Rana (genus)

"Brown frog" and "Pond frog" redirect here. For other uses, see Brown frog (disambiguation) and Pond frog (disambiguation).
Rana
Northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Suborder: Neobatrachia
Family: Ranidae
Genus: Rana
Linnaeus, 1758
Subgenera

Lithobates
Rana
and see text

Synonyms

Lithobates
and see text

Rana (commonly known as the pond frog or brown frog) is a genus of frogs. Members of this genus are found through much of Eurasia, North America, Africa, Central America, and the northern half of South America. Many other genera were formerly included here;[1] see below for details.

These true frogs are usually largish species characterized by their slim waists and wrinkled skin; many have thin ridges running along their backs but they generally lack "warts" like in typical toads. They are excellent jumpers due to their long slender legs. The typical webbing found on their hind feet allows for easy movement through water. Coloration is mostly greens and browns above, with darker and yellowish spots.

Distribution and habitat

Many frogs in this genus breed in early spring, although subtropical and tropical species may breed throughout the year. Males of most of the species are known to call, but a few species are thought to be voiceless. Females lay eggs in rafts or large, globular clusters, and can produce up to 20,000 at one time.

Diet

Rana species feed mainly on insects and invertebrates, but will swallow anything they can fit into their mouths, including small vertebrates. Among their predators are egrets, crocodiles and snakes.

Systematics

Some 50 species are now placed in this genus; many other species formerly placed in Rana are now placed elsewhere, for the North American frogs see Lithobates. Rana is now restricted to the Old World true frogs and the Eurasian brown and pond frogs of the common frog R. temporaria group.[2][3] The validity and delimitation of the subgenera are somewhat disputed.[4]

Genera recently split from Rana are Babina, Clinotarsus (including Nasirana), Glandirana, Hydrophylax, Hylarana, Lithobates, Odorrana (including Wurana), Pelophylax, Pulchrana, Sanguirana, and Sylvirana. Of these, Odorrana is so closely related to Rana proper, it could conceivably be included here once again. The others seem to be far more distant relatives, in particular Pelophylax.[1]

New species are still being described in some numbers.

Species

The harpist brown frog (also known as Kampira Falls frog or Yaeyama harpist frog) was formerly known as R. psaltes; it was subsequently identified as the long-known R. okinavana. The latter name has been misapplied to the Ryūkyū brown frog, but the harpist brown frog is a rather distinct species that apparently belongs in Babina or Nidirana if these are considered valid.[6]

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Cai et al. (2007), Stuart (2008)
  2. Lithobates, American Museum of Natural History.
  3. Hillis & Wilcox (2005), Hillis (2007), Pauly et al. (2009)
  4. Hillis & Wilcox (2005), Hillis (2007), Stuart (2008), Pauly et al. (2009)
  5. Feinberg JA, Newman CE, Watkins-Colwell GJ, Schlesinger MD, Zarate B, Curry BR, Bradley Shaffer HB, Burger J. (2014). Cryptic Diversity in Metropolis: Confirmation of a New Leopard Frog Species (Anura: Ranidae) from New York City and Surrounding Atlantic Coast Regions. PLoS ONE 9(10): e108213. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0108213
  6. Matsui (2007)

References

External links

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