| Gastrotheca | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Gastrotheca cornuta | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Hemiphractidae |
| Genus: | Gastrotheca Fitzinger, 1843 |
| Type species | |
| Hyla marsupiata Duméril and Bibron, 1841 | |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Gastrotheca is a group of frogs in the family Hemiphractidae. They are in Central America south of Costa Rica and in South America. Most of the frogs live in the American Cordillera, which are mountains that go from southern Costa Rica to northwestern Argentina. Most marsupial frogs are in this group. Scientists used to put them in in "Leptodactylidae."
People call them marsupial frogs are so-called because they have pouches, or bags, on their backs and they carry their young in the pouches. In some species of frogs, the eggs are fertilized on the female's lower back, and the male frogs puts them in her pouch with his feet. The female frog's blood tubes touch the eggs, which gives them oxygen.
Gastrotheca guentheri (Guenther's marsupial frog) is the only known frog with real teeth in its lower jaw. People keep Gastrotheca riobambae (Andean marsupial tree frog) as pet and use it in scientific experiments.
Scientists found and wrote about Gastrotheca gemma.
