Hylidae
Treefrogs
David Cannatella
- Hemiphractinae
- Hylinae (non-monophyletic)
- Pelodryadinae
- Phyllomedusinae
Introduction
Hylids (treefrogs) are one of the largest families of frogs. There are about 37-39 genera. These are arranged in four subfamilies, the first three of which are distinctive: Pelodryadinae, Phyllomedusinae, Hemiphractinae, and Hylinae.
Among the most bizarre hyline frogs are certain casque-headed genera, such as Triprion and Trachycephalus, in which the skull bones are elaborated into a solid helmet. Certain casque-headed species use their bony heads to block the entrances to their burrows and reduce evaporative water loss.
Geographic Distribution
The distribution of living members of the family Hylidae is indicated in red.
Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships
The name Hylidae was defined by Ford and Cannatella (1993) as node-based name for the most recent ancestor of Hemiphractinae, Phyllomedusinae, Pelodryadinae, and Hylinae, and all of its descendants. The single synapomorphy known is claw-shaped terminal phalanges; these are also found in some hyperoliids (see below). Another commonly mentioned diagnostic feature of hylids is the presence of intercalary elements, but these are also present in centrolenids and pseudids, among the non-ranoid neobatrachians (see below). Savage (1973), Laurent (1979, 1986) and Dubois (1983, 1984) recognized the Australian hylids (Pelodryadinae) as a distinct family.
The monophyly of Hylidae is questionable if Allophryne ruthveni is included. See the account under Allophryne ruthveni.
References
Click here for general list of references
Title Illustrations
| Scientific Name | Acris crepitans |
|---|---|
| Location | Louisiana |
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| Copyright |
© 1995 David Cannatella
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| Scientific Name | Agalychnis annae |
|---|---|
| Location | Costa Rica |
| Specimen Condition | Live Specimen |
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| Copyright |
© 1995 David Cannatella
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| Scientific Name | Phyllomedusa tomopterna |
|---|---|
| Location | Ecuador |
| Specimen Condition | Live Specimen |
| Image Use |
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| Copyright |
© 1995 David Cannatella
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| Scientific Name | Hyla regilla |
|---|---|
| Location | California |
| Image Use |
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| Copyright |
© 1995 David Cannatella
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About This Page
If you are interested in authoring or co-authoring the page for this taxon, or some part of it (even a species), contact David Cannatella.
David Cannatella
University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA
Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to David Cannatella at
Page copyright © 1995 David Cannatella
Page: Tree of Life
Hylidae. Treefrogs.
Authored by
David Cannatella.
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- Content changed 24 July 2006
Citing this page:
Cannatella, David. 2006. Hylidae. Treefrogs. Version 24 July 2006 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Hylidae/16950/2006.07.24 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
