Xenopus muelleri

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 muelleri

Species Authority:

(Peters, 1844)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Muller's Platanna

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.

Assessment Information [top]

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.

Geographic Range [top]

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
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	It is a common species.
Population Trend:	Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

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

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

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	There are no major threats to this species.

Major Threat(s):

There are no major threats to this species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Its range includes many protected areas.

Conservation Actions:

Its range includes many protected areas.

Bibliography [top]

	1996. The Biology of Xenopus. Zoological Society of London, Clarendon Press, London. Arnoult, J. and Lamotte, M. 1968. Les Pipidae de l'Ouest africain et du Cameroun. Bull. Inst. Fond. Afr. Noire: 270-306. Böhme, W., Meinig, H. and Rödel, M.-O. 1996. New records of amphibians and reptiles from Burkina Faso and Mali. British Herpetological Society Bulletin: 7-26. Broadley, D.G. 1971. The reptiles and amphibians of Zambia. Puku: 1-143. Channing, A. 2001. Amphibians of Central and Southern Africa. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London. Channing, A. and Griffin, M. 1993. An annotated checklist of the frogs of Namibia. Madoqua: 101-116. Channing, A. and Howell, K.M. 2006. Amphibians of East Africa. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main. Channing, A., Sinclair, A.R.E., Mduma, S.A.R., Moyer, D. and Kreulen, D.A. 2004. Serengeti amphibians: Distribution and Monitoring baseline. African Journal of Herpetology: 163-181. Frétey, T. and Blanc, C.P. 2000. Liste des Amphibiens d'Afrique Centrale. ADIE, Libreville, Gabon. Harper, E. and Vonesh, J.R. 2003. Field Guide to the Amphibians of the East Usambara Mountains. Preliminary Draft. http://www.zoo.ufl.edu/voneshjr/Harper%20&%20Vonesh%20-%20Amphibian%20Guide.pdf. Inger, R.F. 1968. Amphibia. Expl. Parc Natn. Garamba: 1-190. IUCN. 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 23 November 2004. Joger, U. 1990. The herpetofauna of the Central African Republic, with description of a new species of Rhinotyphlops (Serpentes: Typhlopidae). In: G. Peters and R. Hutterer (eds), Vertebrates in the Tropics, pp. 85-102. Museum Alexandrer Koenig, Bonn. Kobel, H.R., Barundun, B. and Thiebaud, C.H. 1998. Mitochondrial rDNA phylogeny in Xenopus. Herpetological Journal: 13-17. Kobel, H.R., du Pasquier, L., Fischberg, M., and Gloor, H. 1980. Xenopus amieti sp. nov. (Anura: Pipidae) from the Cameroons, another case of tetraploidy. Revue Suisse de Zoologie: 919-926. Lambiris, A.J.L. 1989. A review of the amphibians of Natal. Lammergeyer 39: 1-210. Lambiris, A.J.L. 1989. The frogs of Zimbabwe. Mus. Reg. Sci. Nat. Torino, Monografia: 1-247. Loumont, C. 1986. Xenopus pygmaeus, a new diploid pipid frog from rain forest of equatorial Africa. Rev. Suisse Zool.: 735-764. Measey, G.J. and Channing, A. 2003. Phylogeography of the genus Xenopus in southern Africa. Amphibia-Reptilia: 321-330. Minter, L.R., Burger, M., Harrison, J.A., Braack, H.H., Bishop, P.J. and Knoepfer, D. 2004. Atlas and Red Data Book of the Frogs of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. SI/MAB Series No. 9, Washington, D.C. Poynton, J.C. 2003. Altitudinal species turnover in southern Tanzania shown by anurans: some zoogeographical considerations. Systematics and Biodiversity: 117-126. Poynton, J.C. and Broadley, D.G. 1985. Amphibia Zambesiaca. 1. Scolecomorphidae, Pipidae, Microhylidae, Hemisidae, Arthroleptidae. Annals of the Natal Museum: 503-553. Razzetti, E. and Msuya, C.A. 2002. Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Arusha National Park (Tanzania). TANAPA, Arusha. Rödel, M.-O. 2000. Herpetofauna of the West Africa. Volume 1. Amphibians of the West African Savannas. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main. Rödel, M.-O. 2000. Les communautes d'amphibiens dans le Parc National de Tai, Cote d'Ivoire. Les anoures comme bio-indicateurs de l 'etat des habitats. Rapport de Centre Suisse de la Recherche Scientifique, Abidjan: 108-113. Rödel, M.-O. and Spieler, M. 2000. Trilingual keys to the Savannah-Anurans of the Comoe National Park, Ivory Coast. Stuttgarter Beitrage zur Naturkunde Serie A (Biologie): 1-21. Schiøtz, A. 1963. The amphibians of Nigeria. Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra Dansk Naturhistorisk Forening: 1-92. Stewart, M.M. 1967. Amphibians of Malawi. State University of New York Press, Albany. Tinsley, R.C. 1981. Interaction between Xenopus species (Anura: Pipidae). Monitore Zoologico Italiano N.S. Supplemento: 133-150.

