True frogs is the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

for the

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Ranidae. They have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on all

continent A continent is any of several large geographical regions. Continents are generally identified by convention (norm), convention rather than any strict criteria. A continent could be a single large landmass, a part of a very large landmass, as ...

s except Antarctica. The true frogs are present in North America, northern South America, Europe, Africa (including

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

), and Asia. The Asian range extends across the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

and a single species, the Australian wood frog (''Hylarana 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 sylvaticus'' or ''Rana sylvatica'', commonly known as the wood frog, is a frog species that has a broad distribution over North America, extending from the boreal forest of the north to the southern Appalachians, with several nota ...

(''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 In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

within the family. There are also arboreal species of true frogs, and the family includes some of the very few

amphibian Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...

s that can live in

brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuary ...

Evolution

The Ranidae are related to several other frog families that have

Eurasian Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents dates back to antiq ...

and Indian origins, including

Rhacophoridae The Rhacophoridae are a family of frogs in tropical sub-Saharan Africa, South India and Sri Lanka, Japan, northeastern India to eastern China and Taiwan, south through the Philippines and Greater Sundas, and Sulawesi. They are commonly known as ...

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 ...

Nyctibatrachidae Nyctibatrachidae is a small family of frogs found in the Western Ghats of India and in Sri Lanka. Their common name is robust frogs. Recognition of Nyctibatrachidae as a family is fairly recent. These frogs were previously placed in the broadly ...

, Micrixalidae, and

Ranixalidae Ranixalidae is a family of frogs commonly known as the leaping frogs or Indian frogs. They are endemic to central and southern India, specifically in the Western Ghat mountain range. This mountain range encompasses the Indian states of Gujarat, ...

. They are thought to be most closely related to the Indian-endemic Nyctibatrachidae, from which they diverged in the early

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

. However, other studies recover a closer relationship with the Dicroglossidae. It was previously thought that the Ranidae and their closest relatives were of

Gondwanan Gondwana ( ; ) was a large landmass, sometimes referred to as a supercontinent. The remnants of Gondwana make up around two-thirds of today's continental area, including South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Zealandia, Arabia, and the ...

origins, having evolved on

Insular India Insular India was an isolated landmass which became the Indian subcontinent. Across the latter stages of the Cretaceous and most of the Paleocene, following the breakup of Gondwana, the Indian subcontinent remained an isolated landmass as the Ind ...

during the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

. They were then entirely restricted to the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

until the late

, when India collided with Asia, allowing the Ranidae to colonize Eurasia and eventually the rest of the world. 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 The Paleogene Period ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Neogene Period Ma. It is the fir ...

Systematics

The subdivisions of the Ranidae are still a matter of dispute, although most are coming to an agreement. Several former

subfamilies In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zool ...

are now recognised as separate families (

Petropedetidae The Petropedetidae are a family of frogs containing two genera and 11 species. They are found in sub-Saharan tropical Africa and are sometimes known under common name African torrent frogs. They are inhabitants of the splash-water zone of clear ...

, Cacosterninae,

Mantellidae The Mantellidae are an amphibian family (biology), family of the order (biology), order Frog, Anura (frogs and toads), and are Endemism, endemic to the Indian Ocean islands of Madagascar and Mayotte. At first glance, the diminutive, brightly-col ...

, and

). The genus ''

Rana Rana may refer to: Astronomy * Rana (crater), a crater on Mars * Delta Eridani or Rana, a star Films * Rana (2012 film), an Indian Kannada-language action drama * Rana, a 1998 Telugu-language action film directed by A. Kodandarami Reddy * R ...

'' 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 genus ''

Staurois ''Staurois'' is a small genus of minuscule true frogs. Most species in the genus are restricted to Borneo, but two species are from the Philippines.Arifin, U., D. T. Iskandar, D. P. Bickford, R. M. Brown, R. Meier, and S. N. Kutty. (2011). Phylo ...

'' is probably a very ancient offshoot of the main

Raninae True frogs is the common name for the frog family Ranidae. 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 Am ...

lineage. * ''

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' ...

'' has been generally delimited as a

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

group. * ''

Odorrana ''Odorrana'', commonly known as odorous frogs, is a genus of true frogs (Ranidae) from East Asia and surrounding regions. Many of these frogs inhabit fast-flowing mountain streams, and they typically have a remarkably pointed snout, as evidenced ...

'' and ''Rana'' plus some proposed minor genera (which probably ought to be included in the latter) form another group. * A group including ''

Clinotarsus ''Clinotarsus'' is a genus of ranid frogs. Members of this genus are found in India and Southeast Asia. Species There are three species recognised in the genus ''Clinotarsus'': References True frogs Amphibians of Asia Amphibian gene ...

'', ''

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 another credible sighting in 1924 ...

'' in the strict sense and '' Meristogenys'' * An ill-defined assemblage of '' Babina'', ''

Glandirana ''Glandirana'' is a genus of true frogs (family Ranidae) found in the East Asia (eastern China, Korea, Japan, and possibly Primorsky Krai in the Russian Far East). The name means ‘glandular frog’. Taxonomy and systematics The genus ''Glandir ...

