This is an accepted version of this page See text Leiopelma is a genus of New Zealand primitive frogs, belonging to the suborder Archaeobatrachia.

The appearance of early jump recovery in more advanced taxa is a key innovation in anuran evolution.

[12] Two species are known from Miocene deposits of the Saint Bathans fauna, with indeterminate remains possibly representing additional species[13][14] DNA analysis indicates that Leiopelmatidae share a distant common ancestry with Ascaphidae to the exclusion of all other frogs, and Leiopelmatidae and Ascaphidae diverged from all other frogs around 200 million years ago.

Fossils of the genus are known from the early Miocene (19–16 million years ago) aged St Bathans Fauna of New Zealand.

[13] Leiopelmatidae Ascaphidae Bombinatoridae Alytidae Discoglossidae Pipidae Rhinophrynidae Scaphiopodidae Pelodytidae Pelobatidae Megophryidae Heleophrynidae Sooglossidae Nasikabatrachidae Calyptocephalellidae Myobatrachidae Limnodynastidae Ceuthomantidae Brachycephalidae Eleutherodactylidae Craugastoridae Hemiphractidae Hylidae Bufonidae Aromobatidae Dendrobatidae Leptodactylidae Allophrynidae Centrolenidae Ceratophryidae Odontophrynidae Cycloramphidae Alsodidae Hylodidae Telmatobiidae Batrachylidae Rhinodermatidae Microhylidae Brevicipitidae Hemisotidae Hyperoliidae Arthroleptidae Ptychadenidae Micrixalidae Phrynobatrachidae Conrauidae Petropedetidae Pyxicephalidae Nyctibatrachidae Ceratobatrachidae Ranixalidae Dicroglossidae Rhacophoridae Mantellidae Ranidae