''Phrynobatrachus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Sub-Saharan Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the African co ...

frogs that form the

monogeneric In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to the fact that many species breed in temporary waterbodies such as puddles. ''Phrynobatrachus'' are among the most common amphibians in Africa. They are typically small (mostly less than ), fast-moving frogs. They occupy a variety of habitats from dry savannas to

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s. Most species deposit many small eggs as a surface clutch in standing or slowly moving water and have exotrophic

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...

Taxonomy

Phrynobatrachidae has earlier been considered as a

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

of Ranidae, but its recognition as a family is now well-established. It is probably most closely related to

Petropedetidae The Petropedetidae are a family of frogs containing three genera and 12 species. They are found in sub-Saharan tropical Africa and are sometimes known under common name African torrent frogs. They are inhabitants of the splash-water zone of cle ...

and

Pyxicephalidae The Pyxicephalidae are a family of frogs currently found in sub-Saharan Africa. However, in the Eocene, the taxon '' Thaumastosaurus'' lived in Europe. Classification The Pyxicephalidae contain two subfamilies, with a total of 12 genera. This f ...

Ptychadenidae Ptychadenidae is a family of frogs commonly known as the grassland frogs. These frogs occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. Ptychadenidae was previously considered to be a tribe or subfamily in the family Ranidae, but its position as a separate famil ...

. This large genus may be further divided into three major

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

s. These clades could be treated as different genera, but this arrangement is not yet in use.

Species

There are currently 96 species in this genus: * ''

Phrynobatrachus acridoides ''Phrynobatrachus acridoides'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is widely distributed in the lowlands of eastern Africa, from Kenya and southern Somalia in the north and southward to Tanzania (including the Mafia, Zanzibar ...

'' (Cope, 1867) * ''

Phrynobatrachus acutirostris ''Phrynobatrachus acutirostris'', the Rugegewald River frog, is a species of frogs in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist mont ...

'' Nieden, 1912 * ''

Phrynobatrachus afiabirago ''Phrynobatrachus'' is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to ...

'' Ofori-Boateng, Leaché, Obeng-Kankam, Kouamé, Hillers & Rödel, 2018 * ''

Phrynobatrachus africanus ''Phrynobatrachus africanus'' (common name: African swamp frog) is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea (including Bioko), southwestern Central African Republic, western Republic of t ...

'' (Hallowell, 1858) * '' Phrynobatrachus albifer'' (Ahl, 1924) * ''

Phrynobatrachus albomarginatus ''Phrynobatrachus albomarginatus'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, swampland, and intermittent freshwa ...

'' De Witte, 1933 * ''

Phrynobatrachus alleni ''Phrynobatrachus alleni'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and intermittent ...

'' Parker, 1936 * ''

Phrynobatrachus ambanguluensis ''Phrynobatrachus'' is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to ...

'' Greenwood, Loader, Lawson, Greenbaum, and Zimkus, 2020 * ''

Phrynobatrachus amieti ''Phrynobatrachus'' is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to ...

'' Nečas, Dolinay, Zimkus, and Gvoždík, 2021 * ''

Phrynobatrachus annulatus ''Phrynobatrachus annulatus'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, and Liberia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss ...

'' Perret, 1966 * ''

Phrynobatrachus anotis ''Phrynobatrachus anotis'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its natural habitats are dry savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodla ...

'' Schmidt and Inger, 1959 * ''

Phrynobatrachus arcanus ''Phrynobatrachus'' is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to ...

'' Gvoždík, Nečas, Dolinay, Zimkus, Schmitz, and Fokam, 2020 * ''

Phrynobatrachus asper ''Phrynobatrachus asper'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to the Itombwe Mountains in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. This little known species occurs in swamps in montane forest above above sea ...

'' Laurent, 1951 * ''

Phrynobatrachus auritus The golden puddle frog (''Phrynobatrachus auritus'') is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger ...

'' Boulenger, 1900 * ''

Phrynobatrachus batesii ''Phrynobatrachus batesii'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, possibly Equatorial Guinea, and possibly Togo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland fore ...

'' (Boulenger, 1906) * ''

Phrynobatrachus bequaerti ''Phrynobatrachus bequaerti'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in the mountains of north-western Burundi, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and western Rwanda. The specific name ''bequaerti'' honours J ...

'' (Barbour and Loveridge, 1929) * ''

Phrynobatrachus bibita ''Phrynobatrachus'' is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to ...

'' Goutte, Reyes-Velasco, and Boissinot, 2019 * ''

Phrynobatrachus breviceps ''Phrynobatrachus'' is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to ...

'' Pickersgill, 2007 * ''

Phrynobatrachus brevipalmatus ''Phrynobatrachus brevipalmatus'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to Angola. Its natural habitats are freshwater marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant spe ...

'' (Ahl, 1925) * ''

Phrynobatrachus brongersmai ''Phrynobatrachus'' is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to ...

