User:Jts1882/phylogeny/Amphibia

Notes on superfamilies used by Feng et al (2017) and more recent studies

• Leiopelmatoidea: only needed if Ascaphidae considered a separate family from Leiopelmatidae. Frost et al (2006) suggest the name Amphicoela Noble, 1931 would be available if treating as two families.
• Discoglossoidea: including Alytidae and Bombinatoridae. Not sure why the Discoglossus family group name is the superfamily and the Alytus name for the family. Frost et al (2006) use Costata Lataste, 1879.
• Pipoidea: including Pipidae and Rhinophrynidae. This is consistent with taxonomies of Ford & Cannatella (1993) and Frost et al (2006), althought the latter prefers Xenoanura Savage 1973.
• Pelobatoidea: including Pelobatidae, Scaphiopodidae, Megophryidae, and Pelodytidae. This is consistent with taxonomy of Ford & Cannatella (1993), although scaphiopodids were still then included within pelobatids. Frost et al (2006) prefers Anomocoela for the four family group and uses Pelobatoidea more narrowly.
• Neobatrachia
  • Sooglossoidea: including Sooglossidae and Nasikabatrachidae
  • Hyloidea or Hyloides. Hyloides was defined by Frost at al (2006) to include Sooglossidae (including nasikabatrachids) and Australobatrachia. Subsequent authors use Hyloidea for the taxon that Frost et al (2006) called Nobleobatrachia.
    • Hyloidea (sensu stricto) of Biju and Bossuyt (2003) and Darst and Cannatella (2004) (according to Frost et al, 2006). Now general agreement on composition of Hyloidea with Heleophrynidae excluded from the earlier paraphyletic taxon.
      • Terrarana (Terraranae) or Brachycephaloidea
      • Arboranae for Hylidae sensu lato (when Pelodryadidae and Phyllomedusidae treated as families
      • Several newly proposed taxa: Amazorana, Neoaustrarana, and Commutabirana (Streicher et al 2018). Some have support in previous phylogenetic studies, but this part of the frog phylogenetic tree is unstable.
        • Amazorana for Hylidae sensu lato (or Arboranae), Hemiphractidae and Ceratophryidae (also seen in Feng et al 2017, Portik et al, 2023)
        • Neoaustrarana for Hylodidae, Alsodidae, Cycloramphidae and Batrachylidae (also seen in Portik et al, 2023; partial support in Feng et al 2017).
        • Commutabirana for three clades: Brachycephaloidea; Allophrynidae, Centrolenidae, Dendrobatidae and Leptodactylidae; and Odontophrynidae and Bufonidae (also seen in Portik et al, (2023), but with different sequence; partial support in Feng et al 2017)
    • Australobatrachia – introduced by Frost at al (2006) as a monophyletic taxon composed of Batrachophrynidae Cope, 1875 (including Calyptocephalellinae Reig, 1960) and Myobatrachoidea Schlegel, 1850 (including Limnodynastidae Lynch, 1971, and Myobatrachidae Schlegel, 1850).
  • Ranoidea – general agreement on the circumscription (with Sooglossoidea excluded) since Ford & Cannatella (1993); and on three main divisions:
    • Microhylidae
    • Afrobatrachia [=epifamily Brevicipitoidae] – includes Brevicipitidae, Hemisotidae, Hyperoliidae, and Arthroleptidae. Originally described by Frost et al (2006).
    • Natatanura [=epifamily Ramoidae] – includes remaining ranoid families (~14 families). Originally described by Frost et al (2006).
      • Some recent evidence for African, Indian and cosmopolitan clades, but not named.

N.B. Zhang et al (2013)^[9] have a taxonomy section where they justify the current use of Ranoidea and Hyloidea. They also argue use of some existing and well-established names: Pelobatoidea rather than Anomocoela; Leiopelmatoidea rather than Amphicoela; Pipoidea rather than Xenoanura. Unfortunately they are muddled about Discoglossoidea or Bombinatoroidea, using the first in the text and the latter in the figures.