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Tailed frog
Genus of frogs / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The tailed frogs are two species of frogs in the genus Ascaphus,[1] the only taxon in the family Ascaphidae /æˈskæfɪdiː/.[2] The "tail" in the name is actually an extension of the male cloaca. The tail is one of two distinctive anatomical features adapting the species to life in fast-flowing streams. These are the only North American frog species that reproduce by internal fertilization.[3] They are among the most primitive known families of frogs.
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Species ...
Tailed frogs | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Anura |
Suborder: | Archaeobatrachia |
Family: | Ascaphidae Fejérváry, 1923 |
Genus: | Ascaphus Stejneger, 1899 |
Species | |
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Distribution of Ascaphidae (in black) |
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Its scientific name means 'without a spade', from the privative prefix a- and the Ancient Greek skaphís (σκαφίς, 'spade, shovel'), referring to the metatarsal spade, which these frogs do not have.[4][5]