''Conraua robusta'', the robust giant frog or Cameroon slippery frog, is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

in the family

Conrauidae ''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. This genus includes the ...

found in western

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

and eastern

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. This species is congeneric to the

goliath frog The goliath frog (''Conraua goliath''), 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 in lengt ...

, the largest known frog species in the world.

Description

Male ''Conraua robusta'' grow to a

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the most c ...

of and females to . 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.

Habitat

''Conraua robusta'' occurs in and near cold, fast-flowing streams in both grassland and forest areas at elevations of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

; it does not require tree cover and can be found in some urban areas. It is predominantly

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

. The

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...

s 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.

Conservation

''Conraua robusta'' is an uncommon species that is probably negatively affected by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

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 The Cross River National Park is a national park of Nigeria, located in Cross River State, Nigeria. There are two separate sections, Okwangwo (established 1991) and Oban (established 1988). The park has a total area of about 4,000 km2, most ...

(Nigeria).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2243542 Frogs of Africa

robusta ROBUSTA (Radiation on Bipolar for University Satellite Test Application) is a nano-satellite scientific experiment developed by the University of Montpellier students as part of a Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) call for student projects ...

Amphibians of Cameroon Fauna of Nigeria Amphibians of West Africa Taxa named by Fritz Nieden Amphibians described in 1908 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot