Pyxicephalus
Genus of amphibians
title: "Pyxicephalus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["pyxicephalus", "pyxicephalidae", "amphibians-of-sub-saharan-africa", "amphibian-genera", "taxa-named-by-johann-jakob-von-tschudi"] description: "Genus of amphibians" topic_path: "general/pyxicephalus" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyxicephalus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Genus of amphibians ::
| image = Pyxicephalus adspersus 1.jpg | image_caption = African bull frog Pyxicephalus adspersus | taxon = Pyxicephalus | authority = Tschudi, 1838 | synonyms = Maltzania Boettger, 1881
Phrynopsis Pfeffer, 1893 | synonyms_ref =
Pyxicephalus (πυξίς, pyxis = "(round) box," κεφαλή, kephalē = "head") is a genus of true frogs from Sub-Saharan Africa, commonly referred to as African bull frogs or bull frogs. They may take decades to reach their full size potential and they are some of the longest-living frogs, possibly able to reach ages as high as 45 years.
These bulky and voracious predators will eat any animal (including small vertebrates and conspecifics) they can fit in their large mouth that has two fang-like projections on the lower jaw, but they are themselves commonly eaten by humans, predatory birds, mammals and monitor lizards. They remain hidden—they are fossorial—for much of the year, but emerge to breed in temporary pools after rains. The tadpoles often are guarded by the male.
Species
There are five recognized sub species: ::data[format=table]
| Species | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Pyxicephalus adspersus | African bullfrog | Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Eswatini. |
| Pyxicephalus angusticeps Parry, 1877 | ||
| Pyxicephalus edulis | Edible bullfrog | |
| Pyxicephalus obbianus | Calabresi's bullfrog | Northeastern and central Somalia |
| :: |
P. edulis has long been confused with P. adspersus, and species limits between them are not fully understood.
References
References
- (2013). "Revalidation of Pyxicephalus angusticeps Parry, 1982 (Anura: Natatanura: Pyxicephalidae), a bullfrog endemic to the lowlands of eastern Africa". Zootaxa.
- (2006). "Amphibians of East Africa". Cornell University Press.
- Sherif Baha El Din. (2004). "''Pyxicephalus cordofanus''".
- "''Pyxicephalus'' Tschudi, 1838". African Amphibians.
- (2017). "Pyxicephalidae". University of California, Berkeley.
- Frost, Darrel R.. (2017). "''Pyxicephalus'' Tschudi, 1838". American Museum of Natural History.
- Frost, Darrel R.. (2017). "Anura". American Museum of Natural History.
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