| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | AMPHIBIA | ANURA | PIPIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Xenopus ruwenzoriensis | |||
| Species Authority: | Tymowska and Fischberg, 1973 | |||
Common Name/s:
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| Taxonomic Notes: | Uniquely among vertebrates (except Xenopus longipes), this is a dodecaploid species, and it is therefore of considerable conservation interest. It was probably formed by both hybridization and polyploidisation (Loumont and Kobel 1991). | |||
| Red List Category & Criteria: | Data Deficient ver 3.1 |
| Year Published: | 2004 |
| Assessor/s: | Richard Tinsley, John Measey, Kim Howell, Manfred Beier |
| Reviewer/s: | Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson and Neil Cox) |
|
Justification: Listed as Data Deficient in view of continuing uncertainties as to its extent of occurrence, status and ecological requirements. |
|
| Range Description: | This species is known only from near Bundibugyo in Semliki Valley in western Uganda, at the foot of the Ruwenzori Mountains at 700m asl, and from Budongo Forest, east of Lake Albert, in western Uganda. It presumably occurs elsewhere, including in nearby Democratic Republic of Congo. |
| Countries: |
Native:
Uganda
Presence uncertain:
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the
|
| Range Map: | Click here to open the map viewer and explore range. |
| Population: | It is a very poorly known species, and there is no information on its population status. |
| Population Trend: |
Unknown
|
| Habitat and Ecology: | It is assumed to be a water-dependent species in lowland rainforest. However, the type locality is a pool in a banana plantation, where it lives together with Xenopus pygmaeus. It appears that, like X. fraseri, it can survive in degraded habitats, provided that the pools which it requires for breeding in are shaded. |
| Systems: | Terrestrial; Freshwater |
| Major Threat(s): | There is very little direct information on threats to this species. It probably cannot withstand complete opening up of its habitat, and it is likely also to be harvested locally for human consumption. |
| Conservation Actions: | It is not know from any well protected areas. |
| Citation: | Richard Tinsley, John Measey, Kim Howell, Manfred Beier 2004. Xenopus ruwenzoriensis. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 23 February 2012. |
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