Hemiphractidae is a family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of frog

Frog

Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...

s from South

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 and Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

. Previously, this group had been classified as a subfamily (Hemiphractinae) under family Hylidae. More recent research classifies these genera into their own family, or sometimes into three separate families: Amphignathodontidae (Flectonotus and Gastrotheca), Cryptobatrachidae (Cryptobatrachus and Stefania), and Hemiphractidae (Hemiphractus). There is still an active question as to which of these groupings is more accurate.

Breeding behavior

An unusual adaptation in this family is the breeding behavior where the eggs develop into froglets on the back of the female (in most there is no free-swimming tadpole

Tadpole

A tadpole or polliwog is the wholly aquatic larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly that of a frog or toad.- Appellation :...

 stage). In some genera, this goes as far as to enclose the eggs in a pouch until they hatch.

Taxonomy

The Hemiphractidae family is divided into the following genera:

• Cryptobatrachus
  Cryptobatrachus
  Cryptobatrachus is a genus of frogs under family Hemiphractidae. They are commonly called backpack frogs, as the females have the habit of carrying their clutch on their backs until the young hatch.-Species:* Cryptobatrachus boulengeri...
  
  - Backpack Frogs
• Flectonotus
  Flectonotus
  Flectonotus is a genus of frogs of the family Hemiphractidae.-Species:* Flectonotus fissilis .* Flectonotus fitzgeraldi .* Flectonotus goeldii ....
  
  
• Gastrotheca
  Gastrotheca
  Gastrotheca is a genus of frogs found in Central and South America. Most species occur in the American Cordillera from southern Costa Rica to northwestern Argentina. This genus makes up the bulk of marsupial frog diversity; formerly it was placed in the "Leptodactylidae" assemblage.Marsupial frogs...
  
  - Marsupial Frogs
• Hemiphractus
  Hemiphractus
  Hemiphractus is a genus of frogs.-Species:* Hemiphractus bubalus .* Hemiphractus fasciatus Peters, 1862.* Hemiphractus helioi Sheil & Mendelson, 2001.* Hemiphractus johnsoni ....
  
  - Horned Treefrogs
• Stefania
  Stefania
  Stefania is a genus of frogs in the Hemiphractidae family. They are native to southern Venezuela and Guyana, but may also occur in adjacent far northern Brazil. Most are restricted to the tepui highlands, but S. evansi also occurs in lowlands...
  
  - Carrying Frogs

External links

• http://www.tolweb.org/Hemiphractinae/
• http://amphibiaweb.org/lists/Hemiphractidae.shtml
• http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=773185