Torrent frogs are a number of unrelated
frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...
s that prefer to inhabit small rapid-flowing mountain or hill streams with a lot of
torrents. They are generally smallish
neobatrachians with a greyish-brown and usually darkly mottled back, giving them excellent
camouflage
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...
among wet rocks overgrown with
alga
Algae ( , ; : alga ) are any of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic, eukaryotic organisms. The name is an informal term for a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from u ...
e; their well-developed feet make them agile climbers of slippery rocks.
Torrent frogs belong to the following taxa:
* The "torrent frogs" of Asia are certain species in various
ranoid genera: ''
Amolops
''Amolops'' (commonly known as cascade frogs or sucker frogs) is a genus of true frogs (family Ranidae) native mainly to eastern and south-eastern Asia. These frogs are closely related to such genera as ''Huia'', ''Meristogenys'', ''Odorrana'' ...
'', ''
Huia
The huia ( ; ; ''Heteralocha acutirostris'') is an extinct species of New Zealand wattlebird, endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. The last confirmed sighting of a huia was in 1907, although there was a credible sighting in 1924.
It ...
'', ''
Odorrana'' (all
Ranidae), ''
Micrixalus'', (
Micrixalidae) and ''
Nanorana
''Nanorana'' is a genus of dicroglossid frogs. They are found in Asia, from the Himalayan region of northern Pakistan and northern India, Nepal, and western China east to montane southern China and southeast to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and ...
'' (
Dicroglossidae
The frog family Dicroglossidae occurs in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa, with most genera and species being found in Asia. The common name of the family is fork-tongued frogs.
The Dicroglossidae were previously considered to ...
).
* The "torrent frogs" of Africa are the genera ''
Arthroleptides
''Arthroleptides'' is a small genus of frogs in the family Petropedetidae. Their common name is rocky river frogs. They are found in the mountains of East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, and probably Uganda). They have been considered to belong to '' Pe ...
'', ''
Petropedetes
''Petropedetes'' is a genus of frogs in the family Petropedetidae. In 2002, the genus absorbed all three species of the genus ''Arthroleptides'', but they were moved back in 2014. The informally assigned common name for frogs in this genus (and f ...
'' (both family
Petropedetidae) and ''
Odontobatrachus'' (
Odontobatrachidae), which are found in eastern Africa, central Africa and western Africa, respectively.
* The "torrent frogs" of Australia are the genus ''
Taudactylus
''Taudactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Myobatrachidae. These frogs are endemic to rainforest areas of coastal eastern Australia, most of this genus inhabit fast flowing streams in highland area. Most members of this genus have suffered ...
'' of the Australian ground frog family (Myobatrachidae).
* The
torrent treefrog
The Australian waterfall frog or torrent treefrog (''Ranoidea nannotis'') is a species of tree frog native to Far North Queensland, Australia. The common name "waterfall frog" is indicative of its habitat of moist, rocky streams, and is often fou ...
(''Litoria nannotis'') of Australia is in the tree frog family (
Hylidae
Hylidae is a wide-ranging family of frogs commonly referred to as " tree frogs and their allies". However, the hylids include a diversity of frog species, many of which do not live in trees, but are terrestrial or semiaquatic.
Taxonomy and ...
)
Image:Micrixalus.jpg, Black torrent frog
''Micrixalus saxicola'' (black torrent frog, Malabar tropical frog, Jerdon's olive-brown frog, or small torrent frog) is a species of frog in the family Micrixalidae, found in forest streams in the Western Ghats of India.This frog has a brow ...
''Micrixalus saxicola''
Ranidae
India
Image:Taudactylus eungellensis.png, Eungella torrent frog
The Eungella torrent frog or Eungella day frog (''Taudactylus eungellensis'') is a species of stream dwelling frog endemic to Australia. It is restricted to ranges west of Mackay, Queensland, Mackay in mid-eastern Queensland.
Description
It is ...
''Taudactylus eungellensis''
Myobatrachidae
Australia
Image:Litoria nannotis.jpg, Torrent treefrog
The Australian waterfall frog or torrent treefrog (''Ranoidea nannotis'') is a species of tree frog native to Far North Queensland, Australia. The common name "waterfall frog" is indicative of its habitat of moist, rocky streams, and is often fou ...
''Litoria nannotis''
Hylidae
Australia
See also
*
Grass frog (disambiguation) The grass frog (''Ptychadena'')) is a genus of frogs in the family Ptychadenidae, distributed in Sub-Saharan Africa as well as nilotic Egypt
Grass frog may also refer to:
* Asiatic grass frog (''Rana chensinensis''), a frog in the family Ranidae ...
*
Green frog (disambiguation) Green frog may refer to various frogs worldwide:
* ''Pelophylax'', a true frog genus in the family Ranidae found in the Old World
** Specifically, the edible frog (''P. ''kl.'' esculenta''), the most common ''Pelophylax'' of Europe
* ''Lithobates c ...
*
Rocket frog (disambiguation) Rocket frog is a common name for many species of frog, it may refer to
* ''Litoria dorsalis'', Dwarf Rocket Frog
* ''Litoria inermis'', Bumpy Rocket Frog
* ''Litoria freycineti'', Wallum Rocket Frog
* ''Litoria longirostris'', Scrub Rocket Frog
* ...
*
Tree frog
A tree frog (or treefrog) is any species of frog that spends a major portion of its lifespan in trees, known as an arboreal state. Several lineages of frogs among the Neobatrachia have given rise to treefrogs, although they are not closely rela ...
*
Torrent salamander
The torrent salamanders or Cascade salamanders are a family of salamanders (Rhyacotritonidae) with only one genus, ''Rhyacotriton''. The torrent salamanders are endemic to the United States in the Pacific Northwest (including northwestern Calif ...
References
{{Animal common name
Frogs