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true frog

{{Short description|Family of frogs}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| name = True frogs

| image = Cyprus water frog (Pelophylax cypriensis).jpg

| image_caption = Cyprus water frog (Pelophylax cypriensis)

| display_parents = 2

| taxon = Ranidae

| authority = Rafinesque, 1814

| synonyms = See text

}}

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 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 (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 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.

Evolution

The Ranidae are related to several other frog families that have Eurasian and Indian origins, including Rhacophoridae, Dicroglossidae, Nyctibatrachidae, Micrixalidae, and Ranixalidae. They are thought to be most closely related to the Indian-endemic Nyctibatrachidae, from which they diverged in the early Eocene. However, other studies recover a closer relationship with the Dicroglossidae.{{Cite journal |last1=Feng |first1=Yan-Jie |last2=Blackburn |first2=David C. |last3=Liang |first3=Dan |last4=Hillis |first4=David M. |last5=Wake |first5=David B. |last6=Cannatella |first6=David C. |last7=Zhang |first7=Peng |date=2017-07-18 |title=Phylogenomics reveals rapid, simultaneous diversification of three major clades of Gondwanan frogs at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=114 |issue=29 |pages=E5864–E5870 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1704632114 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=5530686 |pmid=28673970|doi-access=free |bibcode=2017PNAS..114E5864F }}

It was previously thought that the Ranidae and their closest relatives were of Gondwanan origins, having evolved on Insular India during the Cretaceous. They were then entirely restricted to the Indian subcontinent until the late Eocene, when India collided with Asia, allowing the Ranidae to colonize Eurasia and eventually the rest of the world.{{Cite journal |last1=Bossuyt |first1=Franky |last2=Brown |first2=Rafe M. |last3=Hillis |first3=David M. |last4=Cannatella |first4=David C. |last5=Milinkovitch |first5=Michel C. |date=2006-08-01 |title=Phylogeny and Biogeography of a Cosmopolitan Frog Radiation: Late Cretaceous Diversification Resulted in Continent-Scale Endemism in the Family Ranidae |journal=Systematic Biology |volume=55 |issue=4 |pages=579–594 |doi=10.1080/10635150600812551 |pmid=16857652 |issn=1076-836X|doi-access=free |hdl=1808/10752 |hdl-access=free }} 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.{{Cite journal |last=Karanth |first=K. Praveen |date=2021 |title=Dispersal vs. vicariance: the origin of India's extant tetrapod fauna |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5wb5p6dt |journal=Frontiers of Biogeography |language=en |volume=13 |issue=1 |doi=10.21425/F5FBG48678|s2cid=231519470 |doi-access=free }}

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.{{Cite journal|date=2007-04-01|title=Phylogeny of Raninae (Anura: Ranidae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear sequences|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790306004891|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|language=en|volume=43|issue=1|pages=1–13|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2006.11.032|issn=1055-7903|last1=Che |first1=Jing |last2=Pang |first2=Junfeng |last3=Zhao |first3=Hui |last4=Wu |first4=Guan-fu |last5=Zhao |first5=Er-mi |last6=Zhang |first6=Ya-Ping |pmid=17300963 |url-access=subscription }}

{{Clade|{{clade

|1=Staurois

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Amolops

|2={{clade

|1=Pelophylax

|2={{clade

|1=Clinotarsus

|2=Meristogenys

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|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Pulchrana

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Hylarana

|2=Sylvirana (1)

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|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Papurana

|2=Sylvirana (2)

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|2={{clade

|1=Hydrophylax

|2=Indosylvirana

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|2={{clade

|1=Sylvirana (3)

|2={{clade

|1=Sylvirana (4)

|2=Chalcorana

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|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Glandirana

|2={{clade

|1=Pseudorana

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Odorrana

|2=Nidirana

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|2={{clade

|1=Rana

|2=Lithobates

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=Genera=

File:Rana ishikawae.jpg (Odorrana ishikawae)]]

