Thoropa

This article is about a Brazilian genus of frogs sometimes known as "river frogs". For other genera/species sharing this common name, see River frog (disambiguation).

Thoropa is a genus of frogs in the family Cycloramphidae.^[1][2] They are endemic to eastern and southeastern Brazil. They are sometimes known as river frogs.^[1]

Thoropa
Thoropa miliaris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Cycloramphidae
Genus:	Thoropa Cope, 1865
Type species
Cystignathus missiessii Eydoux and Souleyet, 1842
Species
7 species (see text)

Description, ecology, and behavior

Thoropa are associated with rocks and have cryptic coloration. Their size ranges from small to medium, 28–102 mm (1.1–4.0 in) in snout–vent length.^[3] They occur at elevations up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level;^[3] Thoropa miliaris and Thoropa taophora can even live on rocky marine shores, foraging in the intertidal zone.^[4][5] Male Thoropa are associated with wet rock faces, whereas the females seem to range more widely.^[6]

In species where reproduction is known, males are territorial—suitable wet rock faces are a scarce resource. Furthermore, mature male Thoropa feature characteristic clusters of dark spines on the inner portions of the hand. It appears that these are associated with male-male combat, probably in conjunction with territorial disputes. Scratch marks in males, but not in females, support this interpretation.^[6]

The eggs are laid on rocks with a thin layer of water. Tadpoles are semiterrestrial and have a depressed shape, long tail, and bulging eyes.^[3]

Male T. taophora frogs mate exclusively and repeatedly with two females per season in a polygynous system in which the semiterrestrial tadpoles from both females share the same freshwater seep.^[7] The females have a dominance hierarchy, and the males mate more with the dominant female.^[7]

Species

The genus contains the following species:^[1][2]

• Thoropa bryomantis Assis, Lacerda, Guimarães, Peixoto, Luna, and Feio, 2021
• Thoropa lutzi Cochran, 1938
• Thoropa megatympanum Caramaschi and Sazima, 1984
• Thoropa miliaris (Spix, 1824)
• Thoropa petropolitana (Wandolleck, 1907)
• Thoropa saxatilis Cocroft and Heyer, 1988
• Thoropa taophora (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1923)