Scientific Name: Xenopus muelleri.
Common Names: Muller's Clawed Frog, African Clawed Frog.
Distribution: Eastern and southern Africa.
Size: 9cm.
Sexing: Males can be heard making a trilling call, and nuptial pads can be seen on the fingers and forelimbs during breeding season. Females are slightly larger and have visible swellings (papillae) around the cloaca.
Colouration: The normal colouration is brown with grey marbling with a yellowish abdomen.
Requirements: These aquatic Frogs require a large aquarium. A 15-gallon tank would be adequate for 2 - 3 adults. They require a totally aquatic set-up with a substrate of gravel or sand. Furnishings such as large pebbles and aquatic plants can be arranged to provide a number of hiding places. The water should be clean de-chlorinated or spring water at a depth of 8-15cm. The water will need to be filtered using a submersible power filter to avoid the build up of ammonia and bacteria in the water, and partial water changes should be carried out at regular intervals. It is also a good idea to lightly oxygenate the water with the use of an air-stone. Clawed Frogs require a water temperature of 25°C, and a low wattage fluorescent tube should be used as a light source.
Feeding: Juvenile Clawed Frogs should be fed daily with a mixture of suitably sized insects including Tubifex, and whiteworm. Adult Clawed Frogs should be fed three times a week with a mixture of earthworms, slugs, maggots, small fish, and chunks of raw meat.
