Ranoidea (genus) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ranoidea (genus)
Ranoidea aurea, the type species
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Pelodryadidae
Subfamily:	Pelodryadinae
Genus:	Ranoidea Tschudi, 1838
Type species
Ranoidea jacksoniensis Tschudi, 1838
Synonyms
Dryopsophus Fitzinger, 1843 Euscelis Fitzinger, 1843 Pelodryas Günther, 1859 "1858" Cyclorana Steindachner, 1867 Phractops Peters, 1867 Chirodryas Keferstein, 1867 Mitrolysis Cope, 1889 Fanchonia Werner, 1893 Brendanura Wells and Wellington, 1985 Neophractops Wells and Wellington, 1985 Mosleyia Wells and Wellington, 1985

Ranoidea is a genus of frogs in the subfamily Pelodryadinae. They live in Australia, New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Louisiade Archipelago. Scientists still disagree with each other about whether Ranoidea should be its own genus or not and which frogs should be in it. Many of the frogs in Ranoidea used to be in Litoria, Dryopsophus, or Hyla. In 2016, one team of scientists wrote a paper saying Litoria should be divided up into other genuses. Many other amphibian scientists read it and agreed, but some did not. One reason for this was that not all of the frogs in Litoria had been studied on the DNA level.

Description and ecology

All frogs in Ranoidea have side-to-side pupils that open up-and-down and no coloring in their eyelid membrane. Many species have tadpoles that swim in mountain streams and have very large mouths on the undersides of their bodies.

Species

The following species are or were recognized in the genus Ranoidea:

Scientists also think the Papua big-eyed tree frog (Van Kampen, 1909) might be in Ranoidea but they want to collect more data about where the frog lives first.

Images for kids

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  Ranoidea novaehollandiae is the type species of the genus Cyclorana which—pending further studies—may become recognized again.

See also

In Spanish: Ranoidea para niños