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

Arnoult, J. and Lamotte, M. 1968. Les Pipidae de l'Ouest africain et du Cameroun. Bull. Inst. Fond. Afr. Noire: 270-306.

Böhme, W., Meinig, H. and Rödel, M.-O. 1996. New records of amphibians and reptiles from Burkina Faso and Mali. British Herpetological Society Bulletin: 7-26.

Broadley, D.G. 1971. The reptiles and amphibians of Zambia. Puku: 1-143.

Channing, A. 2001. Amphibians of Central and Southern Africa. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London.

Channing, A. and Griffin, M. 1993. An annotated checklist of the frogs of Namibia. Madoqua: 101-116.

Channing, A. and Howell, K.M. 2006. Amphibians of East Africa. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.

Channing, A., Sinclair, A.R.E., Mduma, S.A.R., Moyer, D. and Kreulen, D.A. 2004. Serengeti amphibians: Distribution and Monitoring baseline. African Journal of Herpetology: 163-181.

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

Harper, E. and Vonesh, J.R. 2003. Field Guide to the Amphibians of the East Usambara Mountains. Preliminary Draft. http://www.zoo.ufl.edu/voneshjr/Harper%20&%20Vonesh%20-%20Amphibian%20Guide.pdf.

Inger, R.F. 1968. Amphibia. Expl. Parc Natn. Garamba: 1-190.

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

Joger, U. 1990. The herpetofauna of the Central African Republic, with description of a new species of Rhinotyphlops (Serpentes: Typhlopidae). In: G. Peters and R. Hutterer (eds), Vertebrates in the Tropics, pp. 85-102. Museum Alexandrer Koenig, Bonn.

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

Kobel, H.R., du Pasquier, L., Fischberg, M., and Gloor, H. 1980. Xenopus amieti sp. nov. (Anura: Pipidae) from the Cameroons, another case of tetraploidy. Revue Suisse de Zoologie: 919-926.

Lambiris, A.J.L. 1989. A review of the amphibians of Natal. Lammergeyer 39: 1-210.

Lambiris, A.J.L. 1989. The frogs of Zimbabwe. Mus. Reg. Sci. Nat. Torino, Monografia: 1-247.

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

Measey, G.J. and Channing, A. 2003. Phylogeography of the genus Xenopus in southern Africa. Amphibia-Reptilia: 321-330.

Minter, L.R., Burger, M., Harrison, J.A., Braack, H.H., Bishop, P.J. and Knoepfer, D. 2004. Atlas and Red Data Book of the Frogs of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. SI/MAB Series No. 9, Washington, D.C.

Poynton, J.C. 2003. Altitudinal species turnover in southern Tanzania shown by anurans: some zoogeographical considerations. Systematics and Biodiversity: 117-126.

Poynton, J.C. and Broadley, D.G. 1985. Amphibia Zambesiaca. 1. Scolecomorphidae, Pipidae, Microhylidae, Hemisidae, Arthroleptidae. Annals of the Natal Museum: 503-553.

Razzetti, E. and Msuya, C.A. 2002. Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Arusha National Park (Tanzania). TANAPA, Arusha.

Rödel, M.-O. 2000. Herpetofauna of the West Africa. Volume 1. Amphibians of the West African Savannas. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.

Rödel, M.-O. 2000. Les communautes d'amphibiens dans le Parc National de Tai, Cote d'Ivoire. Les anoures comme bio-indicateurs de l 'etat des habitats. Rapport de Centre Suisse de la Recherche Scientifique, Abidjan: 108-113.

Rödel, M.-O. and Spieler, M. 2000. Trilingual keys to the Savannah-Anurans of the Comoe National Park, Ivory Coast. Stuttgarter Beitrage zur Naturkunde Serie A (Biologie): 1-21.

Schiøtz, A. 1963. The amphibians of Nigeria. Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra Dansk Naturhistorisk Forening: 1-92.

Stewart, M.M. 1967. Amphibians of Malawi. State University of New York Press, Albany.

Tinsley, R.C. 1981. Interaction between Xenopus species (Anura: Pipidae). Monitore Zoologico Italiano N.S. Supplemento: 133-150.

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 25 May 2012.
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