True frogsis thecommon namefor thefrogfamilyRanidae.They have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on allcontinentsexcept Antarctica. The true frogs are present in North America, northern South America, Europe, Africa (includingMadagascar), and Asia. The Asian range extends across theEast IndiestoNew Guineaand a single species, theAustralian wood frog(Hylarana daemelii), has spread into the far north of Australia.
| True frogs | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cyprus water frog(Pelophylax cypriensis) | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Suborder: | Neobatrachia |
| Clade: | Ranoidea |
| Family: | Ranidae Rafinesque,1814 |
| Synonyms | |
|
Seetext | |
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 thewood 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 ofhabitatwithin the family. There are also arboreal species of true frogs, and the family includes some of the very fewamphibiansthat can live inbrackish water.[1]
Evolution
editThe Ranidae are related to several other frog families that haveEurasianandIndianorigins, includingRhacophoridae,Dicroglossidae,Nyctibatrachidae,Micrixalidae,andRanixalidae.They are thought to be most closely related to the Indian-endemic Nyctibatrachidae, from which they diverged in the earlyEocene.However, other studies recover a closer relationship with the Dicroglossidae.[2][3]
It was previously thought that the Ranidae and their closest relatives were ofGondwananorigins, having evolved onInsular Indiaduring theCretaceous.They were then entirely restricted to theIndian subcontinentuntil the lateEocene,whenIndia collided with Asia,allowing the Ranidae to colonize Eurasia and eventually the rest of the world.[3]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 thePaleogene.[2][4]
Systematics
editThe subdivisions of the Ranidae are still a matter of dispute, although most are coming to an agreement. Several formersubfamiliesare now recognised as separate families (Petropedetidae,Cacosterninae,Mantellidae,andDicroglossidae). The genusRanahas 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.[5][6][7]
- The genusStauroisis probably a very ancient offshoot of the mainRaninaelineage.
- Amolopshas been generally delimited as amonophyleticgroup.
- OdorranaandRanaplus some proposed minor genera (which probably ought to be included in the latter) form another group.
- A group includingClinotarsus,Huiain the strict sense andMeristogenys
- An ill-defined assemblage ofBabina,Glandirana,Hylarana,Pulchrana,Sanguirana,andSylvirana,as well asHydrophylaxandPelophylax,which are probably notmonophyletic.Some authorities have treated them asjunior synonymsof the genusHylarana.[8]
The following phylogeny of some genera was recovered by Cheet al., 2007 usingmitochondrial genes.[9]
Genera
edit
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:[10]
- AbavoranaOliver, Prendini, Kraus, and Raxworthy, 2015(three species)
- AmniranaDubois, 1992(11 species)
- AmolopsCope, 1865(80 species)
- BabinaThompson, 1912(two species)
- ChalcoranaDubois, 1992(nine species)
- ClinotarsusMivart 1869(three species)
- GlandiranaFei, Ye, and Huang, 1990(six species)
- HuiaYang, 1991(monotypic)
- HumeranaDubois, 1992(four species)
- HydrophylaxFitzinger, 1843(four species)
- HylaranaTschudi 1838(four species)
- IndosylviranaOliver, Prendini, Kraus, and Raxworthy, 2015(13 species)
- LithobatesFitzinger, 1843(55 species)
- MeristogenysYang, 1991(13 species)
- NidiranaDubois, 1992(19 species)
- OdorranaFei, Ye, and Huang, 1990(64 species)
- PapuranaDubois, 1992(19 species)
- PelophylaxFitzinger 1843(19 species)
- PseudoranaFei, Ye, and Huang, 1990(monotypic)
- PteroranaKiyasetuo and Khare, 1986(monotypic)
- PulchranaDubois, 1992(18 species)
- RanaLinnaeus, 1758(58 species)
- SanguiranaDubois, 1992(six species)
- StauroisCope, 1865(six species)
- SumateranaArifin, Smart, Hertwig, Smith, Iskandar, and Haas, 2018(three species)
- SylviranaDubois, 1992(12 species)
- WijayaranaArifin, Chan, Smart, Hertwig, Smith, Iskandar, and Haas, 2021(five species)
In 2023,Amphibian Species of the Worldtentatively synonymizedAmnirana,Chalcorana,Humerana,Hydrophylax,Indosylvirana,Papurana,Pulchrana,andSylviranaintoHylaranauntil significant taxonomic confusion surrounding the group could be cleared up.[11]These changes are not recognized byAmphibiaWeb.[12]
Incertae sedis
editA number of taxa are placed in Ranidaeincertae 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"margarianaAnderson, 1879
- "Hylarana"montivaga(Smith, 1921)
- "Hylarana"persimilis(Van Kampen, 1923)
See also
edit- Halipegus eccentricus,a monoecious, digeneaparasitictrematodecommonly found in true frogs in North America
References
edit
- ^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.PDF fulltext
- ^abFeng, Yan-Jie; Blackburn, David C.; Liang, Dan; Hillis, David M.; Wake, David B.; Cannatella, David C.; Zhang, Peng (2017-07-18)."Phylogenomics reveals rapid, simultaneous diversification of three major clades of Gondwanan frogs at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary".Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.114(29): E5864–E5870.Bibcode:2017PNAS..114E5864F.doi:10.1073/pnas.1704632114.ISSN0027-8424.PMC5530686.PMID28673970.
