''Hymenochirus curtipes'', also known as western dwarf clawed 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

Pipidae The Pipidae are a family of primitive, tongueless frogs. The 41 species in the family Pipidae are found in tropical South America (genus ''Pipa'') and sub-Saharan Africa (the three other genera). Description Pipid frogs are highly aquatic and ...

. It is found in western

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

and adjacent

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

. It is likely to occur in the southernmost

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

Description

The

type series In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

consists of three specimens measuring in snout–vent length; the smallest one is the

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

, an adult male. Females can reach at least in snout–vent length. 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.

Habitat and conservation

''Hymenochirus curtipes'' is presumably ecologically similar to ''

Hymenochirus boettgeri ''Hymenochirus boettgeri'', also known as the Zaire dwarf clawed frog or the Congo dwarf clawed frog, is a species of frog in the family Pipidae. It is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and east to the Central African Repub ...

'', 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.

As pets

''Hymenochirus curtipes'' are kept as pets. Former London mayor

Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of London from the creation of the office i ...

was the first person in the world to breed ''H. curtipes'' in captivity.'' Would I Lie to You?'' Series 3 Episode 2.

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

Television. First broadcast 17 August 2009.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q766946 curtipes Frogs of Africa Amphibians of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Amphibians of the Republic of the Congo Amphibians described in 1924 Taxa named by Gladwyn Kingsley Noble Taxonomy articles created by Polbot