science

Neobatrachia

Neobatrachia 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 Neobatrachia rather than just read about it. In short: The Neobatrachia (Neo-Latin neo- ("new") + batrachia ("frogs")) are a suborder of the Anura, the order of frogs and toads. This suborder is the most advanced and apomorphic of the three anuran suborders alive today, hence its name, which literally means "new frogs" (from the hellenic words neo, meaning "new" and batrachia, meaning "frogs").

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Neobatrachia (Neo-Latin neo- ("new") + batrachia ("frogs")) are a suborder of the Anura, the order of frogs and toads. This suborder is the most advanced and apomorphic of the three anuran suborders alive today, hence its name, which literally means "new frogs" (from the hellenic words neo, meaning "new" and batrachia, meaning "frogs"). It is also by far the largest of the three; its more than 5,000 different species make up over 96% of all living anurans. The differentiation between Archaeobatrachia, Mesobatrachia, and Neobatrachia is based primarily on anatomic differences, especially the skeletal structure, as well as several visible characteristics and behaviors.

Systematics Separating the Anura into the Archaeo-, Meso- and Neobatrachia is somewhat controversial; as more research is done and more knowledge is gained, it is becoming even less clear, because many characteristics used for this differentiation apply to more than one group. Neobatrachia are usually sorted into five superfamilies, but this division is also controversial, as some families are placed into different superfamilies by different authors. In addition, several families have been revealed to be paraphyletic and consequently divided to make them correspond to clades and thus be natural, evolutionary groups. This has approximately doubled the number of presently recognized neobatrachian families.

List of families The clades and families currently accepted in the Neobatrachia are:

Superfamily Heleophrynoidea: Heleophrynidae – ghost frogs Clade Australobatrachia: Calyptocephalellidae – Chilean toads Superfamily Myobatrachoidea Limnodynastidae – Australian ground frogs Myobatrachidae – Australian froglets Superfamily Hyloidea: Allophrynidae – Tukeit hill frogs Amphignathodontidae – marsupial frogs (sometimes in Hemiphractidae) Alsodidae Batrachylidae Clade Brachycephaloidea Caligophrynidae Fouquet et al., 2023 Brachycephalidae – saddleback toads Ceuthomantidae – emerald-barred frogs Craugastoridae Hedges, Duellmann & Heinicke, 2008 (formerly in Brachycephalidae) Eleutherodactylidae Lutz, 1954 (formerly in Brachycephalidae) Neblinaphrynidae Fouquet et al., 2023 Strabomantidae Hedges, Duellmann & Heinicke, 2008 (some formerly in Brachycephalidae) Bufonidae – true toads Centrolenidae – glass frogs Ceratophryidae – horned toads Cycloramphidae Clade Dendrobatoidea Aromobatidae – skunk frog (sometimes in Dendrobatidae) Dendrobatidae – poison dart frogs Hemiphractidae – marsupial frogs Hylidae – true tree frogs and relatives Hylodidae – giant Neotropical torrent frogs Leiuperidae (sometimes in Leptodactylidae) Leptodactylidae – southern frogs, tropical frogs Odontophrynidae Rhinodermatidae – Darwin's frogs Telmatobiidae – water frogs Superfamily Sooglossoidea: Nasikabatrachidae – purple frogs Sooglossidae – Seychelles frogs Superfamily Ranoidea: Microhylidae – narrow-mouthed frogs Clade Afrobatrachia: Arthroleptidae – squeakers Brevicipitidae – rain frogs Hemisotidae – shovelnose frogs Hyperoliidae – sedge frogs, bush frogs Clade Natatanura: Ceratobatrachidae Conrauidae - slippery frogs, giant frogs Dicroglossidae – fork-tongued frogs Micrixalidae – dancing frogs Mantellidae – Malagasy frogs Nyctibatrachidae – night frogs Odontobatrachidae Petropedetidae – torrent frogs Phrynobatrachidae – puddle frogs Ptychadenidae – grassland frogs Pyxicephalidae Ranidae – true frogs Ranixalidae – Indian frogs Rhacophoridae – shrub frogs, bush frogs, moss frogs

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Neobatrachia

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Neobatrachia 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 Neobatrachia 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 Neobatrachia 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 Neobatrachia

In research: Neobatrachia 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 Neobatrachia 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: Neobatrachia is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Amphibian suborders, Extant Aptian first appearances, Frogs by classification, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Neobatrachia 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 Neobatrachia in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Neobatrachia 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 Neobatrachia out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Neobatrachia in simple terms?

Why does Neobatrachia 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 Neobatrachia?

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 Neobatrachia.