'' Parker, 1936 * '' Phrynobatrachus bullans'' Crutsinger, Pickersgill, Channing, and Moyer, 2004 * '' Phrynobatrachus calcaratus'' (Peters, 1863) * '' Phrynobatrachus chukuchuku'' Zimkus, 2009 * '' Phrynobatrachus congicus'' (Ahl, 1925) * '' Phrynobatrachus cornutus'' (Boulenger, 1906) * ''

Phrynobatrachus cricogaster ''Phrynobatrachus cricogaster'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in the mountains of western Cameroon and southeastern Nigeria. Common name Nkongsamba river frog has been coined for it. The specific name ''cricog ...

'' Perret, 1957 * '' Phrynobatrachus cryptotis'' Schmidt and Inger, 1959 * ''

Phrynobatrachus dalcqi ''Phrynobatrachus dalcqi'' is a species of frogs in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is Endemism, endemic to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and only known from Fizi Territory in the South Kivu province. The Specific name (zoology), ...

'' Laurent, 1952 * ''

Phrynobatrachus danko ''Phrynobatrachus'' is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to ...

'' Blackburn, 2010 * '' Phrynobatrachus dendrobates'' (Boulenger, 1919) * '' Phrynobatrachus discogularis'' Pickersgill, Zimkus, and Raw, 2017 * ''

Phrynobatrachus dispar ''Phrynobatrachus dispar'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is known as Peters' river frog and the Príncipe puddle frog. It is endemic to São Tomé and Príncipe. Its natural habitat is puddles in primary forest, farm bu ...

'' (Peters, 1870) * '' Phrynobatrachus elberti'' (Ahl, 1925) * '' Phrynobatrachus francisci'' Boulenger, 1912 * '' Phrynobatrachus fraterculus'' (Chabanaud, 1921) * '' Phrynobatrachus gastoni'' Barbour and Loveridge, 1928 * '' Phrynobatrachus ghanensis'' Schiøtz, 1964 * '' Phrynobatrachus giorgii'' De Witte, 1921 * ''

Phrynobatrachus graueri ''Phrynobatrachus graueri'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, and western Kenya. The specific name ''graueri'' honours Rudolf Grauer, Austrian explorer ...

'' (Nieden, 1911) * ''

Phrynobatrachus guineensis ''Phrynobatrachus guineensis'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Sierra Leone, southern Guinea, Liberia, and western Ivory Coast. Common name Guinea river frog has been coined for it, although it is actually ...

'' Guibé and Lamotte, 1962 * ''

Phrynobatrachus gutturosus ''Phrynobatrachus gutturosus'', the Chabanaud's river frog or guttural puddle frog, is a species of frog in the family Petropedetidae. It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, possibly Benin, possibl ...

'' (Chabanaud, 1921) * ''

Phrynobatrachus hieroglyphicus ''Phrynobatrachus'' is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to ...

'' Rödel, Ohler, and Hillers, 2010 * '' Phrynobatrachus horsti'' Rödel, Burger, Zassi-Boufou, Emmrich, Penner, and Barej, 2015 * '' Phrynobatrachus hylaios'' Perret, 1959 * '' Phrynobatrachus inexpectatus'' Largen, 2001 * ''

Phrynobatrachus intermedius ''Phrynobatrachus'' is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to ...

'' Rödel, Boateng, Penner, and Hillers, 2009 * ''

Phrynobatrachus irangi ''Phrynobatrachus irangi'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to Kenya and is known only from two localities, its type locality, the eponymous Irangi Forest on the south-eastern slopes of Mount Kenya, and Kimand ...

'' Drewes and Perret, 2000 * '' Phrynobatrachus jimzimkusi'' Zimkus, Gvoždík, and Gonwouo, 2013 * '' Phrynobatrachus kakamikro'' Schick, Zimkus, Channing, Köhler, and Lötters, 2010 * '' Phrynobatrachus keniensis'' Barbour and Loveridge, 1928 * ''

Phrynobatrachus kinangopensis ''Phrynobatrachus kinangopensis'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to the Kenyan Highlands east of the Great Rift Valley. Both the scientific name and its common names, Kinangop river frog and Kinangop puddle f ...

'' Angel, 1924 * '' Phrynobatrachus krefftii'' Boulenger, 1909 * ''

Phrynobatrachus latifrons ''Phrynobatrachus latifrons'', the Ahl's river frog or savanna puddle frog, is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found from Senegal in West Africa east to northern Cameroon and eastern Chad in western Central Africa. The IU ...

'' Ahl, 1924 * ''

Phrynobatrachus leveleve ''Phrynobatrachus leveleve'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to São Tomé and Príncipe and is listed as least concern by the IUCN. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtro ...

'' Uyeda, Drewes, and Zimkus, 2007 * '' Phrynobatrachus liberiensis'' Barbour and Loveridge, 1927 * '' Phrynobatrachus mababiensis'' FitzSimons, 1932 * '' Phrynobatrachus maculiventris'' Guibé and Lamotte, 1958 * '' Phrynobatrachus manengoubensis'' (Angel, 1940) * ''

Phrynobatrachus mayokoensis ''Phrynobatrachus'' is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to ...

