Order Anura - Frogs
White-lipped Tree Frog from Daintree Australia
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura. The oldest fossil "proto-frog" Triadobatrachus is known from the Early Triassic of Madagascar, but molecular clock dating suggests their split from other amphibians may extend further back to the Permian, 265 million years ago. Frogs are widely distributed, ranging from the tropics to subarctic regions, but the greatest concentration of species diversity is in tropical rainforest. Frogs account for around 88% of extant amphibian species. They are also one of the five most diverse vertebrate orders. Warty frog species tend to be called toads, but the distinction between frogs and toads is informal, not from taxonomy or evolutionary history.
An adult frog has a stout body, protruding eyes, anteriorly-attached tongue, limbs folded underneath, and no tail (the tail of tailed frogs is an extension of the male cloaca). Frogs have glandular skin, with secretions ranging from distasteful to toxic. Their skin varies in colour from well-camouflaged dappled brown, grey and green to vivid patterns of bright red or yellow and black to show toxicity and ward off predators. Adult frogs live in fresh water and on dry land; some species are adapted for living underground or in trees.
Frogs typically lay their eggs in water. The eggs hatch into aquatic larvae called tadpoles that have tails and internal gills. They have highly specialized rasping mouth parts suitable for herbivorous, omnivorous or planktivorous diets. The life cycle is completed when they metamorphose into adults. A few species deposit eggs on land or bypass the tadpole stage. Adult frogs generally have a carnivorous diet consisting of small invertebrates, but omnivorous species exist and a few feed on plant matter. Frog skin has a rich microbiome which is important to their health. Frogs are extremely efficient at converting what they eat into body mass. They are an important food source for predators and part of the food web dynamics of many of the world's ecosystems. The skin is semi-permeable, making them susceptible to dehydration, so they either live in moist places or have special adaptations to deal with dry habitats. Frogs produce a wide range of vocalizations, particularly in their breeding season, and exhibit many different kinds of complex behaviors to attract mates, to fend off predators and to generally survive.
The images that follow are of species I have seen over time in the field. Most are unidentified or tentatively identified at best. Help in this endeavour would be greatly appreciated!
Southeast Asia
Painted Chorus Frog (Microhyla butleri) Baan Maka, Petchaburi Thailand
Dark-sided Chorus Frog (Microhyla heymonsi) Pha Nam Yod Waterfall
Microhyla mukhlesuri (Mukhlesur's Narrow-mouthed) Krung Ching Nakhon Si Thammarat
Kokarit Frog (Pelophylax lateralis) Pha Nam Yod Waterfall, Kaeng Krachan Thailand
Spot-legged Tree Frog (Polypedates megacephalus) Pha Nam Yod Waterfall, Kaeng Krachan
Вanded bullfrog (Kaloula pulchra) Many Locations Thailand
Kaloula pulchra - Asian Painted Frog - Koh Lanta, Thailand
Asian Black-spined Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) Khao Yai Thailand
Burmese Bush Frog (Feihyla vittata) Pha Nam Yod Waterfall
Grass or Rice Field Frog (Fejervarya limnocharis) Pha Nam Yod Waterfall
Green Paddy Frog (Hylarana erythraea) Prawet, Bangkok Thailand
Unidentified Species 1 - Kaeng Krachan
Javan whipping frog (Polypedates leucomystax) Promluk, NST Thailand
Javan whipping frog (Polypedates leucomystax
Unidentified Species 3 - Khao Luang National Park NST, Thailand
Unidentified Species 4 - Nonthaburi Thailand
Javan whipping frog (Polypedates leucomystax) - Khao Sok, Thailand
Unidentified Species 6 - Kaeng Krachan
Unidentified Species 7 - Khao Yai, Thailand
Unidentified Species 8 - Khao Yai NP, Thailand
Unidentified Species 8 - Pang Sida NP, Thailand