File:Rana curtipes.jpg (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:{{Cite web |date=2023-05-28 |title=Ranidae Batsch, 1796 {{!}} Amphibian Species of the World |url=https://amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org/Amphibia/Anura/Ranidae |access-date=2023-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528115202/https://amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org/Amphibia/Anura/Ranidae |archive-date=2023-05-28 }}

{{Div col}}

{{div col end}}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.{{Cite web |title=Hylarana Tschudi, 1838 |url=https://amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org/Amphibia/Anura/Ranidae/Hylarana |website=Amphibian Species of the World}} These changes are not recognized by AmphibiaWeb.{{Cite web |title=AmphibiaWeb - Ranidae |url=https://amphibiaweb.org/lists/Ranidae.shtml |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=amphibiaweb.org}}

= ''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.

See also

References

{{Commons category}}

{{Reflist|refs=

{{aut|Cai, Hong-xia; Che, Jing; Pang, Jun-feng; Zhao, Er-mi; Zhang, Ya-ping}} (2007): Paraphyly of Chinese Amolops (Anura, Ranidae) and phylogenetic position of the rare Chinese frog, Amolops tormotus. Zootaxa 1531: 49–55. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100203021712/http://www.amphibiatree.org/files/CaiETAL2008_AmolopsZootaxa.pdf PDF fulltext]

{{aut|Gordon, Malcolm S.; Schmidt-Nielsen, Knut; Kelly, Hamilton M.}} (1961): Osmotic Regulation in the Crab-Eating Frog (Rana cancrivora). J. Exp. Biol. 38 (3): 659–678. [http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/38/3/659.pdf PDF fulltext]

{{aut|Kotaki, Manabu; Kurabayashi, Atsushi; Matsui, Masafumi; Khonsue, Wichase; Djong, Tjong Hon; Tandon, Manuj; Sumida, Masayuki}} (2008): Genetic Divergences and Phylogenetic Relationships Among the Fejervarya limnocharis Complex in Thailand and Neighboring Countries Revealed by Mitochondrial and Nuclear Genes. Zool. Sci. 25 (4): 381–390. {{doi|10.2108/zsj.25.381}} (HTML abstract)

{{aut|Stuart, Bryan L.}} (2008): The phylogenetic problem of Huia (Amphibia: Ranidae). Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 46 (1): 49–60. {{doi|10.1016/j.ympev.2007.09.016}} [http://www.bryanlstuart.com/site/Publications_files/Stuart%202008%20Huia.pdf PDF fulltext]

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  • {{aut|Cogger, H.G.; Zweifel, R.G.; Kirschner, D.}} (2004): Encyclopedia of Reptiles & Amphibians (2nd ed.). Fog City Press. {{ISBN|1-877019-69-0}}
  • {{aut|Frost, Darrel R.}} (2006): Amphibian Species of the World Version 3 - [https://web.archive.org/web/20080529231232/http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/references.php?id=15026 Petropedetidae Noble, 1931]. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. Retrieved 2006-AUG-05.
  • {{aut|Frost, Darrel R. et al.}} (2006): The amphibian tree of life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. Number 297. New York.
  • {{aut|Hillis, D.M.}} (2007) Constraints in naming parts of the Tree of Life. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 42 (2): 331–338. {{doi|10.1016/j.ympev.2006.08.001}} [http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/679.pdf PDF fulltext] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927114556/http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/679.pdf |date=2011-09-27 }}
  • {{aut|Hillis, D.M.; Wilcox, T.P.}} (2005): Phylogeny of the New World true frogs (Rana). Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 34 (2): 299–314. {{doi|10.1016/j.ympev.2004.10.007}} [http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/215.pdf PDF fulltext] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528131608/http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/215.pdf |date=2008-05-28 }}
  • {{Aut|Pauly, Greg B.; Hillis, David M.; Cannatella, David C.}} (2009): Taxonomic freedom and the role of official lists of species names. Herpetologica 65: 115–128.
  • {{aut|Rafinesque, C.S.}} (2007): "Fine del prodromo d'erpetologia siciliana ". Specchio delle Scienze, o, Giornale Enciclopedico di Sicilia 2: 102–104. (Ranidae, new family). (in Italian).

{{Anura}}

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Category:Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque