Conraua derooi

Conraua derooi is a species of frog in the family Conrauidae.[1][2][3][4] It is found in Togo and Ghana.[1][2][4][5] Common name Togo slippery frog has been coined for this species.[2][3][5] Even feared to be extinct,[5] a few populations were found in surveys in 2005–2007, after the species had gone unrecorded for more than 20 years.[6]

Conraua derooi

Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Conrauidae
Genus: Conraua
Species:
C. derooi
Binomial name
Conraua derooi
Hulselmans, 1972

Etymology

The specific name derooi honours Antoon De Roo, a Belgian ornithologist who was part of the expedition that discovered the species.[4]

Distribution

Conraua derooi is found in southwestern Togo and adjacent southeastern Ghana on the Togo-Volta Highlands, as well as in the Atewa Range in central Ghana.[1][2][4][5] Records of Conraua alleni from eastern Ghana and Togo refer to this species.[1][5] The type locality is Misahohé (=Misahöhe) in western Togo.[2][4]

Description

Conraua derooi are large frogs (though much smaller than their relative, the goliath frog Conraua goliath), with males measuring 76–84 mm (3.0–3.3 in) and females about 74–82 mm (2.9–3.2 in) in snout–vent length. The head is relatively large with prominent eyes and a fairly small snout. The tympanum is not visible externally. The hindlimbs are very long and robust. The toes are long and have distinct adhesive discs and webbing extending midway to the discs. The forelimbs are short but muscular with webbed fingers.[4][5]

Habitat and conservation

Conraua derooi lives in flowing water in forest habitats;[1] they are permanently aquatic.[4][6] The tadpoles develop in streams.[1]

At the time of the latest assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2004, only one surviving population was believed to exist.[1] However, surveys in 2005–2007 located a few populations in Ghana and Togo, after the species had gone unrecorded for more than 20 years.[6] Nevertheless, the species is extremely threatened by habitat destruction and alteration, as well as by human consumption. Further, there is genetic differentiation between the Atewa and Volta populations.[6] Populations within the Atewa Range Forest Reserve seem large and viable; these are probably the largest remaining populations.[4]

gollark: *remains clueless*
gollark: Why `VEGA Central Processing`?
gollark: .
gollark: They have a cooler pose
gollark: Chronos 9ever.

References
  1. Mark-Oliver Rödel; Arne Schiøtz (2004). "Conraua derooi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T58253A11758064. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T58253A11758064.en.
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Conraua derooi Hulselmans, 1972". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  3. "Conraua derooi Hulselmans, 1972". African Amphibians. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  4. "Conraua derooi". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  5. "Togo Slippery Frog (Conraua derooi)". EDGE of Existence programme (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered species). Zoological Society of London. 2006. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  6. Hillers, Annika; Boateng, Caleb Ofori; Segniagbeto, Gabriel Hoinsoudé; Agyei, Alex Cudjoe; Rödel, Mark-Oliver (2009). "Assessment of the amphibians in the forests of southern Ghana and western Togo". Zoosystematics and Evolution. 85 (1): 127–141. doi:10.1002/zoos.200800019.
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