Rain Frogs of Zihuatanejo

FAMILY ELEUTHERODACTYLIDAE

• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

• Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

• Amphibians (Class Amphibia)

• Frogs and Toads (Order Anura)

• Terraranas (Superfamily Brachycephaloidea)

• Rain Frogs (Family Eleutherodactylidae)

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Family Eleutherodactylidae is a family of frogs within the order Anura, consisting primarily of small to medium-sized terrestrial species found mainly in the Caribbean, Central America, and parts of northern South America. Members of this family are best known for their unique reproductive strategy of direct development, in which eggs hatch directly into miniature froglets without passing through a free-swimming tadpole stage. This adaptation allows many species to reproduce away from permanent bodies of water and successfully inhabit forests, leaf litter, caves, and other terrestrial environments.

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​Frogs of the genus Eleutherodactylus are the only Rain Frogs found in Zihuatanejo.