Rana esculenta
Linnaeus, 1758 (name for a hybrid
between Pelophylax lessonae and
Pelophylax ridibundus; see note below)
Ranaria esculenta (Linnaeus, 1758)
Pelophylax esculentus (Linnaeus,
1758)
Rana viridis Linnaeus, 1761 (name for
a hybrid between Pelophylax lessonae
and Pelophylax ridibundus)
Rana esculenta viridis (Linnaeus,
1761)
Rana vulgaris Lacepede, 1788
(replacement name for Rana esculenta
Linnaeus, 1758)
Rana alpina Fitzinger, 1826 (nec
Laurenti, 1768) (nomen nudum, not
available; probably a name for a
hybrid between Pelophylax lessonae and
Pelophylax ridibundus)
Rana esculenta alpina (Fitzinger,
1826)
Rana hispanica Fitzinger, 1826 (nomen
nudum, not available; could also be
identical to Pelophylax perezi)
Rana maritima Risso, 1826 (nomen
dubium; probably a name for a hybrid
between Pelophylax lessonae and
Pelophylax ridibundus)
Rana bosci Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1828
(nomen dubium; rejected by ICZN;
probably a name for a hybrid between
Pelophylax lessonae and Pelophylax
ridibundus)
Rana viridis Eichwald, 1830 (nec
Linnaeus, 1761, neque Dumeril et
Bibron, 1841, neque Bedriaga, 1883)
(nomen nudum, not available)
Rana hispanica Bonaparte, 1839 (nec
Fitzinger, 1826) (nomen dubium;
probably a name for a hybrid between
Pelophylax lessonae and Pelophylax
ridibundus)
Rana esculenta hispanica (Bonaparte,
1839)
Pelophylax hispanicus (Bonaparte,
1839)
Rana fluviatilis Bonaparte, 1840
(nomen dubium; probably a name for a
hybrid between Pelophylax lessonae and
Pelophylax ridibundus)
Rana taurica Bonaparte, 1840
(published in synonymy, as a synonym
of Rana esculenta Linnaeus, 1758, not
available)
Rana viridis Dumeril et Bibron, 1841
(nec Linnaeus, 1761, neque Eichwald,
1830, neque Bedriaga, 1883) (described
in synonymy, not available)
Rana esculenta lineata Massalongo,
1854 (nomen dubium; probably a name
for a hybrid between Pelophylax
lessonae and Pelophylax ridibundus)
(nec Schneider, 1799)
Rana esculenta vulgaris Massalongo,
1854 (nomen dubium; probably a name
for a hybrid between Pelophylax
lessonae and Pelophylax ridibundus)
(nec Lacepede, 1788)
Rana esculenta roseovirescens
Massalongo, 1854 (nomen dubium;
probably a name for a hybrid between
Pelophylax lessonae and Pelophylax
ridibundus)
Rana esculenta marmorata Massalongo,
1854 (nomen dubium; probably a name
for a hybrid between Pelophylax
lessonae and Pelophylax ridibundus)
Rana agrorum Gistel, 1868 (nomen
dubium; probably a name for a hybrid
between Pelophylax lessonae and
Pelophylax ridibundus)
Rana esculenta sylvaticus Koch, 1872
(nec LeConte, 1825; probably the
oldest available name for the
non-hybrid, but junior primary
homonym, thus invalid)
Rana meridionalis Lataste, 1876
(published in synonymy, not available)
Rana esculenta acutirostris Lessona,
1877 (nec Fatio, 1872, thus junior
primary homonym, not available)
Rana esculenta obtusirostris Lessona,
1877 (nec Fatio, 1872, thus junior
primary homonym, not available)
Rana esculenta lessonae Camerano, 1882
Rana lessonae (Camerano, 1882)
Hylarana lessonae (Camerano, 1882)
Pelophylax lessonae (Camerano, 1882)
Rana esculenta viridis Bedriaga, 1883
(nec Linnaeus, 1761, neque Eichwald,
1830, neque Dumeril et Bibron, 1841)
(nomen dubium; rather a synonym of
Pelophylax ridibunda?)