'', ''

Hylarana ''Hylarana'', commonly known as golden-backed frogs, is a genus of true frogs found in tropical Asia. It was formerly considered highly diverse, containing around 84 to 96 valid species, but taxonomic revision resulted in a major change in the c ...

'', ''

Pulchrana ''Pulchrana'' is a genus of ranid frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally ' ...

'', ''

Sanguirana ''Sanguirana'' is a genus of true frogs (family Ranidae) found in the Malay Archipelago, including the Philippines, the Maluku Islands, Sulawesi, and Seram. ''Sanguirana'' was first introduced as a sub-genus of ''Rana Rana may refer to: Astro ...

'', and '' Sylvirana'', as well as '' Hydrophylax'' and ''

Pelophylax ''Pelophylax'' is a genus of true frogs widespread in Eurasia, with a few species ranging into northern Africa. This genus was erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1843 to accommodate the green frogs of the Old World, which he considered distinct fro ...

'', which are probably not

. Some authorities have treated them as

junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...

s of the genus ''

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

Genera

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 ''Amnirana'' is a genus of frogs in the family Ranidae, "true frogs". The genus is primarily found in Sub-Saharan Africa, but one species occurs in parts of southern and southeastern Asia. Some of the African species are widespread but contain und ...

'' Dubois, 1992 (11 species) * ''

'' Cope, 1865 (80 species) * '' Babina'' Thompson, 1912 (two species) * '' Chalcorana'' Dubois, 1992 (nine species) * ''

'' Mivart 1869 (three species) * ''

'' Fei, Ye, and Huang, 1990 (six species) * ''

'' Yang, 1991 (monotypic) * ''

Humerana ''Humerana'' is a genus of frogs in the family Ranidae from southern and southeastern Asia. It was originally proposed as a subgenus of ''Rana''. It may belong to ''Hylarana''. ''Humerana'' contains the following species: * '' Humerana humerali ...

'' Dubois, 1992 (four species) * '' Hydrophylax'' Fitzinger, 1843 (four species) * ''

'' Tschudi 1838 (four species) * ''

Indosylvirana ''Indosylvirana'' is a genus of Ranidae, ranid frogs endemic to South and Southeast Asia. Species There are 13 species: * ''Indosylvirana aurantiaca'' (Boulenger, 1904) * ''Indosylvirana caesari'' (Biju, Mahony, Wijayathilaka, Senevirathne, and ...

'' Oliver, Prendini, Kraus, and Raxworthy, 2015 (13 species) * ''

Lithobates ''Lithobates'', commonly known as the bullfrogs, is a genus of true frogs, of the family Ranidae. The name is derived from '' litho-'' (stone) and the Greek ' (, one that treads), meaning one that treads on rock, or rock climber. As presently de ...

'' Fitzinger, 1843 (55 species) * '' Meristogenys'' Yang, 1991 (13 species) * '' Nidirana'' Dubois, 1992 (19 species) * ''

'' Fei, Ye, and Huang, 1990 (64 species) * '' Papurana'' Dubois, 1992 (19 species) * ''

'' Fitzinger 1843 (19 species) * '' Pseudorana'' Fei, Ye, and Huang, 1990 (monotypic) * '' Pterorana'' Kiyasetuo and Khare, 1986 (monotypic) * ''

'' Dubois, 1992 (18 species) * ''

'' Linnaeus, 1758 (58 species) * ''

'' Dubois, 1992 (six species) * ''

'' Cope, 1865 (six species) * '' Sumaterana'' Arifin, Smart, Hertwig, Smith, Iskandar, and Haas, 2018 (three species) * '' Sylvirana'' Dubois, 1992 (12 species) * ''

Wijayarana ''Wijayarana'' is a group of true frogs found in Southeast Asia. Their common name is Wijaya cascade frogs. Many are commonly known as " torrent frogs" after their favorite habitat - small rapid-flowing mountain and hill streams -, but this name ...

'' Arifin, Chan, Smart, Hertwig, Smith, Iskandar, and Haas, 2021 (five species) In 2023, ''

Amphibian Species of the World ''Amphibian Species of the World 6.2: An Online Reference'' (ASW) is a herpetology database. It lists the names of frogs, salamanders and other amphibians, which scientists first described each species and what year, and the animal's known range ...

'' tentatively synonymized ''

'', '' Chalcorana'', ''

'', '' Hydrophylax'', ''

'', '' Papurana'', ''

'', and '' Sylvirana'' into ''

'' until significant taxonomic confusion surrounding the group could be cleared up. These changes are not recognized by

AmphibiaWeb AmphibiaWeb is an American non-profit website that provides information about amphibians. It is run by a group of universities working with the California Academy of Sciences: San Francisco State University, the University of California, Berkeley ...

''Incertae sedis''

A number of taxa are placed in Ranidae ''

incertae sedis or is a term used for a taxonomy (biology), taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

'', 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 Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

). {{Authority control * Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque

Evolution

Systematics

Genera

''Incertae sedis''

See also

References