Quasipaa spinosa (David, 1875)
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.
Quasipaa spinosa, syn. Paa spinosa, Giant Spiny Frog. Taken at Tai Mo Shan.
Thomas Brown · CC BY 2.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Quasipaa spinosa is a species of frog in the family Dicroglossidae. It is known under many common names, including Chinese spiny frog, giant spiny frog, Chinese edible frog, and spiny paa frog. Its names refer to the distinctive characteristics of the species, relatively large size and the spiny chest of male frogs. Giant in frog terms only, it can nevertheless grow to lengths above 10 cm (4 in); this makes it the largest frog in Hong Kong.
Wikipedia contributors, Quasipaa spinosa; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T18:23:19.233882+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Quasipaa spinosa (David, 1875)
- Name authority
- (David, 1875)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Dicroglossidae
- Genus
- Quasipaa
- 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
- familyDicroglossidae Anderson, 1871
- subfamilyDicroglossinae Anderson, 1871
- genusQuasipaa Dubois, 1992
- speciesQuasipaa spinosa (David, 1875)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Quasipaa. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Quasipaa acanthophora Dubois & Ohler, 2009 | DicroglossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Quasipaa boulengeri (Günther, 1889) | DicroglossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Quasipaa courtoisi (Angel, 1922) | DicroglossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Quasipaa delacouri (Angel, 1928) | DicroglossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Quasipaa shini (Ahl, 1930) | DicroglossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Quasipaa exilispinosa (Liu & Hu, 1975) | DicroglossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Quasipaa fasciculispina (Inger, 1970) | DicroglossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Quasipaa jiulongensis (Huang & Liu, 1985) | DicroglossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Quasipaa robertingeri (Wu & Zhao, 1995) | DicroglossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Quasipaa verrucospinosa (Bourret, 1937) | DicroglossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Hylorana duboisreymondi (Vogt, 1921) (Vogt, 1921) | synonym |
| Nanorana spinosa (David, 1875) (David, 1875) | synonym |
| Paa spinosa (David, 1875) (David, 1875) | synonym |
| Rana duboisreymondi Vogt, 1921 Vogt, 1921 | synonym |
| Nyctibatrachus sinensis Peters, 1882 Peters, 1882 | synonym |
| Rana chekiensis Angel & Guibé in Angel, Bertin & Guibé, 1947 Angel & Guibé in Angel, Bertin & Guibé, 1947 | synonym |
| Rana spinosa David, 1875 David, 1875 | synonym |
| Rana spinosa spinosa David, 1875 David, 1875 | 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=774170 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.
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:4R28R. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.