Torrent frogs are a number of unrelated

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

s that prefer to inhabit small rapid-flowing mountain or hill streams with a lot of

torrent Torrent or torrents may refer to: * A fast flowing stream Animals * Torrent duck, a species of the family Anatidae * Torrent fish * Torrent frog, various unrelated frogs * Torrent robin, a bird species * Torrent salamander, a family of s ...

s. They are generally smallish

neobatrachia The Neobatrachia (New Latin ''neo-'' ("new") + ''batrachia'' ("frogs")) are a suborder of the Anura, the order of frogs and toads. This suborder is the most advanced and apomorphic of the three anuran suborders alive today, hence its name, wh ...

ns with a greyish-brown and usually darkly mottled back, giving them excellent

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

among wet rocks overgrown with

alga Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mi ...

e; their well-developed feet make them agile climbers of slippery rocks. Torrent frogs belong to the following taxa: * The "torrent frogs" of Asia are certain species in various ranoid genera: '' Amolops'', ''

Huia The huia ( ; ; ''Heteralocha acutirostris'') is an extinct species of New Zealand wattlebird, endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. The last confirmed sighting of a huia was in 1907, although there was a credible sighting in 1924. It ...

'', ''

Odorrana ''Odorrana'' (commonly known as the odorous frog) is a genus of true frogs (Ranidae) from East Asia and surrounding regions. Many of these frogs inhabit fast-flowing mountain streams, and they typically have a remarkably pointed snout, as evidenc ...

'' (all Ranidae), ''

Micrixalus ''Micrixalus'' (commonly known as dancing frogs, tropical frogs, and torrent frogs) is a genus of frogs from that are endemic to the Western Ghats in India. They are Monotypic taxon, monotypic within the family Micrixalidae. Before being raise ...

'', ( Micrixalidae) and ''

Nanorana ''Nanorana'' is a genus of dicroglossid frogs. They are found in Asia, from the Himalayan region of northern Pakistan and northern India, Nepal, and western China east to montane southern China and southeast to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and nor ...

'' (

Dicroglossidae The frog family Dicroglossidae occurs in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa, with most genera and species being found in Asia. The common name of the family is fork-tongued frogs. The Dicroglossidae were previously considered to ...

). * The "torrent frogs" of Africa are the genera '' Arthroleptides'', '' Petropedetes'' (both family

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 ''

Odontobatrachus ''Odontobatrachus'' is a genus of frogs comprising the family Odontobatrachidae. In a 2014 research project Barej, Rödel, Loader & Schmitz separated the genus from the established genus ''Petropedetes'' and separated the new family from the esta ...

'' ( Odontobatrachidae), which are found in eastern Africa, central Africa and western Africa, respectively. * The "torrent frogs" of Australia are the genus '' Taudactylus'' of the Australian ground frog family (Myobatrachidae). * The torrent treefrog (''Litoria nannotis'') of Australia is in the tree frog family (

Hylidae Hylidae is a wide-ranging family of frogs commonly referred to as "tree frogs and their allies". However, the hylids include a diversity of frog species, many of which do not live in trees, but are terrestrial or semiaquatic. Taxonomy and s ...

) Image:Micrixalus.jpg, Black torrent frog
''Micrixalus saxicola''
Ranidae
India Image:Taudactylus eungellensis.png, Eungella torrent frog
''Taudactylus eungellensis''
Myobatrachidae
Australia Image:Litoria nannotis.jpg, Torrent treefrog
''Litoria nannotis''
Hylidae
Australia

References

{{Animal common name Frogs

See also

References