Discoglossidae

amphibian family
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://mainten.top/animal/Discoglossidae
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Related Topics:
midwife toad

Discoglossidae, family of frogs (order Anura) containing the midwife toad (Alytes, four species) and the painted frog (Discoglossus, six species). Both genera are confined to the Old World, occurring in western Europe and northern Africa.

Discoglossid frogs have been discovered from Jurassic deposits in Europe and represent some of the oldest frog fossils known. Modern discoglossids combine primitiveness and specialization in their anatomy and behaviour. Midwife toads are noted for the peculiar reproductive behaviour of the male caring for the eggs. In contrast, painted frogs lay 500 to 1,000 eggs in water, and their development is rapid, with tadpoles metamorphosing in three to eight weeks.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.