Javan whipping frog (Polypedates leucomystax) - Pang Sida NP, Thailand
Unidentified Species 10 - Koh Lanta, Thailand
Unidentified Species 11 - Khao Yai NP, Thailand
Javan whipping frog (Polypedates leucomystax) - Bangkok Thailand
Javan whipping frog (Polypedates leucomystax) - Bangkok Thailand
Unidentified Species 18 - Kaeng Krachan NP, Thailand
Unidentified Species 19 - Kaeng Krachan
Unidentified Species 21 - Nakhonsithammarat Thailand
Javan whipping frog (Polypedates leucomystax) - Nakhonsithammarat
Duttaphrynus melanostictus - Asian Common Toad - Koh Lanta, Thailand - Possible ID
Unidentified Species 16 - Nonthaburi Thailand, Chao Praya River
Grass or Rice Field Frog (Fejervarya limnocharis) Koh Lanta Thailand
Frog species - Unidentified - Danum Valley Borneo
Frog species - Unidentified - Tabin Reserve, Borneo
Polypedates leucomystax - Common Tree Frog - Koh Lanta, Thailand
Polypedates leucomystax - Common Tree Frog - Koh Lanta, Thailand
Polypedates leucomystax - Common Tree Frog - Koh Lanta, Thailand
Polypedates leucomystax - Common Tree Frog - Koh Lanta, Thailand
Philautus ingeri - Sharp-nosed Bush Frog - Tabin Reserve, Borneo
Philautus ingeri - Sharp-nosed Bush Frog - Tabin Reserve, Borneo
Rana blythi - Blyth's Frog - Tabin Wildlife Reserve - Borneo
Rhacophorus pardalis - Harlequin Tree Frog - Danum Valley Borneo
Huia cavitytympanum - Hole in the Head Frog - or similar - Kinabatangan River, Borneo
Indonesia
Frog Species 1 - Halimun NP, Java Indonesia
Frog Species 2 - Ujon Kulong, Java Indonesia
Frog Species 3 - Ujon Kulong, Java Indonesia
Sri Lanka
Frog Species 1 - Sri Lanka, Srigiriya
Frog Species 2 - Kitulgala Sri Lanka
Frog Species 3 - Kitulgala Sri Lanka
Toad Species 1 - Kitulgala Sri Lanka
Tuburcle Tree Frog (Pseudophilautus cavirostris) Kitulgala Forest Preserve, Sri Lanka
Tuburcle Tree Frog (Pseudophilautus cavirostris) Kitulgala Forest Preserve, Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Rock Frog (Nannophrys ceylonensis) Kitulgala Sri Lanka
North America
Leopard Frog - Pratt Woods Illinois
Pacific Tree (Chorus) Frog (Pseudacris regilla) Northwestern USA
Pacific Tree (Chorus) Frog (Pseudacris regilla) Olympic Peninsula, Washington
Spadefoot Toad (Scaphiopus species) Baja Mexico
Lowland Leopard Frog (Lithobates yavapaiensis) Sonoran Desert Museum Ponds, Tucson Arizona
Europe
Red Frog - Stelvio NP, Italy
Frog Species - Sened Berber Village, Tunisia
Marsh Frog (Rana rubibunda) Tunisia
Tundra Frog - Needs Identification - Dovrefjeld Norway
Russia & China
Oriental Fire-bellied Toad (Bombina orientalis) Primorye, Russia
Unidentified Frog 1 - Primorye Russia
Unidentified Frog 2 - Primorye Russia
Unidentified Frog 2 - Primorye Russia
Unidentified Frog 3 - Primorye Russia
Unidentified Frog 4 - Primorye Russia
Unidentified Frog 5 - Primorye Russia
Leptolalax alpinus - Wuliangshan Reserve, Yunnan China
Unidentified Species 1 - Wawu Geopark, Shichuan
Rana species - Poyang Lake, China
Bufo species - Rudong, China
South America
Leptodactylus luctator (Butter frog)- Santa Teresa area Espirito Santo State
Fritiziana mitus - Marsupial Tree Frog - Carlos Botelho State Park, Sao Paulo State Brazil
Scinax perereca - Nazare Paulista, Sao Paulo State, Brazil
Pantanal Toad - Needs ID - Pantanal, 1994
Poison Arrow Frog - Needs Identification - Panama, 1998
Unidentified Frog - Santa Rosa, Costa Rica, 1995
Unidentified Frog - Manu Peru
Africa
Frog Species 1 - Tsitsikama South Africa
Frog Species - Okavango Delta, Botswana
Frog Species - Okavango Delta, Botswana
Frog Species 2 - Uganda 1992
Frog Species 3 - Uganda 1992
Frog Species 4 - Uganda 1992
Frog Species 5 - Uganda 1992
Australia
White-lipped Tree Frog (Litoria infrafrenata) Daintree Rainforest Australia
Common Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea) Perth - Western Australia
Magnificent or Splendid Tree Frog (Ranoidea splendida) Koala Trail Road and Locations South of Brisbane - Queensland