This monograph is a comprehensive study of arboranan frogs (families Hylidae Phyllomedusidae
and Pelodryadidae). It presents results achieved over a 38-year period. As arboranan frogs are
practically cosmopolitan absent only from sub-Saharan Africa and southeastern Asia this
publication is an international venture with collaborators from Australia Brazil Canada
Ecuador Germany Thailand and the USA. Introductory chapters cover phylogeny classification
biogeography life history and population declines of Arboranae but the focus of the book is
on oogenesis spermatogenesis early embryogenesis and especially the structure and
evolution of chromosomes. Like its predecessors on terraranan and hemiphractid frogs (2010 and
2012 respectively) this volume represents an immense initiative to assemble all available
information on the cytogenetics of a very large monophyletic group of frogs. It also shows the
substantial effort being made to provide new data with everything properly placed in a
phylogenetic evolutionary and biogeographic framework.
