science

Mesobatrachia

Mesobatrachia is a science 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 Mesobatrachia rather than just read about it. In short: The Mesobatrachia (Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos, "middle") + batrachia ("frogs")) is a paraphyletic group of relatively primitive frogs. At the end of 2016, it contained 3 superfamilies (Pelobatoidea, Pelodytoidea and Pipoidea), 6 families, 16 genera, and 244 species.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Mesobatrachia (Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos, "middle") + batrachia ("frogs")) is a paraphyletic group of relatively primitive frogs. 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 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. Later studies recognised that the group was paraphyletic with respect to Neobatrachia. The families currently accepted in the Mesobatrachia suborder are:

Megophryidae Pelobatidae Pelodytidae Pipidae Rhinophrynidae Scaphiopodidae

References Gissi, Carmela; Diego San Mauro; Graziano Pesole; Rafael Zardoya (February 2006). "Mitochondrial phylogeny of Anura (Amphibia): A case study of congruent phylogenetic reconstruction using amino acid and nucleotide characters". Gene. 366 (2): 228–237. doi:10.1016/j.gene.2005.07.034. PMID 16307849. San Mauro, Diego; Miguel Vences; Marina Alcobendas; Rafael Zardoya; Axel Meyer (May 2005). "Initial diversification of living amphibians predated the breakup of Pangaea" (PDF). American Naturalist. 165 (5): 590–599. doi:10.1086/429523. PMID 15795855. S2CID 17021360.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mesobatrachia

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mesobatrachia claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, 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 Mesobatrachia 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 Mesobatrachia 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 Mesobatrachia

In research: Mesobatrachia appears in science 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 Mesobatrachia 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: Mesobatrachia is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Amphibian suborders, Frog stubs, Frogs by classification, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mesobatrachia 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.

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How to study Mesobatrachia in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Mesobatrachia in simple terms?

Why does Mesobatrachia matter?

Because it connects several science 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 Mesobatrachia?

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 Mesobatrachia.