Pelophylax

Pelophylax Temporal range: Early Oligocene–present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Cyprus water frog P. cypriensis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Ranidae
Genus:	Pelophylax Fitzinger, 1843
Type species
Rana esculenta Linnaeus, 1758
Diversity
13-25 species, some of which are hybridogenic
Synonyms
Baliopygus Schultze, 1891 "Palmirana" Ritgen, 1828 (nomen nudum)

Pelophylax is a genus of true frogs widespread in Eurasia, with a few species ranging into northern Africa. This genus was erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1843 to accommodate the green frogs of the Old World, which he considered distinct from the brown pond frogs of Carl Linnaeus' genus Rana.

They are also known as water frogs, as they spend much of the summer living in aquatic habitat; the pond frogs can be found more often, by comparison, on dry land, as long as there is sufficient humidity. Yet there are species of Eurasian green frogs – the Central Asian P. terentievi, or the Sahara frog (P. saharicus) – which inhabit waterholes in the desert.