped tongue fused to bottom of mouth

Alytidae:

Physical characteristics

• disc tongue
• skull/skeletal features

Scaphiopodidae:

Physical characteristics

• vertical pupils
• spade-lie tubercle on hind feet

Pipidae:

Physical characteristics

• no tongue
• compressed bodies
• laterally splayed limbs
• lateral line
• webbed feet with claw-like tips

Bufonidae:

Physical characteristics

• enlarged parotoid glands
• heavyset bodies
• horizontal pupils
• no teeth

Branchycephalidae:

Physical characteristics

• no sternum
• 2 digits on front legs
• 3 or 4 digits on back legs

Leptodactylidae:

Physical characteristics

• only skeletal similarities
• very diverse externally

Eleutherodactylidae:

Physical characteristics

• skeletal similarities only, no external characteristics
• all have direct development

Hylidae:

Physical characteristics

• claw-shaped terminal phalanges
• toe pads
• smooth skin
• lateral, forward-directed eyes

Centrolenidae:

Physical characteristics

• skeletal elements
• T-shaped toe pads
• slender body
• transparent ventral surface

Cycloramphidae:

Physical characteristics

• no morphology, molecular traits only

Dendrobatidae:

Physical characteristics

• small
• bright skin
• toe pads

Microhylidae:

Physical characteristics

• larval features
• skeletal features
• narrow mouth

Ranidae:

Physical characteristics

• powerful back legs
• webbed feet
• smooth skin
• variable morphology

Ascaphidae:

Distribution

• coastal Pacific Northwest

Bombinatoridae:

Distribution

• E Asia
• Europe

Alytidae:

Distribution

• W Europe to Asia Minor
• NW Africa

Scaphiopodidae:

Distribution

• North America

Pipidae:

Distribution

• sub-Saharan Africa
• Panama
• tropical South America

Bufonidae:

Distribution

• every continent except Australopapuan (introduced there)

Branchycephalidae:

Distribution

• SE Brazil

Leptodactylidae:

Distribution

• S/central US to South America
• West Indies

Eleutherodactylidae:

Distribution

• S/central US to South America
• West Indies

Hylidae:

Distribution

• everywhere but Africa
• highest diversity in Americas and Australia

Centrolenidae:

Distribution

• S Mexico to Bolivia and Argentina
• SE Brazil

Cycloramphidae:

Distribution

• South America (Chile to Argentina)

Dendrobatidae:

Distribution

• Nicaragua to SE Brazil

Microhylidae:

Distribution

• Everywhere but Europe

Ranidae:

Distribution

• Everywhere!

Ascaphidae:

Habitat

• aquatic
• old, fast-flowing streams

Bombinatoridae:

Habitat

• terrestrial and/or aquatic
• wide variety, plains to mountains

Alytidae:

Habitat

• terrestrial

Scaphiopodidae:

Habitat

• fossorial
• adapted for arid regions
• can excrete fluid to create watertight chamber

Pipidae:

Habitat

• aquatic

Bufonidae:

Habitat

• mostly terrestrial, some arboreal

Branchycephalidae:

Habitat

• terrestrial, burrowing
• leaf littter in humid forests

Leptodactylidae:

Habitat

• arboreal, aquatic, or terrestrial

Eleutherodactylidae:

Habitat

• arboreal, aquatic, or terrestrial

Hylidae:

Habitat

• primarily arboreal
• both aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems

Centrolenidae:

Habitat

• riparian
• occur from sea level to over 1400 m

Cycloramphidae:

Habitat

• humid forests

• terrestrial, arboreal, or riparian
• tropical leaf litter
• bromeliads
• riparian zone

Microhylidae:

Habitat

• fossorial, arboreal, terrestrial, riparian

Ranidae:

Habitat

• terrestrial, fossorial, or aquatic

Anurans:

Families that eat only invertebrates

• Ascaphidae
• Branchycephalidae
• Hylidae
• Centrolenidae
• Cycloramphidae
• Dendrobatidae
• Microhylidae

Anurans:

families that eat invertebrates and vertebrates

• Pipidae
• Bufonidae
• Leptodactylidae
• Eleutherodactylidae
• Ranidae

Alytidae:

Feeding method

Anurans:

families with internal fertilization

• Ascaphidae
• Bufonidae
• possibly Dendrobatidae

Bufonidae:

Reproduction

• most species external with axillary amplexus
• some inguinal amplexus, internal fertilization, direct development, ovoviviparity, and viviparity
• breed in early spring

Anurans:

family with gluing amplexus

Ascaphidae:

Reproduction

• males don't call
• few, large eggs
• slow development (1-5 yrs to metamorphosis)

Bombinatoridae:

Reproduction

• prolonged breeding season with explosive breeding period
• frequent adult egg eating

Alytidae:

Reproduction

• one genus breeds on land, transports eggs to water (male carries eggs on back/legs until they're ready to hatch)
• other genus deposits eggs in water
• females of one species sometimes produce mating call

Scaphiopodidae:

Reproduction

• opportunistic
• usually in summer after heavy rains
• explosive breeders
• fast development (froglets in less than 1 week)
• tadpoles in crowded conditions can become cannibalistic

Pipidae:

Reproduction

• African species deposit eggs in water, tadpoles filter-feed
• some species have complex courtship rituals
• one genus has direct development
• one genus' tadpoles look/act like fish

Bufonidae:

Reproduction

• early spring

Leptodactylidae:

Reproduction

• may brood-guard, make foam nests or terrestrial chambers
• some species' males develop humeral spines and nupital pads for fighting other males

Eleutherodactylidae:

Reproduction

• aseasonal
• only 1 species doesn't have direct development (gives birth to froglets, but believed to be extinct)

Hylidae:

Reproduction

• early spring
• one subfamily broods eggs on female's back
• one genus broods eggs in pouch under skin

Centrolenidae:

Reproduction

• aseasonal
• attach eggs to leaves/branches overhanging streams
• some species, male guards eggs
• tadpoles develop in stream or mud along streambank

Cycloamphidae:

Reproduction

• Darwin's frog males carry young in gular pouch until they metamorphose

Dendrobatidae:

Reproduction

• lay few eggs
• males guard eggs, females sometimes feed young unfertilized eggs
• many species transport tadpoles

Microhylidae:

Reproduction

• aseasonal
• gluing amplexus
• most have direct development

Ranidae:

Reproduction

• aseasonal or during rainy season
• lay eggs in water

Anurans:

family active 24 hours

Anurans:

family that is mainly diurnal

Anurans:

families with aposematic coloration

• Bombinatoridae
• Branchycephalidae
• Dendrobatidae

Anurans:

family with unken reflex

Anurans:

families that produce tetrodotoxin

• Bufonidae
• Branchycephalidae

Bufonidae:

Defensive Mechanisms

• defensive alkaloids
• tetrodotoxin
• bufotenin (hallucinogen)
• cardiotoxic steroids
• inflate with air to appear larger

Anurans:

family with humeral spines on males

Anurans:

family with toxins derived from diet

Anurans:

family with tadpoles that can climb out of streams with oral discs

Anurans:

family that contains smallest frog

Branchycephalidae

Anurans:

family that keeps auditory neurons from firing while calling

Anurans:

family containing only extant frog with true teeth in lower jaw

Hylidae

Anurans:

family with species that mimic dead leaves

Anurans:

most widely distributed family

Anurans:

family containing flying frogs that glide between trees