Cyclorana Steindachner 1867: 29

Donnellan, Stephen C., Mahony, Michael J., Esquerré, Damien, Brennan, Ian G., Price, Luke C., Lemmon, Alan, Lemmon, Emily Moriarty, Günther, Rainer, Monis, Paul, Bertozzi, Terry, Keogh, J. Scott, Shea, Glenn M. & Richards, Stephen J., 2025, Phylogenomics informs a generic revision of the Australo-Papuan treefrogs (Anura: Pelodryadidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 204 : -

Cyclorana Steindachner 1867: 29 ( Figs 13, 14) Synonymy

Chiroleptes Günther 1859: 34 (type species australis Gray, 1842 ) (name unavailable due to Chiroleptes Kirby 1837: 280 ).

Phractops Peters 1867: 30 [type species alutaceus Peters, 1867 ( = novaehollandiae Steindachner, 1867 )].

Mitrolysis Cope 1889: 312 (type species alboguttata Günther, 1867 ).

Brendanura Wells and Wellington 1985: 4 (type species alboguttata Günther, 1867 ).

Neophractops Wells and Wellington 1985: 5 (type species platycephalus Günther, 1873 ) [mis-spelt as Neophracops by Duellman et al. (2016)].

Type species: Cyclorana novaehollandiae Steindachner, 1867 , by monotypy.

Content: 14 species— Cyclorana alboguttata * ( Günther, 1867) , Cyclorana australis * (Gray, 1842) , Cyclorana brevipes * (Peters, 1871) , Cyclorana cryptotis * Tyler & Martin, 1977 , Cyclorana cultripes * Parker, 1940 , Cyclorana longipes * Tyler & Martin, 1977 , Cyclorana maculosa * Tyler & Martin, 1977 , Cyclorana maini * Tyler & Martin, 1977 , Cyclorana manya * Van Beurden & McDonald, 1980 , Cyclorana novaehollandiae * Steindachner, 1867 , Cyclorana occidentalis * Anstis, Price, Roberts, Catalano, Hines, Doughty & Donnellan, 2016 , Cyclorana platycephalus * ( Günther, 1873) , Cyclorana vagitus * Tyler, Davies & Martin, 1981 , Cyclorana verrucosa * Tyler & Martin, 1977 .

Diagnosis: Cyclorana can be diagnosed from other pelodryadids by a combination of the absence of the intercalary structure (except for C. alboguttata ), large inner metatarsal tubercle, absence of finger webbing, and unexpanded finger and toe discs. It can be diagnosed from all other pelodryadids with the exception of Megatestis by overall tadpole morphology Type 3. It can be diagnosed from Leptobatrachus and Megatestis by the presence of the m. extensor brevis medius digiti IV vs. its absence. Refer to Tables 1 and 2.

Distribution and ecology: Fossorial frogs that breed in ephemeral and permanent waterbodies especially after heavy rainfall, from deserts, savannah woodlands, grasslands, and woodlands, found in northern two-thirds of Australia.

Etymology: Derivation not stated by Steindachner (1867), but presumably from the Latin cyclus (circle) and Rana (frog), in allusion to the rounded shape of these burrowing frogs. Gender, based on Rana , is feminine.

Remarks: Cyclorana is the most specialized burrowing taxon in the pelodryadids. Cyclorana form cocoons and demonstrate metabolic depression during aestivation ( Withers and Thompson 2000), characters that are associated with their burrowing lifestyle in semi-arid, arid, and savannah ecosystems.