- ^abBossuyt, Franky; Brown, Rafe M.; Hillis, David M.; Cannatella, David C.; Milinkovitch, Michel C. (2006-08-01)."Phylogeny and Biogeography of a Cosmopolitan Frog Radiation: Late Cretaceous Diversification Resulted in Continent-Scale Endemism in the Family Ranidae".Systematic Biology.55(4): 579–594.doi:10.1080/10635150600812551.hdl:1808/10752.ISSN1076-836X.PMID16857652.
- ^Karanth, K. Praveen (2021)."Dispersal vs. vicariance: the origin of India's extant tetrapod fauna".Frontiers of Biogeography.13(1).doi:10.21425/F5FBG48678.S2CID231519470.
- ^Cai, Hong-xia; Che, Jing; Pang, Jun-feng;Zhao, Er-mi;Zhang, Ya-ping(2007): Paraphyly of ChineseAmolops(Anura, Ranidae) and phylogenetic position of the rare Chinese frog,Amolops tormotus.Zootaxa1531:49–55.PDF fulltext
- ^Kotaki, Manabu; Kurabayashi, Atsushi;Matsui, Masafumi;Khonsue, Wichase; Djong, Tjong Hon; Tandon, Manuj; Sumida, Masayuki(2008): Genetic Divergences and Phylogenetic Relationships Among theFejervarya limnocharisComplex 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)
- ^Stuart, Bryan L.(2008): The phylogenetic problem ofHuia(Amphibia: Ranidae).Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.46(1): 49-60.doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.09.016PDF fulltext
- ^Amphibian Species of the World 5.5, an Online Reference."HylaranaTschudi, 1838 ".American Museum of Natural History.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^Che, Jing; Pang, Junfeng; Zhao, Hui; Wu, Guan-fu; Zhao, Er-mi; Zhang, Ya-Ping (2007-04-01)."Phylogeny of Raninae (Anura: Ranidae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear sequences".Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.43(1): 1–13.doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.11.032.ISSN1055-7903.PMID17300963.
- ^"Ranidae Batsch, 1796 | Amphibian Species of the World".2023-05-28. Archived fromthe originalon 2023-05-28.Retrieved2023-08-07.
- ^"HylaranaTschudi, 1838 ".Amphibian Species of the World.
- ^"AmphibiaWeb - Ranidae".amphibiaweb.org.Retrieved2023-08-07.
- Cogger, H.G.;Zweifel, R.G.;Kirschner, D.(2004):Encyclopedia of Reptiles & Amphibians(2nd ed.). Fog City Press.ISBN1-877019-69-0
- Frost, Darrel R.(2006): Amphibian Species of the World Version 3 -Petropedetidae Noble, 1931.American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. Retrieved 2006-AUG-05.
- Frost, Darrel R. et al.(2006): The amphibian tree of life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. Number 297. New York.
- 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.2006.08.001PDF fulltextArchived2011-09-27 at theWayback Machine
- 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.2004.10.007PDF fulltextArchived2008-05-28 at theWayback Machine
- Pauly, Greg B.; Hillis, David M.;Cannatella, David C.(2009): Taxonomic freedom and the role of official lists of species names.Herpetologica65:115-128.
- Rafinesque, C.S.(2007): "Fine del prodromo d'erpetologia siciliana".Specchio delle Scienze, o, Giornale Enciclopedico di Sicilia2:102-104. (Ranidae, new family). (inItalian).