The Japanese brown frog (Rana japonica) is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, endemic to Japan. Its natural habitats are temperate grassland, rivers, swamps, irrigated land, and seasonally flooded agricultural land.
| Japanese brown frog | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Ranidae |
| Genus: | Rana |
| Species: | R. japonica
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| Binomial name | |
| Rana japonica Boulenger, 1879
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Characteristics
editDefining characteristics include a slender, reddish-brown body with a long, narrow head. The average snout-vent length is 48 mm (0.157 ft) for males. Females are usually much larger than males, with lengths of about 54 mm (0.177 ft). Neither gender has a vocal sac, but males develop yellowish-brown nuptial pads and sing during mating season (which lasts from January to March). Songs consist of 10 to 20 notes.
Habitat
editR. japonica occurs in Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu in Japan to the southern region of China. Within Japan, it inhabits mostly hillsides and plains and is rarely seen in mountain ranges. More specifically, the brown frog resides in temperate grasslands, hillsides, plains, rivers, swamps, irrigated land, and seasonally flooded agricultural land.
Translucent breed
editBy combining two types of recessive genes that cause frogs to become translucent, a breed of Rana japonica, popularly called "see-through frogs", was produced by Japanese scientists in 2007 to see the frog's organs, blood cells, and eggs without dissection. The skin is not clear, but translucent. Cancer growths can be seen more easily.[2][3][4][5]
Predators
editTadpole larvae of R. japonica are known to be consumed by aquatic larvae of the Ezo salamander, Hynobius retardatus.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2021). "Rana japonica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T58625A179266101. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T58625A179266101.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ Photo in the News: See-Through Frog Bred in Japan. News.nationalgeographic.com (2010-10-28). Retrieved on 2013-01-02.
- ^ Miwa Suzuki (2007-09-27) See-Through Frog: No Dissection Necessary. Discovery Channel. Retrieved on 2013-01-02.
- ^ Japanese Create “See-Through” Frogs – Zooillogix Archived 2011-03-03 at the Wayback Machine. Scienceblogs.com (2007-09-27). Retrieved on 2013-01-02.
- ^ Hiroshima scientists create transparent frogs. Pinktentacle.com (2007-09-21). Retrieved on 2013-01-02.
- ^ Kishida, Osamu; Trussell, Geoffrey C.; Nishimura, Kinya; Ohgushi, Takayuki (November 2009). "Inducible defenses in prey intensify predator cannibalism". Ecology. 90 (11): 3150–3158. Bibcode:2009Ecol...90.3150K. doi:10.1890/08-2158.1. hdl:2115/44963. ISSN 0012-9658. PMID 19967870. S2CID 1353778.
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