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Leiopelmatidae

Leiopelmatidae

9.9
A family of frogs from New Zealand with ancient features
  • noun
  • /ˌleɪoʊˈpɛlməˌtiːdeɪ/
  • Specialized
: Leiopelmatidae
  • Scientists study Leiopelmatidae to learn about the evolutionary history of amphibians.

Examples

  • The Leiopelmatidae are considered some of the most ancient frog families in the world.

  • Did you know that Leiopelmatidae frogs are unique to New Zealand?

  • Due to habitat loss, several species within the Leiopelmatidae are now critically endangered.

  • The Leiopelmatidae family includes some of the oldest frog species.

  • The Leiopelmatidae family is known for its unique evolutionary traits that have persisted for millions of years.

  • Researchers have discovered that Leiopelmatidae frogs share ancestry with both ancient and modern amphibians.

  • Conservation efforts focus on protecting the Leiopelmatidae to ensure the survival of these ancient species.

Synonyms

Liopelmidae
vsLeiopelmatidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of frogs from New Zealand with very old body features

focuses on ancient evolutionary history rather than just body structures

Surface Forms

Morphology

Leiopelmatidae = Leiopelma (opaque) = Leiopelma + idae

Built from the genus name 'Leiopelma' plus the specialized zoological family suffix '-idae', which is meaningful in taxonomy but not interpretable by average learners.

Etymology

Leiopelmatidae comes from Greek parts leios ('smooth') and pelma ('sole of the foot'), and the ending -idae means 'family'. So it literally says 'the smooth-footed family', which fits these very old New Zealand frogs that have smooth soles on their feet and are grouped as a frog family.