Skip to main content
Xenopodidae

Xenopodidae

9.9
A group of frogs that live in water, like the African clawed frog
  • noun
  • /ˌzɛnəˈpɒdɪdi/
  • Specialized
: Xenopodidae
  • The Xenopodidae family includes various species of aquatic frogs.

Examples

  • The African clawed frog belongs to the family Xenopodidae.

  • Scientists debated whether Xenopodidae should be a distinct family or included in Pipidae.

  • Members of Xenopodidae are known for their fully aquatic lifestyles.

  • Did you know that Xenopodidae are often used in scientific research?

  • The African clawed frog is a well-known species within the family Xenopodidae.

  • Researchers study Xenopodidae to understand their unique adaptations to aquatic life.

  • Members of the Xenopodidae family exhibit fascinating reproductive behaviors in water.

Surface Forms

Xenopodidae singular
Xenopodidae plural

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.