ArticleslgStudy

biology

List of amphibians

List of amphibians is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of amphibians rather than just read about it. In short: Amphibians are ectothermic, tetrapod vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia.

List of amphibians — main illustration
List of amphibians — illustration

Key takeaways

  • List of amphibians belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect List of amphibians to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of List of amphibians from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Amphibians are ectothermic, tetrapod vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal or freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Thus amphibians typically start out as larvae living in water, but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this. A list of amphibians organizes the class of amphibian by family and subfamilies and mentions the number of species in each of them. The list below largely follows Darrel Frost's Amphibian Species of the World (ASW), Version 5.5 (31 January 2011). Another classification, which largely follows Frost, but deviates from it in part is the one of AmphibiaWeb, which is run by the California Academy of Sciences and several of universities. The major differences between these two classifications are:

Frost's ASW has split several families from other families (i.e. elevated to distinct families), whereas AmphibiaWeb has not (i.e., keeping them within the original families as subfamilies): From Dendrobatidae: Aromobatidae From Myobatrachidae: Limnodynastidae From Ranidae: Ceratobatrachidae, Dicroglossidae, Mantellidae, Micrixalidae, Nyctibatrachidae, Petropedetidae, Phrynobatrachidae, Ptychadenidae, Pyxicephalidae, Ranixalidae, Rhacophoridae AmphibiaWeb has also split a few families off from other families (i.e. elevated to distinct families), where Frost's ASW has not (i.e., keeping them within the original families): From Alytidae: Discoglossidae From Leiopelmatidae: Ascaphidae From Ambystomatidae: Dicamptodontidae From Caeciliidae: Scolecomorphidae, Typhlonectidae From Ichthyophiidae: Uraeotyphlidae

Class Amphibia

There are a total of 8216 amphibian species in three orders.

Order Anura: frogs and toads As of 29 August 2020, 7243 species of frogs and toads are recognised by Amphibian Species of the World.

Suborder Archaeobatrachia Family Alytidae – painted frogs or disc-tongued frogs, 12 species. Includes the genus Discoglossus (5 species) which is sometimes considered a distinct family, Discoglossidae. Family Bombinatoridae – firebelly toads, 8 species Family Leiopelmatidae – New Zealand primitive frogs, 3 species in genus Leiopelma. Family Ascaphidae – tailed frogs. Two species in genus Ascaphus. Sometimes considered part of family Leiopelmatidae.

Suborder Mesobatrachia Family Megophryidae – litter frogs or short legged toads, 268 species Subfamily Megophryinae – Asian spadefoot toads, 106 species Family Pelobatidae – European spadefoot toads, 6 species Family Pelodytidae – parsley frogs, 5 species Family Pipidae – tongueless frogs, 41 species Family Rhinophrynidae – Mexican burrowing toad, 1 species Family Scaphiopodidae – American spadefoot toads, 7 species

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

List of amphibians: The temnospondyl Eryops had sturdy limbs to support its body on land
The temnospondyl Eryops had sturdy limbs to support its body on land
List of amphibians: Red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) with limbs and feet specialised for climbing
Red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) with limbs and feet specialised for climbing
List of amphibians: Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus), a primitive salamander
Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus), a primitive salamander
List of amphibians: The bright colours of the common reed frog (Hyperolius viridiflavus) are typical of a toxic species
The bright colours of the common reed frog (Hyperolius viridiflavus) are typical of a toxic species
List of amphibians: Wallace's flying frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus) can parachute to the forest floor from high in the trees.
Wallace's flying frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus) can parachute to the forest floor from high in the trees.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of amphibians

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of amphibians claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of amphibians before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of amphibians ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of amphibians

In research
List of amphibians appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses List of amphibians in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
List of amphibians is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Lists of amphibians, Lists of species lists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for List of amphibians outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study List of amphibians in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what List of amphibians means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain List of amphibians out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is List of amphibians in simple terms?

Amphibians are ectothermic, tetrapod vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia.

Why does List of amphibians matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of amphibians?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of amphibians.

Tags

  • Lists of amphibians
  • Lists of species lists

Keep exploring