Subphylum Vertebrata Superorder Batrachia Higher classification Frog | Phylum Chordata Subclass Lissamphibia Scientific name Mesobatrachia Rank Suborder | |
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Similar Archaeobatrachia, Frog, Amphibians, Neobatrachia, Chordate | ||
The Mesobatrachia are the second-largest of the Anura suborders of amphibians. At the end of 2016, it contained 3 superfamilies (Pelobatoidea, Pelodytoidea and Pipoidea), 6 families, 16 genera, and 244 species. Recognized as a group in 1993, the name (meso- "middle" batrachia "frogs") is contrasted with the primitive Archaeobatrachia and the more diverse and advanced Neobatrachia.
The Mesobatrachia comprise five fossorial families, including the spadefoot toads of Europe, North America, and East Asia, the parsley frogs, and the Mexican burrowing toad, as well as one obligatorily aquatic family, the Pipidae of Africa and South America.
The Mesobatrachia are a relatively new group, only having been identified as such in 1993.
References
Mesobatrachia Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA