• Source: Rana (genus)

Rana (derived from Latin rana, meaning 'frog') is a genus of frogs commonly known as the Holarctic true frogs, pond frogs or brown frogs. Members of this genus are found through much of Eurasia and western North America. Many other genera were formerly included here.
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" as 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 swallow anything they can fit into their mouths, including small vertebrates. Among their predators are egrets, crocodiles, and snakes.




Systematics



Some 50 to 100 extant species are now placed in this genus by various authors; many other species formerly placed in Rana are now placed elsewhere. Frost restricted Rana to the Old World true frogs and the Eurasian brown and pond frogs of the common frog R. temporaria group, although other authors disagreed with this arrangement. In 2016, a consortium of Rana researchers from throughout Europe, Asia, and North America revised the group, and reported that the arrangement of Frost (2006) resulted in nonmonophyletic groups. Yuan et al. (2016) included all the North American ranids within Rana, and used subgenera for the well-differentiated species groups within Rana. Both of these classifications are presented below.
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 and Lithobates are so closely related to Rana proper, they could conceivably be included here once again. The others seem to be far more distant relatives, in particular Pelophylax.
New species are still being described in some numbers. A number of extinct species are in the genus, including Rana basaltica, from Miocene deposits in China.




= Species

=
The following species are recognised in the genus Rana:

*Rana maoershanensis is likely not its own species, according to new genetic research.
The following fossil species are also known:

†Rana architemporaria (Pliocene of Japan)
†Rana basaltica (Miocene of China)
†?Rana hipparionum (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of China, nomen dubium)
†Rana pliocenica (Late Miocene of California)
†Rana muelleri (Pleistocene of Germany)
†Rana strausi (Late Pliocene of Germany)
†?Rana yushensis (Early Pliocene of China, nomen nudum)
The earliest known fossils of true Rana are of an indeterminate species from the Early Miocene of Germany. The paleosubspecies Rana temporaria fossilis was described in 1951 for articulated fossils from the late Eocene/early Oligocene of Bulgaria, but this taxonomic proposal was found to be invalid. Rana likely originated in Asia and migrated west to colonize Europe by the early Miocene, as was done earlier by Pelophylax.



Alternative classifications

AmphibiaWeb includes the following species, arranged in subgenera:

Notes on other taxonomic arrangements:
The harpist brown frog, 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.




References






Further reading


Dubois, A.; Ohler, A. (1995). Ogielska, M. (ed.). "Frogs of the subgenus Pelophylax (Amphibia, Anura, genus Rana): a catalogue of available and valid scientific names, with comments on the name-bearing types, complete synonymies, proposed common names, and maps showing all type localities". Zoologica Poloniae. II International Symposium on Ecology and Genetics of European water frogs, 18–25 September 1994, Wroclaw, Poland. 39 (3–4): 139–204.




External links



AmphibiaWeb
Amphibian and Reptiles of Peninsular Malaysia

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