Conraua derooi | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Anura |
Family: | Conrauidae |
Genus: | Conraua |
Species: | C. derooi |
Binomial name | |
Conraua derooi Hulselmans, 1972 | |
Conraua derooi is a species of frog in the family Conrauidae. [1] [2] [3] [4] It is found in the Togo-Volta Highlands along the border of Togo and Ghana, where it is possibly endemic. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] The common name Togo slippery frog has been coined for this species. [2] [3] [5] Previously feared to be extinct, [5] a few populations were found in surveys between 2005 and 2007, after the species had gone unrecorded for more than 20 years. [6]
The specific name derooi honours Antoon De Roo, a Belgian ornithologist who was part of the expedition that discovered the species. [4]
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]
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]
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]
The goliath frog, otherwise known commonly as the giant slippery frog and the goliath bullfrog, is a species of frog in the family Conrauidae. The goliath frog is the largest living frog. Specimens can grow up to 32 centimetres (12.6 in) in length from snout to vent, and weigh up to 3.25 kilograms (7.2 lb). This species has a relatively small habitat range in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Its numbers are dwindling due to habitat destruction, collection for food, and the pet trade.
Conraua, known as slippery frogs or giant frogs is a genus of large frogs from sub-Saharan Africa. Conraua is the only genus in the family Conrauidae. Alternatively, it may be placed in the family Petropedetidae.
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Phrynobatrachus gutturosus, the Chabanaud's river frog or guttural puddle frog, is a species of frog in the family Petropedetidae. It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, possibly Benin, possibly Burkina Faso, possibly Guinea, possibly Mali, possibly Togo, and possibly Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, moist savanna, swampland, and intermittent freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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Aubria subsigillata, commonly known as the brown ball frog or the West African brown frog, is a species of frog belonging to the family Pyxicephalidae. It has a discontinuous distribution from southern Guinea through Liberia and Ivory Coast, and from Nigeria to southern Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea to Gabon. However, the species delimitation differs between sources, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has adopted a narrower view where this species only occurs in Cameroon and southward.
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The Atewa Range Forest Reserve is in the Akyem Abuakwa region of southeastern Ghana, near the town of Kibi, and south-west of the Kwahu Plateau which forms the south-west boundary of Lake Volta. The range runs roughly north–south, consisting of steep-sided hills with fairly flat summits. It is the last remains of the Cenozoic peneplain that once covered southern Ghana, and contains ancient bauxitic soils. The range is the site of an important forest reserve, and the source of three major rivers.
Sandra Owusu-Gyamfi is a Ghanaian conservationist and the first woman herpetologist in Ghana. She is currently the Associate Executive Director and the Advocacy and Campaigns Director for SAVE THE FROGS! Ghana. In 2017, she became Manager of Research and Conservation at Ghana Wildlife Society's Science Unit.