Abstract
Variation in Rana brevipoda was studied in the western Tokai district. R. brevipoda in this district was morphologically intermediate between the Okayama brevipoda race of Moriya and R. nigromaculata, but somewhat closer to the former. The total index scores of five characters, i. e., hindlimb length/body length, dorsal median stripe, dorsal black spots, temporal dark spots and ventral marking, were often considerably variable within a single population. The pattern of histogram of total index scores varied from population to population. R. brevipoda porosa of the more eastern parts of Honshu was also intermediate between the Okayama brevipoda race and R. nigromaculata, but was less variable within and among populations than R. brevipoda in the western Tokai district. Such large intra- and interpopulational variabilities seem to be an important character of R. brevipoda in this district.
