Xenopodidae
- noun
- /ˌzɛnəˈpɒdɪdi/
- Specialized
- The Xenopodidae family includes various species of aquatic frogs.
Examples
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The African clawed frog belongs to the family Xenopodidae.
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Scientists debated whether Xenopodidae should be a distinct family or included in Pipidae.
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Members of Xenopodidae are known for their fully aquatic lifestyles.
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Did you know that Xenopodidae are often used in scientific research?
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The African clawed frog is a well-known species within the family Xenopodidae.
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Researchers study Xenopodidae to understand their unique adaptations to aquatic life.
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Members of the Xenopodidae family exhibit fascinating reproductive behaviors in water.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Xenopodidae = Xenopus (opaque) = Xenopod + idae
Formed with the taxonomic family suffix '-idae' added to a genus/stem; this is a specialist scientific formation not transparently meaningful to average learners.
Etymology
Xenopodidae comes from Greek parts xeno- meaning 'strange' or 'foreign', pod- meaning 'foot' as in cephalopod, and -idae which marks a family. So Xenopodidae literally means 'strange-foot family', a helpful image to remember this group of unusual, fully aquatic frogs.