Hylidae Rafinesque 1815

Family Hylidae Rafinesque, 1815

Hylarinia Rafinesque, 1815:78. Type genus: Hylaria Rafinesque, 1814 (an unjustified emendation of Hyla Laurenti, 1768 [fide Frost 2015]).

Definition. Iris horizontally elliptical; arciferal pectoral girdle, eight procoelous presacral vertebrae, separate calcaneum and astragalus, intercalary cartilages between terminal and penultimate phalanges, claw-shaped terminal phalanges, SVL from 18 mm in Litoria microbelos to 142 mm in Osteopilus vastus; 2n = 18–34 chromosomes; eggs deposited in water or on vegetation over water; aquatic larvae in all species.

Content. Seven subfamilies, 49 genera and 676 species.

Distribution. North America from southern Alaska and Hudson Bay southward throughout Mexico and Central America to subtropical Argentina, the Pacific lowlands from Colombia to northwestern Peru, and the Andes southward to Bolivia. The family also occurs in the Greater Antilles and throughout much of temperate Eurasia, Japan, and extreme northern Africa.

Etymology. The family name is based on the generic name Hyla that is derived from the vocative of Hylas, the companion of Hercules, in Greek mythology.

Remarks. We recognize seven subfamilies within Hylidae. These are based on the molecular tree and do not necessarily have distinguishing morphological characters. The placement of many species is questionable because of the absence of molecular data. These are treated in the remarks of respective genera.