Brevicipitidae

The Brevicipitidae or rain frogs are a small family of frogs found in eastern and southern Africa. As of 2025, this group includes 38 species divided into 5 genera. These frogs were once considered part of the Microhylidae family, also known as narrow-mouth frogs, but recent phylogenetic studies show they are closely related to the Hemisotidae or shovelnose frogs and deserve their own family.

Most adult rain frogs spend much of their time hidden in soil or leaf litter, making them hard to spot. Some species may climb trees occasionally. Many rain frogs show strong sexual size dimorphism, meaning females are usually much larger than males.

Frogs in the genera Breviceps and Probreviceps have a special way of having babies called direct development. Instead of laying eggs that hatch into swimming tadpole larvae, their young develop directly into tiny frogs from the eggs. Because the males are smaller, they cannot hold onto the females in the usual way. Instead, they use special glands to create a glue-like substance that helps them stay attached during mating. These frogs lay small groups of eggs, ranging from 13 to 56, in hidden spots like burrows. In some species, either the male or female stays close to protect the eggs, but scientists still have much to learn about how these frogs care for their young.

Genera

The Brevicipitidae family includes five groups, called genera. These are:

• Balebreviceps Largen & Drewes, 1989 (1 species)
• Breviceps Merrem, 1820 (21 species)
• Callulina Nieden, 1911 (9 species)
• Probreviceps Parker, 1931 (6 species)
• Spelaeophryne Ahl, 1924 (1 species)