60 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
Series 4, Volume 65, Supplement II 
Xenopus cf. epitropicalis Fischberg, Colombelli and Picard, 1982 Congolese Clawed Frog 
Xenopus epitropicalis Fischberg, Colombelli and Pieard 1982:53. Holotype: BMNH 1982.462 (eolleetors not 
stated, possibly M. Fischberg and J.J. Pieard). Type locality: “confluent de la Funa et de la Kemi, a 8 km 
au sud du centre de Kinshasa,” Democratic Republic of Congo. 
Xenopus calcaratus: Peters (1877a:618). 
Xenopus tropicalis: Laurent (1950a:13; 1954a; 70), Frade (1963:254), Cei (1977:16), Kobel (1981:120). 
Xenopus epitropicalis'. Loumont (1983:176), Ruas (1996:20), Channing (2001:239), Blaekbum et al. (2014), 
Evans et al. (2015:2), Frost (2016). 
Xenopus (Silurana) epitropicalis'. Fretey et al. (2011:22). 
Global conservation status (lUCN): Least Concern. 
Global distribution: The species is known from Democratic Republic of Congo and north¬ 
east along the Congo River to near the confluence of the Kwa River as well as from near Point 
Noire (Jackson and Blackburn 2010). It was was previously considered to be more widespread with 
populations extending across Central Africa, however many of those other populations are now 
treated as separate species. 
Ocurrences in Angola (Map 2): The 
species occurs in Cabinda enclave and in the 
northeast of the country. Cabinda: “Chincho- 
xo” [-5.10000, 12.10000] (Peters 1877a:618; 
Kobel 1981:120). Lunda Norte: “environs de 
Dundo galerie forestiere de la Luachimo 
(Dundo, Luachimo forest gallery)” 
[-7.38333, 20.83333] (Laurent 1950a: 13, 
1954a:70; Kobel 1981:120; Ruas 1996:20). 
Undetermined Locality: “areas of forest and 
savanna in the north and northeast of Angola” 
(Cei 1977:16). 
Taxonomic and distributional notes: 
Publications previous to 1982 treated this 
species as Xenopus tropicalis (Gray, 1864) but 
subsequent studies have reveald that X. tropi¬ 
calis is restricted to tropical West Africa only 
from Senegal to Cameroon, and that records 
from the south and east Africa belong to Xenopus epitropicalis (Fischberg et al., 1982) (Loumont 
1983; Ruas 1996; Evans et al. 2015). However, the distribution of both species requires further 
study and for now the Angolan population is best assigned to Xenopus cf epitropicalis (Ruas 1996; 
Channing 2001; Fretey et al. 2011; Frost 2016). Genetic data currently confirm the distribution of 
X. epitropicalis only for Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo (Evans et al. 2015). It 
remains unclear whether populations from Angola represent nominotypical epitropicalis or one of 
the recently described species in subgenus Silurana, likely X. mellotropicalis. 
Map 2. Distribution of Xenopus epitropicalis in Angola. 
Xenopus sp. 
Xenopus fraseri: Laurent (1950a: 13, 1954a:70), Cei (1977:16), Kobel (1981:120), Ruas (1996:20), Channing 
(2001:240), Channing et al. (2012:294), Wagner et al. (2013:206), Ernst et al. (2015:147). 
Xenopus {Xenopus) fraseri'. Fretey et al. (2011:22). 
Global distribution: The taxon is presently known from northeastern Angola, although it like- 
