- What is Amphibian Species of the World?
- How to cite
- How to use
- Structure of the taxonomic records
- Running log of additions and changes, 2025
- Logs of changes and additions, 2014–2024
- What is the right name?
- Curator's blog
- History of the project, 1980 to 2024
- Comments on amphibian taxonomy relating to versions 3.0 to 6.2 (2004 to 2024)
- Scientific Nomenclature and its Discontents: Comments by Frost on Rules and Philosophy of Taxonomy, Ranks, and Their Applications
- Contributors, online editions
- Contributors and reviewers for Amphibian Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (1985)
- Versions
- Museum abbreviations
- Links to useful amphibian systematic, conservation, collection management, informational, and/or regional sites
- Links to useful FREE library sites
- Copyright and terms of use
Rana johnsi Smith, 1921
Rana sauteri var. johnsi Smith, 1921, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1921: 434. Syntypes: BMNH (6 specimens—formerly M. Smith 2638–41, 2644, 2657), by original designation; these being BMNH 1947.2.1.29–34 (formerly 1921.5.5.13–18) according to museum records. Type locality: "Sui Kat", Langbian Plateau, Vietnam.
Hylarana sauteri johnsi — Bourret, 1939, Annexe Bull. Gen. Instr. Publique, Hanoi, 1939: 59.
Pseudorana sauteri johnsi — Fei, Ye, and Huang, 1990, Key to Chinese Amph.: 137; Ye, Fei, and Hu, 1993, Rare and Economic Amph. China: 233.
Pseudorana johnsi — Jiang, Fei, Ye, Zeng, Zhen, Xie, and Chen, 1997, Cultum Herpetol. Sinica, 6–7: 74; Fei and Ye, 2001, Color Handbook Amph. Sichuan: 190; Fei, Ye, Huang, Jiang, and Xie, 2005, in Fei et al. (eds.), Illust. Key Chinese Amph.: 115; Fei, Ye, and Jiang, 2010, Herpetol. Sinica, 12: 37. See comment under Ranidae record.
Rana johnsi — Inger, Orlov, and Darevsky, 1999, Fieldiana, Zool., N.S., 92: 14; Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad, de Sá, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan, Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moler, Drewes, Nussbaum, Lynch, Green, and Wheeler, 2006, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 297: 370.
Rana (Rana) johnsi — Yuan, Zhou, Chen, Poyarkov, Chen, Jang-Liaw, Chou, Matzke, Iizuka, Min, Kuzmin, Zhang, Cannatella, Hillis, and Che, 2016, Syst. Biol., 65: 835.
Common Names
Johns' Frog (Nguyen, Ho, and Nguyen, 2005, Checklist Amph. Rept. Vietnam: 28; Neang and Holden, 2008, Field Guide Amph. Cambodia: 77).
John's Groove-toed Frog (Fei, 1999, Atlas Amph. China: 170).
Johns's Frog (Chan-ard, 2003, Photograph. Guide Amph. Thailand: 142).
Distribution
Known from Jinxiu and Dayaoshan in Guangxi province, and Jianfenglian in Hainan province in China, above 500 m elevation, and from nearby Bac Giang, Bac Kan, and Ninh Binh Provinces, Vietnam as well as from the Lang Bian and Kon Tum Highlands of southern Vietnam; northern Laos in Phongsaly and Xaignabouly Provinces, 670–870 m, northern Annamitesin Laos in Bolikhamxai Province, 500–988 m and Khammouan Province, 600–700 m, and Central Annamites in Savannakhet Province, 233–384 m elevation and Xekong Province, 1,069 m elevation; also from Cambodia (Mondulkiri Province), Thailand in Phu Luang, Loei Province, 500–700 m elevation, and in Thailand above 1000 m elevation.
