Silurana

[Dzu]

Hi. I've got one Silurana, but I don't know what this species. Does anyone know?

[tgampper]

Nice frog! Most likely it is Silurana (Xenopus) tropicalis. There second species in the genus is S. (X.) epitropicalis. The two species in the genus Silurana are more closely related to the dwarf clawed frogs (central Africa) and the Surinam toads (South America) than the frogs in the genus Xenopus (sub-Saharan Africa). S. (X.) tropicalis is native to west Africa. DNA studies show that Silurana maybe just a subgenus within Xenopus.

These frogs are smaller and mature faster than those in Xenopus. They have become the new model species for genetic studies. They can be kept the same way as Xenopus, with one important difference, the optimum temperature should be between 25-30(C). Because of their morphological differences, they should not be kept with other species of Xenopus.