Cophylinae

Cophylinae
Cophylinae
Anodonthyla boulengerii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Lissamphibia
Order: Anura
Suborder: Neobatrachia
Family: Microhylidae
Subfamily: Cophylinae
Cope, 1889
Genera

7 genera, (58+ species) see article.

Cophylinae is a subfamily of microhylid frogs endemic to Madagascar. It has at least 58 species in seven genera.

Contents

Genera

Biology

Cophylines are characterized by a derived mode of larval development: whereas most microhylids have a specialized filter-feeding tadpole, cophylines have non-feeding tadpoles that develop either in tree holes, terrestrial foam nests, or terrestrial jelly nests [1]. Most cophylines have very simple advertisement calls, consisting of single melodious notes that are repeated after regular intervals and for long periods of time, usually lasting several minutes. Correlated to the reproductive mode of the various cophyline lineages is their arboreal versus terrestrial or fossorial ecology, and apparently, multiple evolutionary shifts between arboreal and terrestrial habits have occurred in this subfamily [2].

References

  1. ^ Blommers-Schlösser RMA. "Observations on the larval development of some Malagasy frogs, with notes on their ecology and biology (Anura: Dyscophinae, Scaphiophryninae and Cophylinae)". Beaufortia 1975; 24: 7-26. 
  2. ^ Andreone F, Vences M, Vieites DR, Glaw F, Meyer M. "Recurrent ecological adaptations revealed through a molecular analysis of the secretive cophyline frogs of Madagascar". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 2005; 34: 315-322. 

Bibliography

  • Vences M., Glaw F., Köhler J. & Wollenberg K. Molecular phylogeny, morphology and bioacoustics reveal five additional species of arboreal microhylid frogs of the genus Anodonthyla from Madagascar. Contributions to Zoology 2010; 79(1): 1-32. full text released under license CC-by


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