Rana esculenta lessonae immaculata
Camerano, 1884 (nec Prazak, 1898)
(infrasubspecific, excluded name)
Rana esculenta lessonae nigrovittata
Camerano, 1884 (infrasubspecific,
excluded name)
Rana esculenta castanea Prazak, 1898
Rana esculenta meridionalis Prazak,
1898
Rana esculenta concolor Prazak, 1898
(nomen dubium; probably a name for a
hybrid between Pelophylax lessonae and
Pelophylax ridibundus)
Rana esculenta immaculata Prazak, 1898
(nec Camerano, 1884) (nomen dubium;
probably a name for a hybrid between
Pelophylax lessonae and Pelophylax
ridibundus)
Rana esculenta grisescens Prazak, 1898
(nomen dubium; probably a name for a
hybrid between Pelophylax lessonae and
Pelophylax ridibundus)
Rana esculenta paulopunctata Prazak,
1898 (nomen dubium; probably a name
for a hybrid between Pelophylax
lessonae and Pelophylax ridibundus)
Rana esculenta rubiginosa Prazak, 1898
(nomen dubium; probably a name for a
hybrid between Pelophylax lessonae and
Pelophylax ridibundus)
Rana esculenta bolkayi Fejervary, 1909
Rana lessonae pannonica Karaman, 1948
Rana esculenta hungarica Toutain, 1966
(nomen nudum, not available; could
also be a synonym of Pelophylax
ridibundus)
Rana lessonae bergeri Guenther (in
Engelmann, Fritzsche, Guenther, Obst),
1986
Rana bergeri (Guenther (in
Engelmann, Fritzsche, Guenther,
Obst), 1986)
Hylarana bergeri (Guenther (in
Engelmann, Fritzsche, Guenther,
Obst), 1986)
Pelophylax bergeri (Guenther (in
Engelmann, Fritzsche, Guenther,
Obst), 1986)
Rana esculenta lessonai auct.
(misspelling)
Note: the present species is well
known for the fact that it frequently
hybridizes with another water frog
species, Pelophylax ridibundus.
According to the nomenclatural rules
names given to hybrid specimens are
excluded from nomenclature, but names
given to species originated by hybrid
speciation are not excluded from
nomenclature. This distinction is
important, because many names were
given to hybrid specimens: e.g. the
oldest name is Rana esculenta, and
this has been given to a hybrid
specimen. Most of the hybrid specimens
occur in areas where one or both
parental species are present, and thus
originate by matings between the
parental species, or by mating of the
hybrid with one of the parental
species. Thus, the hybrid specimens
always originate de novo by crossing
and therefore are typical hybrid
specimens that cannot receive
scientific names. However, there are
also reports of stable "hybrid
populations" that persist without
back-crossing with their parental
species. Unfortunately, these
populations have not yet been fully
studied and their true nature is
therefore still uncertain. These
populations would indeed qualify as
new species originated by hybrid
speciation and specimens of these
populations could indeed serve as
types for nomenclature. What
consequences does this have for
nomenclature? The non-hybrid species
would of course retain their names,
i.e. Pelophylax ridibundus and
Pelophylax lessonae, because these
names are the oldest non-preoccupied
names given to undoubtedly non-hybrid
specimens. The self-sustaining hybrid
populations (if they can be confirmed)
have each evolved independently by
hybrid speciation and thus cannot be
"lumped" into a single "hybrid
species". Rather, each of these
populations has its own origin and
thus is a true species of its own.
Therefore, each stable hybrid
population has to receive its own
scientific binominal name and all of
the names above that have been given
to hybrid specimens have to be revised
whether they may apply to one of these
species. Currently, the nature of the
seemingly self-sustaining hybrid
populations is unclear and their
status and names cannot currently be
revised. Therefore, for the time
being, I consider all names given to
hybrids as excluded from zoological
nomenclature. These names are listed
here in the synonymy.
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