Ranidae Rafinesque 1814

FAMILY RANIDAE Rafinesque 1814, 102

(1 genus, 5 species)

Lithobates Fitzinger 1843, 31 (5 species). Pyron & Wiens (2011) returned Lithobates to the huge genus Rana Linnaeus (1758 [210]). Fouquette & Dubois (2014) recognized Lithobates as a subgenus of Rana, but Hillis (2014) was especially critical of that usage. Solís et al. (2014), without comment, continued to recognize Lithobates as a valid genus, as do I. The first two species listed below are members of the L. pipiens complex, the remaining species are in the L. palmipes complex (but see critique of Hillis 2014). The L. pipiens complex is in need of serious study in Honduras. Such a study using molecular and morphological data would likely indicate that at least three species are represented in the country, none of which are conspecific with L. brownorum or L. forreri.

Lithobates brownorum (Sanders 1973, 87). The Honduran populations assigned to this species differ significantly in the nature of their dorsolateral folds from those described for the species in its original description.

Lithobates forreri (Boulenger 1883, 343). See comments for Lithobates.

Lithobates maculatus (Brocchi 1877, 178). This nominal form seems likely to represent a complex of more than one species in Honduras. Recent collections of seeming large-sized specimens of this usually montane, forested species were made along a river flowing through flat terrain in dry forests on the Pacific versant at about 700 m. That population needs to be studied molecularly and morphologically and compared with some montane mesic forest populations.

Lithobates vaillanti (Brocchi 1877, 175)

Lithobates warszewitschii (O. Schmidt 1857, 11)