Peltophryne
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| Peltophryne | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Peltophryne lemur | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Bufonidae |
| Genus: | Peltophryne Fitzinger, 1843 |
| Type species | |
| Bufo peltocephalus Tschudi, 1838 | |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
Peltophryne is a genus of true toads in the family Bufonidae,[1][2][3] from the Greater Antilles (in Cuba, Isla de Juventud, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico).[1] With ten endemic species, Cuba hosts the highest diversity. Hispaniola has three endemics and Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands combined have one.[4]
Peltophryne range is size from the relatively small Peltophryne cataulaciceps with a snout–vent length (SVL) of 30 mm (1.2 in) to the large Peltophryne peltocephala with SVL of 170 mm (6.7 in). The skull is as long as wide and contains some unique osteological features (thickened dermal tissue covering the snout and usually ossified into a pair of rostral bones, and squamosal-maxillary articulation). These are considered to be derived characters that set these toads apart from other bufonids.[5]
Taxonomy
The genus was erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1843, but placed in synonymy with Bufo by Albert Günther in 1859.[1] Subsequent work has considered Peltophryne either as a valid genus, a subgenus, or a synonym of Bufo. At present, treating Peltophryne as a valid genus has largely been accepted based on both morphological characters and genetic evidence,[1][2][3][6] but treating it as a subgenus of Bufo still has a small following.[1]