Amolops (commonly known as cascade frogs or sucker frogs) is a genus of true frogs (family Ranidae) native mainly to eastern and south-eastern Asia. These frogs are closely related to such genera as Huia, Meristogenys, Odorrana, Pelophylax and Rana, but still form a distinct lineage among the core radiation of true frogs.Cai et al. (2007), Stuart (2008) They are commonly known as "torrent frogs" after their favorite habitat - small rapid-flowing mountain and hill streams - but this name is used for many similar-looking frogs regardless of whether they are loosely related.
Several species are highly convergent with other Ranidae "torrent frogs". A. archotaphus and its relatives for example very much resemble Odorrana livida. In another incidence of convergent evolution yielding adaptation to habitat, the tadpoles of Amolops, Huia, Meristogenys as well as Rana sauteri have a raised and usually well-developed sucker on their belly. This is useful in keeping in place in rocky torrents, where these frogs grow up. But as Odorrana and Staurois from comparable habitat prove, this sucker is by no means a necessity and other means of adaptation to torrent habitat exist.Stuart (2008)
Species The delimitation of this genus has proven complicated, with many species believed to belong elsewhere. Due to the degree of convergent evolution, DNA sequence studies are very helpful in assigning species to the genera, though the possibility of past hybridization cannot be discounted in Ranidae.
New species are described on a regular basis. At least one undescribed species is known to exist, a very distinct form from Phetchaburi in Thailand that is possibly closer to A. marmoratus than to most others.Cai et al. (2007)
Amolops afghanus Günther, 1858 Amolops ailao Tang et al., 2023 Amolops akhaorum Stuart, Bain, Phimmachak, and Spence, 2010 Amolops albispinus Sung, Hu, Wang, Liu, and Wang, 2016 Amolops aniqiaoensis Dong, Rao, and Lü, 2005 Amolops archotaphus Inger and Chan-ard, 1997 Amolops assamensis Sengupta et al., 2008 Amolops attiguus Sheridan, Phimmachak, Sivongxay, Stuart, 2023 Amolops australis Chan, Abraham, Grismer, and Grismer, 2018 Amolops bellulus Liu, Yang, Ferraris, and Matsui, 2000 Amolops chakrataensis Ray, 1992 Amolops chayuensis Sun, Luo, Sun, and Zhang, 2013 Amolops chunganensis Pope, 1929 Amolops compotrix Bain, Stuart, and Orlov, 2006 Amolops cremnobatus Inger and Kottelat, 1998 Amolops cucae Bain, Stuart, and Orlov, 2006 Amolops dafangensis Li et al., 2024 Amolops daiyunensis Liu & Hu, 1975 Amolops daorum Bain, Lathrop, Murphy, Orlov, and Ho, 2003 Amolops formosus Günther, 1876 Amolops gerbillus Annandale, 1912 Amolops gerutu Chan, Abraham, Grismer, and Grismer, 2018 Amolops granulosus Liu and Hu, 1961 Amolops guangzhouensis Song, Wang, Qi, Lyu and Wang, 2026 Amolops hainanensis Boulenger, 1900 Amolops himalayanus Boulenger, 1888 Amolops hongkongensis Pope and Romer, 1951 – Hong Kong cascade frog Amolops indoburmanensis Dever, Fuiten, Konu, and Wilkinson, 2012 Amolops iriodes Bain and Nguyen, 2004 Amolops jaunsari Ray, 1992 Amolops jinjiangensis Su, Yang, and Li, 1986 Amolops kaulbacki Smith, 1940 Amolops kohimaensis Biju, Mahony, and Kamei, 2010 Amolops kottelati Sheridan, Phimmachak, Sivongxay, & Stuart, 2023 Amolops larutensis Boulenger, 1899 Amolops lifanensis Liu, 1945 Amolops loloensis Liu, 1950 Amolops longimanus Andersson, 1939 Amolops mahabharatensis Khatiwada, Shu, Wang, Zhao, Xie, and Jiang, 2020 Amolops mantzorum David, 1872 Amolops marmoratus Blyth, 1855 Amolops medogensis Li and Rao, 2005 Amolops mengdingensis Yu, Wu, and Yang, 2019 Amolops mengyangensis Wu and Tian, 1995 Amolops minhlei Pham, Hoang, Nguyen, Nguyen, Nguyen, Nguyen, Thai, Hoang & Pham, 2026 Amolops minutus Orlov and Ho, 2007 Amolops monticola Anderson, 1871 Amolops nidorbellus Biju, Mahony, and Kamei, 2010 Amolops nyingchiensis Jiang, Wang, Xie, Jiang, and Che, 2016 Amolops ottorum Pham, Sung, Pham, Le, Ziegler, and Nguyen, 2019 Amolops pallasitatus Qi, Zhou, Lyu, Lu, and Li, 2019 Amolops panhai Matsui & Nabhitabhata, 2006 Amolops putaoensis Gan et al., 2020 Amolops ricketti Boulenger, 1899 Amolops senchalensis Chanda, 1987 Amolops sengae Sheridan, Phimmachak, Sivongxay, & Stuart, 2023 Amolops shihaitaoi Wang, Li, Du, Hou, & Yu, 2022 Amolops shillong Saikia et al., 2025 Amolops shuichengicus Lyu and Wang, 2019 Amolops siju Saikia et al., 2023 Amolops sinensis Lyu, Wang, and Wang, 2019 Amolops spinapectoralis Inger, Orlov, and Darevsky, 1999 Amolops splendissimus Orlov and Ho, 2007 Amolops tanfuilianae Sheridan, Phimmachak, Sivongxay, & Stuart, 2023 Amolops teochew Zeng, Wang, Lyu & Wang, 2021 Amolops terraorchis Saikia et al., 2022 Amolops torrentis Smith, 1923 Amolops truongi Pham et al., 2023 Amolops tuanjieensis Gan et al., 2020 Amolops tuberodepressus Liu and Yang, 2000 Amolops viridimaculatus Jiang, 1983 Amolops vitreus Bain, Stuart, and Orlov, 2006 Amolops wangyali Mahony, Nidup, Streicher, Teeling & Kamei, 2022 Amolops wenshanensis Yuan, Jin, Li, Stuart, and Wu, 2018 Amolops wuyiensis Liu and Hu, 1975 Amolops xinduqiao Fei, Ye, Wang, and Jiang, 2017 Amolops yangi Wu et al., 2024 Amolops yatseni Lyu, Wang, and Wang, 2019 Amolops yunkaiensis Lyu, Wang, Liu, Zeng, and Wang, 2018
Footnotes
References (2007): Paraphyly of Chinese Amolops (Anura, Ranidae) and phylogenetic position of the rare Chinese frog, Amolops tormotus. Zootaxa 1531: 49–55. PDF abstract and first page text (2008): The phylogenetic problem of Huia (Amphibia: Ranidae). Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 46(1): 49–60. (HTMl abstract)