Adaptation, specialization and lineages in neotropical anurans

Abstract

The present taxonomy of the Amphibia Anura is conservative and almost exclusively morphological. The recognized fa-milies are few and based on a small number of osteological characters. They are charac-terized by type-genera that comprise a very high percentage of the species belonging to the family and either by the paucity or absence of other genera (Bufonidae), by mono-typical genera or genera composed of few species (Hylidae), or by widely divergent genera (Leptodaetylidae). The genera are occasionally split up and at other times lumped together. There are few subfamilies and most of those that have been proposed are artificial assemblages.