Archaeobatrachia

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The division of living beings into systematics is a continuous subject of research. Different systematic classifications exist side by side and one after the other. The taxon treated here has become obsolete due to new research or is not part of the group systematics presented in the German-language Wikipedia.

Yellow-bellied toad ( Bombina variegata )

Archaeobatrachia - in German about "Urtümliche Froschlurche", "Urfrösche", "Lower Frogs" or "Old Frogs" - is a phylogenetically old subordination of the Frogs , which in turn belongs to the class of amphibians . Since the suborder Mesobatrachia was formally separated after a proposal made in 1993 - which has not yet been understood in some overviews - only 28 species from four families (corresponding to 0.5 percent of all frog species) belong to the Archaeobatrachia.

features

The differentiation of the frogs into “lower”, “medium” ( Mesobatrachia ) and “higher” frogs ( Neobatrachia ) - which is by no means undisputed and becomes more uncertain than clearer with increasing knowledge, because some supposed differentiating factors have proven to be cross-group - happens in primarily according to features of the anatomy , especially the bone structure, as well as some externally visible characteristics and behavior. In detail, the following characteristics can be named for Archaeobatrachia:

Former suborder Amphicoela ("original frogs")

The North American tail frogs (Ascaphidae) and the New Zealand primeval frogs (Leiopelmatidae) are treated as a separate suborder Amphicoela in older systematics. These are the only recent frogs with nine free vertebrae (the others have eight or less), which are amphicoel, i.e. hollowed out inward on both sides and have cartilaginous intervertebral discs. Furthermore, they have free ribs (not fused with the transverse processes of the vertebrae) , which most other adult frogs lack.

Superfamily Discoglossoidea - Scheibenzüngler i. w. S.

This group has eight ophistocoele (hollowed back) presacral vertebrae with overlapping neural arches, free ribs on the praesacralia (vertebrae) II to IV and a movable shoulder girdle with a cartilaginous sternum; the jawbones are dentate. The pupils can be drop-shaped or heart-shaped, but also vertically. The male's amplexus occurs inguinally, i.e. in the lumbar region. The tadpoles have a central belly-side breathing hole.

Taxonomy of the suborder Archaeobatrachia down to the species level

(alphabetically within the family)

literature

  • Günther E. Freytag, Bernhard Grzimek, Oskar Kuhn & Erich Thenius (eds.): Lurche . In: Grzimeks Tierleben, Vol. 5: Fish 2, Lurche. Licensed edition in dtv, Munich 1980, ISBN 3-423-03204-9

Web links

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