Amplexus
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Amplexus is the process when the male frog grasps the female with his front legs while she lays her eggs. At the same time, he fertilizes them with the fluid containing sperm. This mostly happens in the water, but some more terrestrial anurans like the disc-tongued frogs (Discoglossidae) do it on land. In more advanced anurans like the true frogs (Ranidae), the tree frogs (Hylidae) and the true toads (Bufonidae) the amplexus is axillary (in the armpits), while in less derived anurans (the Archaeobatrachia) it is lumbal (abdominal, in front of the hindlegs).
