Togo Slippery Frog

Conraua derooi

''Conraua derooi'' is a species of frog in the family Conrauidae. It is found in Togo and Ghana. Common name Togo slippery frog has been coined for this species. Even feared to be extinct, a few populations were found in surveys in 2005–2007, after the species had gone unrecorded for more than 20 years.
A slippery frog, indeed! The Togo Slippery Frog is critically endangered, known from only a handful of sites in Togo and one site in eastern Ghana. Recently the ones from Ghana have been determined to be a separate species, but that has not yet been published, so for now this is really known as "Conraua cf. derooi", but I'll just leave it at Conraua derooi until its new identity has been locked down. Conraua derooi,Geotagged,Ghana,Summer

Appearance

''Conraua derooi'' are large frogs , with males measuring 76–84 mm and females about 74–82 mm 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.

Naming

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

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. Records of ''Conraua alleni'' from eastern Ghana and Togo refer to this species. The type locality is Misahohé de in western Togo.

Status

''Conraua derooi'' lives in flowing water in forest habitats; they are permanently aquatic. The tadpoles develop in streams.

At the time of the latest assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2004, only one surviving population was believed to exist. However, surveys in 2005–2007 located a few populations in Ghana and Togo, after the species had gone unrecorded for more than 20 years. 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. Populations within the Atewa Range Forest Reserve seem large and viable; these are probably the largest remaining populations.

Habitat

''Conraua derooi'' lives in flowing water in forest habitats; they are permanently aquatic. The tadpoles develop in streams.

At the time of the latest assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2004, only one surviving population was believed to exist. However, surveys in 2005–2007 located a few populations in Ghana and Togo, after the species had gone unrecorded for more than 20 years. 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. Populations within the Atewa Range Forest Reserve seem large and viable; these are probably the largest remaining populations.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

Status: Critically endangered
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassAmphibia
OrderAnura
FamilyConrauidae
GenusConraua
SpeciesC. derooi
Photographed in
Ghana