Leiuperinae

Recognition of the Leiuperinae as it is known today is relatively recent. Frost et al. (2006) treated the Leiuperina as a part of the Leptodactylidae,{{Cite journal | last1 = Frost | first1 = D. R. | last2 = Grant | first2 = T. | last3 = Faivovich | first3 = J. N. | last4 = Bain | first4 = R. H. | last5 = Haas | first5 = A. | last6 = Haddad | first6 = C. L. F. B. | last7 = De Sá | first7 = R. O. | last8 = Channing | first8 = A. | last9 = Wilkinson | first9 = M. | last10 = Donnellan | first10 = S. C. | last11 = Raxworthy | first11 = C. J. | last12 = Campbell | first12 = J. A. | last13 = Blotto | first13 = B. L. | last14 = Moler | first14 = P. | last15 = Drewes | first15 = R. C. | last16 = Nussbaum | first16 = R. A. | last17 = Lynch | first17 = J. D. | last18 = Green | first18 = D. M. | last19 = Wheeler | first19 = W. C. | title = The Amphibian Tree of Life | journal = Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History | volume = 297 | pages = 1–291| year = 2006 | doi = 10.1206/0003-0090(2006)297[0001:TATOL]2.0.CO;2 | hdl = 2246/5781| s2cid = 86140137 | doi-access = free }} whereas Grant et al. (2006) recognized them as a family,{{cite journal |author=Grant, T. |author2=Frost, D. R. |author3=Caldwell, J. P. |author4=Gagliardo, R. |author5=Haddad, C. F. B. |author6=Kok, P. J. R. |author7=Means, D. B. |author8=Noonan, B. P. |author9=Schargel, W. E. |author10=Wheeler, W. C. |name-list-style=amp |year=2006 |title=Phylogenetic systematics of dart-poison frogs and their relatives (Amphibia: Athesphatanura: Dendrobatidae) |journal=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History |volume=299 |pages=1–262 |doi=10.1206/0003-0090(2006)299[1:PSODFA]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=82263880 |url=http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/bitstream/2246/5803/1/B299.pdf}} the view adopted by some sources.{{cite journal|author1=Blackburn, D.C. |author2=Wake, D.B. | title=Class Amphibia Gray, 1825. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness | journal=Zootaxa| volume=3148| year=2011| pages=39–55|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3148.1.8 | url=http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2011/f/zt03148p055.pdf}}{{cite web | url=http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Leiuperidae/classification/#Leiuperidae | title=Leipueridae | publisher=Animal Diversity | access-date=May 19, 2015}} However, the Amphibian Species of the World follows Pyron and Wiens (2011){{Cite journal | last1 = Pyron | first1 = A. R. | last2 = Wiens | first2 = J. J. | doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.06.012 | title = A large-scale phylogeny of Amphibia including over 2800 species, and a revised classification of extant frogs, salamanders, and caecilians | journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume = 61 | issue = 2 | pages = 543–583 | year = 2011 | pmid = 21723399| doi-access = free | bibcode = 2011MolPE..61..543A }} in recognizing this taxon as a subfamily. However, AmphibiaWeb includes leiuperinid genera in the Leptodactylidae, without recognizing them as a subfamily.{{cite web |url=http://www.amphibiaweb.org/lists/Leptodactylidae.shtml |title=Leptodactylidae |year=2015 |work=AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application] |publisher=Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb |access-date=22 May 2015}}

The five genera are:

• Edalorhina Jiménez de la Espada, 1870
• Engystomops Jiménez de la Espada, 1872
• Physalaemus Fitzinger, 1826
• Pleurodema Tschudi, 1838
• Pseudopaludicola Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926

Leiuperinae display several anti-predator mechanisms, including eyespots, hidden bright colours, macroglands in a inguinal/lumbar position, defensive behaviours, and/or chemical defence.{{cite journal|author1=Ferraro, Daiana Paola|author2=Pereyra, Martín Oscar|author3=Topa, Pascual Emilio|author4=Faivovich, Julián|title=Evolution of macroglands and defensive mechanisms in Leiuperinae (Anura: Leptodactylidae)|journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society|year=2021|volume=193|issue=2|pages=388–412 |doi=10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa149 |url=https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/193/2/388/6042174|url-access=subscription}} A 2021 study showed the most recent ancestor of Edalorhina, Engystomops, Physalaemus, and Pleurodema evolved a particular type of serous gland (the main component of macroglands) in the lumbar skin along with the absence of the Eberth-Katschenko layer.{{cite journal|author1=Taylor REJ|author2=Taylor HC|author3=Barker SB|year=1966|title=Chemical and morphological studies on inorganic phosphate deposits|journal=Journal of Experimental Zoology|volume=161|issue=2 |pages= 271–285|doi=10.1002/jez.1401610210 |pmid=5960620 }} Leiuperines with macroglands exhibit a defensive behaviour which includes four displays ('crouching down', rear elevation, body inflation, and eye protection) all of which are present in this same common ancestor. Several species independently evolved the two elements associated with aposematism (hidden bright colours and eyespots).{{cite book|author1=Endler JA.|editor1=Krebs JR|editor2=Davies NB|year=1991|chapter=Interactions between predators and prey|title=Behavioural ecology and evolutionary approach|publisher=Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications|pages=169–196}} Overall, the study provided phylogenetic evidence for the startle-first hypothesis,{{cite journal|author1=Umbers KDL|author2=De Bona S|author3=White TE|author4=Lehtonen J|author5=Mappes J|author6=Endler JA|title=Deimatism: A neglected component of antipredator defence|year=2017|journal=Biology Letters|volume=13|issue=4 |pages=20160936|doi=10.1098/rsbl.2016.0936 |pmid=28404819 |s2cid=206150189 |pmc=5414691}} i.e. behavioural displays arise as sudden movements in camouflaged individuals to avoid predatory attacks, prior to the origin of bright coloration.

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Category:Leptodactylidae

Category:Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte

Category:Amphibian subfamilies