'' Rödel, Burger, Zassi-Boulou, Emmrich, Penner, and Barej, 2015 * '' Phrynobatrachus mbabo'' Gvoždík, Nečas, Dolinay, Zimkus, Schmitz, and Fokam, 2020 * '' Phrynobatrachus minutus'' (Boulenger, 1895) * '' Phrynobatrachus nanus'' (Ahl, 1925) * '' Phrynobatrachus natalensis'' (Smith, 1849) * '' Phrynobatrachus njiomock'' Zimkus and Gvoždík, 2013 * '' Phrynobatrachus ogoensis'' (Boulenger, 1906) * '' Phrynobatrachus pakenhami'' Loveridge, 1941 * '' Phrynobatrachus pallidus'' Pickersgill, 2007 * '' Phrynobatrachus parkeri'' De Witte, 1933 * '' Phrynobatrachus parvulus'' (Boulenger, 1905) * ''

Phrynobatrachus perpalmatus ''Phrynobatrachus perpalmatus'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in the area stretching from the central and southern Sudan southward through South Sudan and central/eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, extr ...

'' Boulenger, 1898 * '' Phrynobatrachus petropedetoides'' Ahl, 1924 * ''

Phrynobatrachus phyllophilus ''Phrynobatrachus phyllophilus'' is a species of frogs in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Sierra Leone, southern Guinea, Liberia, and Ivory Coast. Prior to its description in 2002, it was confused with ''Phrynobatrachus guineensis'' ...

'' Rödel and Ernst, 2002 * ''

Phrynobatrachus pintoi ''Phrynobatrachus pintoi'' is a species of frog native to Guinea. It can be found at elevations from 200 to 428 meters. Description ''Phrynobatrachus pintoi'' is found in forests as well as savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodlan ...

'' Hillers, Zimkus, and Rödel, 2008 * '' Phrynobatrachus plicatus'' (Günther, 1858) * ''

Phrynobatrachus pygmaeus ''Phrynobatrachus pygmaeus'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to the Central African Republic and is only known from its type locality, Bouala (originally spelled "Buala"), at above sea level on the Ouham Rive ...

'' (Ahl, 1925) * ''

Phrynobatrachus rainerguentheri ''Phrynobatrachus'' is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to ...

'' Rödel, Onadeko, Barej, and Sandberger, 2012 * ''

Phrynobatrachus rouxi ''Phrynobatrachus rouxi'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found on western shore of Lake Victoria in Uganda and on Mount Kenya in Kenya; the extent of the former part of the range is uncertain and the latter requires c ...

'' (Nieden, 1912) * '' Phrynobatrachus rungwensis'' (Loveridge, 1932) * '' Phrynobatrachus ruthbeateae'' Rödel, Doherty-Bone, Kouete, Janzen, Garrett, Browne, Gonwouo, Barej, and Sandberger, 2012 * ''

Phrynobatrachus sandersoni ''Phrynobatrachus sandersoni'' (common name: Sanderson's hook frog) is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in southwestern Cameroon and in Equatorial Guinea, including the island of Bioko. It is named for Ivan T. Sander ...

'' (Parker, 1935) * '' Phrynobatrachus scapularis'' (De Witte, 1933) * ''

Phrynobatrachus scheffleri ''Phrynobatrachus'' is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to ...

'' (Nieden, 1911) * '' Phrynobatrachus schioetzi'' Blackburn and Rödel, 2011 * '' Phrynobatrachus steindachneri'' Nieden, 1910 * '' Phrynobatrachus sternfeldi'' (Ahl, 1924) * '' Phrynobatrachus stewartae'' Poynton and Broadley, 1985 * '' Phrynobatrachus sulfureogularis'' Laurent, 1951 * ''

Phrynobatrachus taiensis ''Phrynobatrachus taiensis'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to Ivory Coast and only known from its type locality, Taï Forest in the Taï National Park. There are concerns about taxonomic validity of this spe ...

'' Perret, 1988 * '' Phrynobatrachus tanoeensis'' Kpan, Kouamé, Barej, Adeba, Emmrich, Boateng, and Rödel, 2018 * '' Phrynobatrachus tokba'' (Chabanaud, 1921) * '' Phrynobatrachus ukingensis'' (Loveridge, 1932) * '' Phrynobatrachus ungujae'' Pickersgill, 2007 * '' Phrynobatrachus uzungwensis'' Grandison and Howell, 1983 * '' Phrynobatrachus versicolor'' Ahl, 1924 * ''

Phrynobatrachus villiersi ''Phrynobatrachus villiersi'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in southeastern Liberia, southern Côte d'Ivoire, and southwestern Ghana. Its natural habitat is tropical primary forest. The eggs are deposited on dr ...

'' Guibé, 1959 * '' Phrynobatrachus werneri'' (Nieden, 1910)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2648477 Amphibians of Sub-Saharan Africa Taxa named by Albert Günther Amphibian genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot