Neobatrachia: New Frogs
Oophaga
Neobatrachia is a one of three suborders of the order Anura, which contains all the frogs and toads in the evolutionary tree of life. This suborder is the largest containing more than 5,000 species. The name comes from "neo", meaning new and "batrachia" meaning frogs.
The three suborders are mainly based upon anatomic differences, such as skeletal, and visible characteristics and behaviors. Also to note is that these suborders are controversial due to overlapping of some species in several of these orders. More research will need to be done to ensure a more accurate evolutionary tree.
(More information on the evolutionary tree can be found under the Tree of Life of Amphibians page)
Oophaga
Oophaga isn’t just simply fun to say, it’s also the name for a genus of poison-dart frogs that contains nine species. The strange name comes from two Greek words, oon, meaning egg, and phagos, meaning eater. This literally translates into “egg eater”, which effectively describes the tadpoles’ diet. The eggs they feed on are unfertilized ones produced by the mother.
Oophaga species are distributed in Central and South America and include some well known species such as the Strawberry Poison-dart Frog (Oophaga pumilio)and Lehmann’s Poison Frog(Oophaga lehmanni).
*Note: Many of these species have color morphs, meaning the same species of frogs comes in different colors. More information can be found under Glossary of Terms under polymorphism.
Strawberry Poison-dart Frog
Lehmann's Poison Frog
Other species are:
Polkadot Poison Frog (Oophaga arborea)
Granular Poison Frog (Oophaga granulifera)
Vicente’s Poison Frog (Oophaga vicentei)
Diablito (Oophaga sylvatica)
Splendid Poison Frog (Oophaga speciosa)
La Brea Poison Frog (Oophaga occultator)
Harlequin Poison Frog (Oophaga histrionica)
