Rana asiatica

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

View Printer Friendly

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AMPHIBIA	ANURA	RANIDAE

Scientific Name:

Rana asiatica

Species Authority:

Bedriaga, 1898

Common Name/s:

English

–

Central Asiatic Frog

Synonym/s:

Rana asiatica Terentjev, 1923 subspecies balchaschensis

Rana asiatica Kaschkarov, 1923 subspecies issikkulensis

Rana bachtyana Kastschenko, 1909

Rana temporaria Bedriaga, 1898 subspecies asiatica

Taxonomic Notes:

This species is often confused with Rana chensinensis and Rana amurensis.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2004
Assessor/s:	Sergius Kuzmin, Boris Tuniyev, Xie Feng, Wang Xiuling
Reviewer/s:	Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson and Neil Cox)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known only from southern Kazakhstan, northern Kirgizia and western China (north-western Xinjiang). The geographic range of this species is highly fragmented. There are other isolated historic records in Kazakhstan, but there have been no surveys of these areas to confirm whether or not the species still exists there. It is a montane species recorded from elevations of between 700 and 1,000m asl.
Countries:	Native: China; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	It is a relatively common species in China. It is widespread in Kyrgyzstan, but has a small and declining range in Kazakhstan.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It is mainly found in wooded areas of river valleys in mountains, steppe and desert. It may be present in swampy areas, meadows, bush lands, ponds, streams, ditches and other wetlands. The inhabited waterbodies are often temporary and are only present after the spring floods; after these wetlands dry up, the frogs migrate to other waterbodies. Suitable wetland habitats are often scarce within the distribution range of the species. This species breeds and larval development takes place in the various waterbodies. In China, the species is reported to be present in suburban ponds.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

It is mainly found in wooded areas of river valleys in mountains, steppe and desert. It may be present in swampy areas, meadows, bush lands, ponds, streams, ditches and other wetlands. The inhabited waterbodies are often temporary and are only present after the spring floods; after these wetlands dry up, the frogs migrate to other waterbodies. Suitable wetland habitats are often scarce within the distribution range of the species. This species breeds and larval development takes place in the various waterbodies. In China, the species is reported to be present in suburban ponds.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The isolated populations of this species in arid zones makes them very sensitive to anthropogenic changes in the environment including drainage of wetlands, urbanization, flooding, destruction of riparian groves and pollution of waterbodies. Prolonged droughts in arid areas are also a threat to this species. It is regularly used in traditional Chinese and Uigur medicine, although the impacts of this on populations needs further research. The continuing dispersal of the large predatory frog Rana ridibunda into the range of Rana asiatica might represent another threat.

Major Threat(s):

The isolated populations of this species in arid zones makes them very sensitive to anthropogenic changes in the environment including drainage of wetlands, urbanization, flooding, destruction of riparian groves and pollution of waterbodies. Prolonged droughts in arid areas are also a threat to this species. It is regularly used in traditional Chinese and Uigur medicine, although the impacts of this on populations needs further research. The continuing dispersal of the large predatory frog Rana ridibunda into the range of Rana asiatica might represent another threat.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	This species has been recorded from two protected areas in Kirgizia, and is listed in the Red Data Book of Kazakhstan. International cooperation for research towards the conservation of this species needs to be established.

Conservation Actions:

This species has been recorded from two protected areas in Kirgizia, and is listed in the Red Data Book of Kazakhstan. International cooperation for research towards the conservation of this species needs to be established.

Citation:	Sergius Kuzmin, Boris Tuniyev, Xie Feng, Wang Xiuling 2004. Rana asiatica. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 19 June 2013.
Disclaimer:	To make use of this information, please check the <Terms of Use>.
Feedback:	If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please fill in the feedback form so that we can correct or extend the information provided