Conraua robusta

Conraua robusta, the robust giant frog or Cameroon slippery frog, is a species of frog in the family Conrauidae found in western Cameroon and eastern Nigeria.[1][3][4] This species is congeneric to the goliath frog, the largest known frog species in the world.[5]

Conraua robusta
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Conrauidae
Genus: Conraua
Species:
C. robusta
Binomial name
Conraua robusta
Nieden, 1908[2]
Synonyms[3]

Description

Male Conraua robusta grow to a snout–vent length of 140 mm (5.5 in) and females to 122 mm (4.8 in). The body is long and compact. The snout is short and rounded. The head is broad and flat. The dorsum is densely covered with small, round warts. The legs are muscular and covered with numerous parallel ridges. The toe tips have large oval discs. The body varies dorsally from beige to olive to brown with irregular black patterning, turning to almost uniformly black in old individuals. The venter is white or black, especially on the throat, .chest, and towards the knees.[4]

Habitat

Conraua robusta occurs in and near cold, fast-flowing streams in both grassland and forest areas at elevations of 750–1,400 m (2,460–4,590 ft) above sea level; it does not require tree cover and can be found in some urban areas.[1] It is predominantly nocturnal.[4] The tadpoles live in fast, even torrential, water. It is sympatric with C. crassipes and C. goliath in parts of its range; it prefers colder, faster water than the latter.[1]

Conservation

Conraua robusta is an uncommon species that is probably negatively affected by habitat loss and deterioration caused by agriculture, logging, and human settlements. The impacts include sedimentation of the streams it inhabits. It is also harvested for food, but at levels that are sustainable; there is ongoing work to ensure that the harvest continues to be sustainable. This species is found in the Cross River National Park (Nigeria).[1]

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2019). "Conraua robusta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T58254A96061036. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  2. Nieden, F. (1908). "Die Amphibienfauna von Kamerun". Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin. 3: 491–518.
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2020). "Conraua robusta Nieden, 1908". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. Channing, Allan & Rödel, Mark-Oliver (2019). Field Guide to the Frogs & other Amphibians of Africa. Cape Town: Struik Nature. p. 350. ISBN 978-1-77584-512-6.
  5. Vitt, Laurie J. & Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. p. 507.
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