Xenopus fischbergi Evans, Carter, Greenbaum, Gvoždík, Kelley, McLaughlin, Pauwels, Portik, Stanley, Tinsley, Tobias & Blackburn, 2015

(Fig. 12B)

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Togo • 9 ♂; Bassar; MNHN-RA-1979.5304-5312 • 2 ♂, 3 ♀; Kanté; MNHN-RA-2006.2244-2248 .

DESCRIPTION. — Medium sized frog (SVL 27.5-32.5 mm ♂, 44- 53.8 mm ♀), with flattened body. Snout rounded. Head as long as broad (HW 22-29% SVL; HL 26-32% SVL). Eye larger (EL 1.6- 2.8 mm) than in Xenopus tropicalis; subocular tentacle short, about half eye diameter. Tympanum indistinct. Hind leg rather short (TL 38-45% SVL). Webbing complete, no free phalanges. Three horny claws on toes I, II and III; metatarsal tubercles without horny claw. Skin smooth, with 22-24 dorsolateral lateral-line marks from the back of eyelid to rear back; belly smooth.

COLOURATION. — The dorsal colouration is gray. The flanks, upper forearm, thigh and tibia are also gray. The belly is lighter.

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM. — The males are smaller than the females. They have no vocal sac.

HABITATS AND DISTRIBUTION. — This species was formerly included in Xenopus muelleri (Peters, 1844), which is now known to be restricted to eastern and southern Africa. The West African populations have been described as a distinct species, Xenopus fischbergi (Evans et al. 2015) . Essentially a savannah form, this species is present in the savannahs of ecological zones I and II. It is very common in the Bassar and Kanté regions. Its distribution in the southern regions of the country remains doubtful. A population of the species was reported from the ecological zone III (Segniagbeto et al. 2022). This species was reported in Kanté and Kara regions by Bourgat (1979).