Geographic Occurrence
Natural Resident: Cambodia, China, People's Republic of, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam
Comment
See brief account (as Rana sauteri) by Bourret, 1942, Batr. Indochine: 321–324. Zhao and Adler, 1993, Herpetol. China: 148–149, who suggested that the nominal subspecies (Rana sauteri johnsi in Vietnam and southern China, Rana sauteri sauteri in Taiwan) might be different species. Inger, Orlov, and Darevsky, 1999, Fieldiana, Zool., N.S., 92: 14, subsequently discussed the issue and made the change. Fei, 1999, Atlas Amph. China: 170–171, provided a brief account (as Pseudorana sauteri johnsi), map, and figure. Fei and Ye, 2001, Color Handbook Amph. Sichuan: 190, provided a brief account and illustration (as Pseudorana johnsi). Stuart, 1999, in Duckworth et al. (eds.), Wildlife in Lao PDR: 48, reported the species for the Annamite Mountains of Laos. Chan-ard, 2003, Photograph. Guide Amph. Thailand: 142–143, provided a very brief account, map for Thailand, and photograph. Nguyen, Ho, and Nguyen, 2005, Checklist Amph. Rept. Vietnam: 28, provided specific localities for Vietnam and (p. 149) a photograph. Stuart, Sok, and Neang, 2006, Raffles Bull. Zool., 54: 140, provided a record for Cambodia. Stuart, 2005, Herpetol. Rev., 36: 477–478, provided specific localities for Laos. See comment under Pseudorana. Neang and Holden, 2008, Field Guide Amph. Cambodia: 77, provided a photograph, brief account of identification, ecology, and range in Cambodia. Fei, Hu, Ye, and Huang, 2009, Fauna Sinica, Amph. 3: 1106–1112, provided an account (as Pseudorana johnsi), figures, and map for China. Fei, Ye, and Jiang, 2010, Colored Atlas of Chinese Amph.: 298–299, provided a brief account (as Pseudorana johnsi) including photographs of specimens and habitat. Shi, 2011, Amph. Rept. Fauna Hainan: 104–105, provided an account for Hainan. Fei, Ye, and Jiang, 2012, Colored Atlas Chinese Amph. Distr.: 336–337, provided an account (as Pseudorana johnsi), photographs, and a range map for China. Hecht, Pham, Nguyen, Nguyen, Bonkowski, and Ziegler, 2013, Biodiversity J., 4: 507–552, reported a record from Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve, Bac Giang Province, northeastern Vietnam and discussed the range. Shen, 2014, Fauna Hunan, Amph.: 226–229, provided a detailed account for Hunan, China, as Pseudorana johnsi. Poyarkov, Nguyen, Duong, Gorin, and Yang, 2018, PeerJ, 6 (e5771): 17, provided a record from Cuc Phuong National Park, Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam. Luong, Nguyen, Le, Nguyen, and Nguyen, 2019, Herpetol. Notes, 12: 375–387, provided records from Dien Bien Province, Vietnam, and discussed the range and natural history. Niyomwan, Srisom, and Pawangkhanant, 2019, Field Guide Amph. Thailand: 370–371, provided a brief account (description, photographs, habitat, and range) for Thailand (in Thai). Nguyen, Brakels, Maury, Sudavanh, Pawangkhanant, Idiiatullina, Lorphengsy, Inkhavilay, Suwannapoom, and Poyarkov, 2020, Amph. Rept. Conserv., 14 (2: e248): 218–249, discussed the range and provided a record from Xaignabouli Province, Laos. Chen, Wu, Zhang, Liu, Jin, Zhang, Zhang, and Yu, 2021, MtDNA, Part B, 6: 3493–3495, discussed the mtDNA genome and confirmed the placement of Rana johnsi within Rana. Luong, Do, Hoang, Phan, Nguyen, and Pham, 2022, Biodiversity Data J., 10(e75595): 15–17, provided a record, photograph, and description of a specimen from Bac Kan Province, Vietnam. Stuart, Seateun, Sivongxay, and Phimmachak, 2025 "2024", in Wildlife Lao PDR: 41, summarized literature, taxonomy, habitat, and detailed range for Laos.
External links:
Please note: these links will take you to external websites not affiliated with the American Museum of Natural History. We are not responsible for their content.
- For access to general information see Wikipedia
- For additional sources of general information from other websites search Google
- For access to relevant technical literature search Google Scholar
- For images search CalPhoto Images and Google Images
- To search the NIH genetic sequence database, see GenBank
- For additional information see AmphibiaWeb report
- For information on conservation status and distribution see the IUCN Redlist
- For information on distribution, habitat, and conservation see the Map of Life
- For related information on conservation and images as well as observations see iNaturalist
- For additional information specific to China see Amphibia China