| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | AMPHIBIA | ANURA | PIPIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Xenopus muelleri | |||
| Species Authority: | (Peters, 1844) | |||
Common Name/s:
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| Taxonomic Notes: | This species is possibly composed of two species, a west African form and an east-southern African form (R.C. Tinsley pers. comm.). It is part of a complex of poorly understood species closely related to Xenopus laevis. | |||
| Red List Category & Criteria: | Least Concern ver 3.1 |
| Year Published: | 2004 |
| Assessor/s: | John Measey, Richard Tinsley, Leslie Minter, Mark-Oliver Rödel |
| Reviewer/s: | Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson and Neil Cox) |
|
Justification: Listed as Least Concern in view of its very wide distribution, its tolerance of a broad range of habitats, its presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. |
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| Range Description: | This species appears to occur in three separate populations: from eastern Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso eastward across Sudan-Guinea zone to northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, southern Sudan, northern Uganda, and perhaps northwestern Kenya; from the Kenyan coast, south to northeastern South Africa, Swaziland, northern Botswana, northeastern Namibia, and southeastern Angola; and from the Ennedi in northeastern Chad. It seems likely that many records from the inland parts of Tanzania currently assigned to this species should in fact be referred to Xenopus borealis, and the distribution maps probably records this species as occurring much too widely in this country. It is mainly a lowland species, but probably occurs up to at least 2,000m asl. |
| Countries: |
Native:
Angola; Benin; Botswana; Burkina Faso; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Ghana; Kenya; Malawi; Mozambique; Namibia; Nigeria; South Africa; Sudan; Swaziland; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe
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| Range Map: | Click here to open the map viewer and explore range. |
| Population: | It is a common species. |
| Population Trend: |
Stable
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| Habitat and Ecology: | It is a water-dependent species, using both temporary and permanent ponds, and also streams and rivers in the dry season. In West Africa it occurs mainly in the dry savannah and northern humid savannah zones, preferring drier condition to Xenopus laevis. It is found in agricultural and other altered habitats. It seldom occurs in forests. It also prefers hotter conditions compared with X. laevis, and uses muddier waters. It breeds in still water pools |
| Systems: | Terrestrial; Freshwater |
| Major Threat(s): | There are no major threats to this species. |
| Conservation Actions: | Its range includes many protected areas. |
| Citation: | John Measey, Richard Tinsley, Leslie Minter, Mark-Oliver Rödel 2004. Xenopus muelleri. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 23 February 2012. |
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