Amphibians are widespread on many   archipelagos, for instance on the Philippines and in the Sunda, Caribbean and   Pacific regions. Some of these landmasses were probably below sea-level in   the past, and their overseas colonization following emergence has been   hypothesized (Hedges et al. 1992; Hedges 1999). However, all of these islands   are made up at least partly by continental fragments for which past land connections   cannot be excluded (Heaney 1985; Whitmore 1987; Crother & Guyer 1996).   Geological data are seldom sufficiently definitive to ascertain the full   submersion of a landmass, and small emerging remains would be sufficent to   harbour relict amphibian populations.

两栖动物广泛分布在许多群岛上，例如菲律宾和巽他、加勒比和太平洋地区。其中一些陆地在过去可能低于海平面，并且它们在出现后的海外殖民已经被假设（Hedges et al. 1992; Hedges 1999）。然而，所有这些岛屿至少部分由大陆碎片组成，不能排除过去与大陆连接的可能（Heaney 1985; Whitmore 1987; Crother & Guyer 1996）。地质数据少有足以确定陆地完全淹没的情况，而因海面上升导致新出现的“孤岛”足以容纳残留下来的两栖动物种群。