Pipidae
Pipidae includes a group of primitive aquatic frogs with an unmistakable appearance
commonly called clawed frogs. There are 2 species in Peru; 1 in the Madre de Dios
department and Manu region of which we include 1 species in this guide. Their body is
flattened and they are the only frogs that lack a tongue. However, their throat cartilages
are modified and they still can produce a clicking call. They have a lateral line system
(like fish) that is used to feel movement and vibrations in the water. Their eyes are small
and located on top of the head.
Pipidae
This family is distributed in South America, Panama and Sub-Saharan Africa. They are the
most ancient group of living frogs, having been around for around 140 millions of years.
The most famous species of the family is the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis), which
has been widely used in research as a model organism. The Neotropical genus Pipa has
a complex reproduction system, involving aquatic acrobatics during the amplexus, and
the development of the embryos in the back of the female. There are some Pipa species
with tadpole phase but in others they hatch as small froglets directly from the egg.
Pipa pipa