The southern frogs form the Leptodactylidae, a name that comes from Greek meaning a bird or other animal having slender toes.

[1] The family has undergone major taxonomic revisions in recent years, including the reclassification of the former subfamily Eleutherodactylinae into its own family the Eleutherodactylidae; the Leptodactylidae now number 206 species in 13 genera distributed throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

[2] The family includes terrestrial, burrowing, aquatic, and arboreal members, inhabiting a wide range of habitats.

[3] Several of the genera within the Leptodactylidae lay their eggs in foam nests.

As of December 2019, the Amphibian Species of the World classifies the following genera in the family Leptodactylidae:[4]