Assessment Results
Xenopus longipes
Lake Oku Clawed Frog, Savannah Clawed Frog
Order:
Anura
Family:
Pipidae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
Cameroon
on:
27 May 2017
by:
Benjamin Tapley
IUCN Global Red List:
Critically Endangered (CR)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Cameroon
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
16.44189863
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
| Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
| 1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Critically Endangered (CR) | Red List Assessment is out of date (over 10 years old). The rational for this extinct risk remains unchanged. |
| 2 | Possibly extinct | Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 3 | Phylogenetic significance | The taxon’s Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) score, as generated by the ZSL EDGE program. (These data are not editable by Assessors). | ED value < 20 | |
| 4 | Protected habitat | Is a population of at least 50% of the individuals of the taxon included within a well-managed or reliably protected area or areas? | Yes / probably | The only known population is in Lake Oku. Most of the Lake is within the boundaries of the Kilum ljim wildlife sanctuary. The lake itself is not currently subject to any formal management and is vulnerable to a number of anthropogenic threats. |
| 5 | Habitat for reintroduction, conservation translocation or supplementation | Does enough well-managed and reliably protected habitat exist, either within or outside of currently protected areas that is suitable for conservation translocation, including population restoration or conservation introduction? | No / unlikely | Only supplementation possible. |
| 6 | Previous reintroductions | Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species? | No | |
| 7 | In situ conservation activities | Are any in situ conservation actions currently in place for this species? (Only required if a Red List Assessment has not been completed, or if new actions have been implemented since the last Red List Assessment. (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.). | ||
| 8 | In situ conservation activities | Are additional in situ conservation actions required to help conserve this species in the wild (e.g. habitat restoration and/or protection, control of invasive species, national legislation etc.)? | ||
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | ||
| 10 | Threat mitigation | Are the threats facing the taxon, including any new and emerging threats not considered in the IUCN Red List, potentially reversible? | Threats are likely to be reversible in time frame to prevent further decline / extinction | There is a working action plan for Lake Oku. Current threats to Lake Oku and its ecology include, fish introduction (invasive alien species); novel pathogens being introduced from outside (invasive alien species); Runoff of vehicle oils and other chemicals from road (pollution); Visitors to the lake throwing rubbish into and around the lake (pollution); Degradation of the forest by livestock (habitat change); Degradation of the forest by building constructions (habitat change); Degradation of the forest by wood cutting (habitat change). Potential threats to the lake include: Changes to the temperature, rainfall or other aspects of climate and the collections of plants and animals for commercial purposes (over exploitation). Many of these threats can be reversed or prevented by raising awareness and appropriate management of the protected area and the lake's watershed. |
| 11 | Over-collection from the wild | Is the taxon suffering from collection within its natural range, either for food, for the pet trade or for any other reason, which threatens the species’ continued persistence in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 12 | Population recovery | Is the known population of this species in the wild large enough to recover naturally, without ex situ intervention if threats are mitigated? | Yes / probably | |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | ||
| 14 | Biological distinctiveness | Does the taxon exhibit a distinctive reproductive mode, behaviour, aspect of morphology or physiology, within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.)? | Aspect of biology shared with < 6 other species | The Lake Oku clawed frog has 12 sets of chromosomes, so is dodecaploid. |
| 15 | Cultural/socio-economic importance | Does the taxon have a special human cultural value (e.g. as a national or regional symbol, in a historic context, featuring in traditional stories) or economic value (e.g. food, traditional medicine, tourism) within its natural range or in a wider global context? | No | |
| 16 | Scientific importance | Is the species vital to current or planned research other than species-specific ecology/biology/conservation within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.) e.g. human medicine, climate change, environmental pollutants and conservation science? | Research dependent upon < 6 species (incl. this taxon) | Frogs of the genus Xenopus are a major contributor to biomedical, genetic, and biological research. These frogs exhibit dodecaploidy which makes them of great interest to evolutionary biologists. |
| 17 | Ex situ research | Does conserving this species (or closely related species) in situ depend upon research that can be most easily carried out ex situ? | No | Historically this was the case. Aspects of reproductive biology have now been described based on captive observations. The tadpole has also been described. There is still more to learn, but in situ conservation is not dependent on ex situ research. |
| 18 | Ex situ conservation activities | Is any ex situ research or other ex situ conservation action currently in place for this species? (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.) | ||
| 19 | Husbandry analog required | If an ex situ rescue program is recommended for this species, would an analog species be required to develop husbandry protocols first? | ||
| 20 | Husbandry analog | Do the biological and ecological attributes of this species make it suitable for developing husbandry regimes for more threatened related species? i.e. could this species be used in captivity to help to develop husbandry and breeding protocols which could be used for a similar, but more endangered species at a later stage? | No | |
| 21 | Captive breeding | Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity? | Yes, bred to F2 | This species has been bred without the aid of assisted reproductive techniques to the F2 generation at ZSL London Zoo although specific breeding triggers are not fully understood. See Michaels, C.J., Tapley, B., Harding, L., Bryant, Z., Grant, S., Sunter, G., Gill, I., Nyingchia, O. and Doherty-Bone, T., 2015. Breeding and rearing the Critically Endangered Lake Oku Clawed Frog (Xenopus longipes Loumont and Kobel 1991). Amphibian & Reptile Conservation, 9(2), pp.100-110. Tapley, B., Michaels, C., Harding, L., Bryant, Z., Gill, I., Grant, S., Chaney, N., Dunker, F., Freiermuth, B., Willis, J. and Blackburn, D., 2016. Amphibian Taxon Advisory Group Best Practice Guidelines for the Lake Oku frog Xenopus longipes Version. Tapley, B., Michaels, C.J. and Doherty-Bone, T.M., 2015. The tadpole of the Lake Oku clawed frog Xenopus longipes (Anura; Pipidae). Zootaxa, 3981(4), pp.597-600. Contact details ben.tapley@zsl.org |
| 22 | Conservation education/ecotourism potential | Is the species especially diurnal, active or colourful, or is there an interesting or unusual aspect of its ecology that make it particularly suitable to be an educational ambassador for conservation of the species in the range country, either in zoos or aquariums or within ecotourism activities? | Yes | Active and diurnal and can be used to educate people on amphibian declines and the role of the ex situ community in amphibian conservation. |
| 23 | Mandate | Is there an existing conservation mandate recommending the ex situ conservation of this taxon? | Yes | This species is Critically Endangered; the IUCN Technical Guidelines for the Management of Ex situ Populations recommends ex situ populations for all Critically Endangered species. |
| 24 | Range State approval | If an ex situ initiative was proposed for this species, would it be supported (and approved) by the range State (either within the range State or out-of-country ex situ)? | Yes / probably | Permits have been issued for the export of these frogs. |
| 25 | Founder specimens | Are sufficient animals of the taxon available or potentially available (from wild or captive sources) to initiate an ex situ program, if one was recommended? | Yes / probably | |
| 26 | Taxonomic status | Has a complete taxonomic analysis of the species in the wild been carried out, to fully understand the functional unit you wish to conserve (i.e. have species limits been determined)? | Yes |
Citation:
Benjamin Tapley. 2017. Conservation Needs Assessment for Xenopus longipes, Cameroon.
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/4075
Accessed 07 Feb 2025
