Xenopus andrei

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AMPHIBIA	ANURA	PIPIDAE

Scientific Name:

Xenopus andrei

Species Authority:

Loumont, 1983

Common Name/s:

English

–

Andre's Clawed Frog

Taxonomic Notes:

This form is one of a group of cryptic species resembling Xenopus fraseri but distinguished from it by chromosome number (2n=72) and mating call.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2004
Assessor/s:	Richard Tinsley, John Measey
Reviewer/s:	Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson and Neil Cox)
Justification: Listed as Least Concern because, although it is seldom recorded, it has a relatively wide distribution, is tolerant of a degree of habitat modification, has a presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known with certainty only from the four localities: Longyi, north of Kribi, on the Atlantic coast of Cameroon; Mekambo in north-central Gabon; Makokou in northeastern Gabon; and Bouchia in southern Central African Republic. It no doubt occurs elsewhere, but because of the difficulty in identifying cryptic Xenopus species, probably some records of this species have been assigned to Xenopus fraseri. The map joins the three known localities on the assumption that it occurs in the intervening area. It presumably occurs in Equatorial Guinea and Congo, and possibly in Democratic Republic of Congo.
Countries:	Native: Cameroon; Central African Republic; Gabon Presence uncertain: Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Equatorial Guinea
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Very little information is available, but many specimens were found at Bouchia.
Population Trend:	Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It is a water-dependent species found in small water holes and shady swamps (including pools only 200m from the sea at the type locality) in lowland forest. It is clearly adaptable, since it has also been found in swamps at the edge of a village. It breeds in still water. In Cameroon, it occurs in the same water holes as Silurana epitropicalis, but the two species have different diurnal activities, X. andrei being active on the water surface at night, and S. epitropicalis being active in the daytime. In Bouchia it is sympatric with X. pygmaeus, X. muelleri and S. epitropicalis.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

It is a water-dependent species found in small water holes and shady swamps (including pools only 200m from the sea at the type locality) in lowland forest. It is clearly adaptable, since it has also been found in swamps at the edge of a village. It breeds in still water. In Cameroon, it occurs in the same water holes as Silurana epitropicalis, but the two species have different diurnal activities, X. andrei being active on the water surface at night, and S. epitropicalis being active in the daytime. In Bouchia it is sympatric with X. pygmaeus, X. muelleri and S. epitropicalis.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	In view of its wide distribution and likely adaptability to altered habitats, this species is unlikely to be seriously threatened. It is harvested for human consumption, and this might have an impact on local populations.

Major Threat(s):

In view of its wide distribution and likely adaptability to altered habitats, this species is unlikely to be seriously threatened. It is harvested for human consumption, and this might have an impact on local populations.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	The distribution of this species is still very poorly known, and it has not yet been recorded from any protected areas, but it is almost certainly present in several.

Conservation Actions:

The distribution of this species is still very poorly known, and it has not yet been recorded from any protected areas, but it is almost certainly present in several.

Bibliography [top]

	1996. The Biology of Xenopus. Zoological Society of London, Clarendon Press, London. Frétey, T. and Blanc, C.P. 2000. Liste des Amphibiens d'Afrique Centrale. ADIE, Libreville, Gabon. IUCN. 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 23 November 2004. Kobel, H.R., Barundun, B. and Thiebaud, C.H. 1998. Mitochondrial rDNA phylogeny in Xenopus. Herpetological Journal: 13-17. Loumont, C. 1983. Deux especes nouvelles de Xenopus du Cameroun (Amphibia, Pipidae). Rev. Suisse Zool.: 169-177. Loumont, C. 1986. Xenopus pygmaeus, a new diploid pipid frog from rain forest of equatorial Africa. Rev. Suisse Zool.: 735-764.

1996. The Biology of Xenopus. Zoological Society of London, Clarendon Press, London.

Frétey, T. and Blanc, C.P. 2000. Liste des Amphibiens d'Afrique Centrale. ADIE, Libreville, Gabon.

IUCN. 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 23 November 2004.

Kobel, H.R., Barundun, B. and Thiebaud, C.H. 1998. Mitochondrial rDNA phylogeny in Xenopus. Herpetological Journal: 13-17.

Loumont, C. 1983. Deux especes nouvelles de Xenopus du Cameroun (Amphibia, Pipidae). Rev. Suisse Zool.: 169-177.

Loumont, C. 1986. Xenopus pygmaeus, a new diploid pipid frog from rain forest of equatorial Africa. Rev. Suisse Zool.: 735-764.

Citation:	Richard Tinsley, John Measey 2004. Xenopus andrei. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 May 2012.
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