Pseudis paradoxa (Linnaeus, 1758)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Pseudis paradoxa, known as the paradoxical frog or shrinking frog, is a species of hylid frog from South America. Its name refers to the very large—up to 27 cm (11 in) long—tadpole (the world's longest), which in turn "shrinks" during metamorphosis into an ordinary-sized frog, only about a quarter or third of its former length. Although the recordholder was a tadpole in Amapá that belonged to this species, others in the genus Pseudis also have large tadpoles and ordinary-sized adults.
Wikipedia contributors, Pseudis paradoxa; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T18:11:59.310317+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pseudis paradoxa (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Hylidae
- Genus
- Pseudis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderAnura
- familyHylidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusPseudis Wagler, 1830
- speciesPseudis paradoxa (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pseudis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Pseudis caraya (Gallardo, 1964) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pseudis limellum (Cope, 1862) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pseudis tocantins Caramaschi & Cruz, 1998 | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pseudis minuta Günther, 1858 | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pseudis bolbodactyla Lutz, 1925 | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pseudis boliviana (Gallardo, 1961) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pseudis cardosoi Kwet, 2000 | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pseudis fusca Garman, 1883 | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pseudis laevis Parker, 1935 | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pseudis platensis Gallardo, 1961 | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Pseudis paradoxus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Pseudis paradoxus caribensis Gallardo, 1961 Gallardo, 1961 | synonym |
| Pseudis paradoxus nicefori Cochran & Goin, 1970 Cochran & Goin, 1970 | synonym |
| Pseudes paradoxa (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Proteus raninus Laurenti, 1768 Laurenti, 1768 | synonym |
| Pseudis merianae Duméril & Bibron, 1841 Duméril & Bibron, 1841 | synonym |
| Rana jackia Bonnaterre, 1789 Bonnaterre, 1789 | synonym |
| Pseudis paradoxa caribensis Gallardo, 1961 Gallardo, 1961 | synonym |
| Pseudus paradoxus occidentalis Gallardo, 1961 Gallardo, 1961 | synonym |
| Batrachythys paradoxa (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Rana piscis Linnaeus, 1766 Linnaeus, 1766 | synonym |
| Rana paradoxa Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Rana piscatrix Fermin, 1765 Fermin, 1765 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=662731 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4NNNV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.