Hymenochirus curtipes

Hymenochirus curtipes, also known as western dwarf clawed frog, is a species of frog in the family Pipidae. It is found in western Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjacent Republic of the Congo.[1][3] It is likely to occur in the southernmost Central African Republic.[1]

Hymenochirus curtipes
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Pipidae
Genus: Hymenochirus
Species:
H. curtipes
Binomial name
Hymenochirus curtipes

Description

The type series consists of three specimens measuring 24–28 mm (0.9–1.1 in) in snout–vent length; the smallest one is the holotype, an adult male.[2] Females can reach at least 33 mm (1.3 in) in snout–vent length.[4] The head is narrow and flat, and the eyes point almost directly upward. No tympanum is visible. The legs are short compared to other Hymenochirus. The fingers are half-webbed, whereas the toes are completely webbed, with the webbing scarcely indented. Skin is coarsely and uniformly tubercular. The body is muddy brown above with indistinct dark brown spotting that becomes distinct below.[2]

Habitat and conservation

Hymenochirus curtipes is presumably ecologically similar to Hymenochirus boettgeri, an aquatic frog that occurs in still, shaded water in lowland rainforest, and in pools by slow-flowing rivers. Two individuals in amplexus have been reported in a flooded forest. No significant threats to this species are known; although it is collected for pet trade, this is not considered a threat.[1]

Ken Livingstone was the first person in the world to breed H. curtipes in captivity.

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2013). "Hymenochirus curtipes". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T58156A18396876. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T58156A18396876.en.
  2. Noble, Gladwyn Kingsley (1924). "Contributions to the herpetology of the Belgian Congo based on the collection of the American Museum Congo Expedition, 1909–1915. Part 3, Amphibia". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 49: 147–347.
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Hymenochirus curtipes Noble, 1924". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  4. Cannatella, David C. & Trueb, Linda (1988). "Evolution of pipoid frogs: morphology and phylogenetic relationships of Pseudhymenochirus". Journal of Herpetology. 22 (4): 439–456. doi:10.2307/1564339. JSTOR 1564339.
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