Rana architemporaria is an extinct species of true frog from the Pliocene that was found in Kabutoiwa, near the Arafune volcano, Central Japan.[1] It was found at an altitude of 1200 meters.[2] The species was described from a single specimen, but another specimen of Rana architemporaria may also have been found later in 1980, though it was not deemed a definitive ID. This specimen was also dated to around the Pliocene.[3]
The author of Rana architemporaria was comparing it to Rana temporaria, the European common brown frog and observed some key differences such as a shorter skull and limbs. However, they were very similar and because of this, he named it Rana architemporaria. "Archi-" as a prefix could mean "first" in the context of Rana architemporaria.[4]