Ranidae - WikiHQ

Ranidae is a family of frogs, sometimes called "true frogs". They have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica. The true frogs are present in North America, northern South America, Europe, Africa (including Madagascar), and Asia. The Asian range extends across the East Indies to New Guinea and a single species, the Australian wood frog (Papurana daemelii), has spread into the far north of Australia.

Typically, true frogs are smooth and moist-skinned, with large, powerful legs and extensively webbed feet. The true frogs vary greatly in size, ranging from small—such as the wood frog (Lithobates sylvatica)—to large.

Many of the true frogs are aquatic or live close to water. Most species lay their eggs in the water and go through a tadpole stage. However, as in most families of frogs, there is large variation of habitat within the family. There are also arboreal species of true frogs, and the family includes some of the very few amphibians that can live in brackish water. However, more recent studies instead propose that the Ranidae originated in Eurasia, and their close relationship with India-endemic frog lineages is due to those lineages colonizing India from Eurasia during the Paleogene.

Systematics

The subdivisions of the Ranidae are still a matter of dispute, although most are coming to an agreement. Several former subfamilies are now recognised as separate families (Petropedetidae, Cacosterninae, Mantellidae, and Dicroglossidae). The genus Rana has now been split up and is much reduced in size.

While too little of the vast diversity of true frogs has been subject to recent studies to say something definite, as of mid-2008, studies are going on, and several lineages are recognizable.

The following phylogeny of some genera was recovered by Che et al., 2007 using mitochondrial genes.

Genera

thumb|right|[[Ishikawa's frog (Odorrana ishikawae)]]

thumb|right|[[Bicolored frog (Clinotarsus curtipes), related to Meristogenys and Huia]]

Most of the subfamilies formerly included under Ranidae are now treated as separate families, leaving only Raninae remaining. The following genera are recognised in the family Ranidae:

Abavorana Oliver, Prendini, Kraus, and Raxworthy, 2015 (three species)
Amnirana Dubois, 1992 (11 species)
Amolops Cope, 1865 (80 species)
Babina Thompson, 1912 (two species)
Chalcorana Dubois, 1992 (nine species)
Clinotarsus Mivart 1869 (three species)
Glandirana Fei, Ye, and Huang, 1990 (six species)
Huia Yang, 1991 (monotypic)
Humerana Dubois, 1992 (four species)
Hydrophylax Fitzinger, 1843 (four species)
Hylarana Tschudi 1838 (four species)
Indosylvirana Oliver, Prendini, Kraus, and Raxworthy, 2015 (13 species)
Lithobates Fitzinger, 1843 (55 species)
Meristogenys Yang, 1991 (13 species)
Nidirana Dubois, 1992 (19 species)
Odorrana Fei, Ye, and Huang, 1990 (64 species)
Papurana Dubois, 1992 (19 species)
Pelophylax Fitzinger 1843 (19 species)
Pseudorana Fei, Ye, and Huang, 1990 (monotypic)
Pterorana Kiyasetuo and Khare, 1986 (monotypic)
Pulchrana Dubois, 1992 (18 species)
Rana Linnaeus, 1758 (58 species)
Sanguirana Dubois, 1992 (six species)
Staurois Cope, 1865 (six species)
Sumaterana Arifin, Smart, Hertwig, Smith, Iskandar, and Haas, 2018 (three species)
Sylvirana Dubois, 1992 (12 species)
Wijayarana Arifin, Chan, Smart, Hertwig, Smith, Iskandar, and Haas, 2021 (five species)

In 2023, Amphibian Species of the World tentatively synonymized Amnirana, Chalcorana, Humerana, Hydrophylax, Indosylvirana, Papurana, Pulchrana, and Sylvirana into Hylarana until significant taxonomic confusion surrounding the group could be cleared up. These changes are not recognized by AmphibiaWeb.

Incertae sedis

A number of taxa are placed in Ranidae incertae sedis, that is, their taxonomic status is too uncertain to allow more specific placement.

"Hylarana" chitwanensis (Das, 1998)
"Hylarana" garoensis (Boulenger, 1920)
"Hylarana" latouchii (Boulenger, 1899)
"Hylarana" margariana Anderson, 1879
"Hylarana" montivaga (Smith, 1921)
"Hylarana" persimilis (Van Kampen, 1923)

References

(2004): Encyclopedia of Reptiles & Amphibians (2nd ed.). Fog City Press.
(2006): Amphibian Species of the World Version 3 - Petropedetidae Noble, 1931. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. Retrieved 2006-AUG-05.
(2006): The amphibian tree of life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. Number 297. New York.
(2007) Constraints in naming parts of the Tree of Life. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 42 (2): 331–338. PDF fulltext
(2005): Phylogeny of the New World true frogs (Rana). Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 34 (2): 299–314. PDF fulltext
(2009): Taxonomic freedom and the role of official lists of species names. Herpetologica 65: 115–128.
(2007): "Fine del prodromo d'erpetologia siciliana ". Specchio delle Scienze, o, Giornale Enciclopedico di Sicilia 2: 102–104. (Ranidae, new family). (in Italian).

Systematics

Genera

Incertae sedis

See also

References