Morphological, acoustic and genetic identification of a reproducing population of the invasive African clawed frog Xenopuslaevis (Anura, Pipidae) recently discovered in Belgium

Olivier S G Pauwels; Jonathan Brecko; Dimitri Baeghe; Jeroen Venderickx; Ann Vanderheyden; Thierry Backeljau

doi:10.3897/zookeys.1184.103702

Morphological, acoustic and genetic identification of a reproducing population of the invasive African clawed frog Xenopuslaevis (Anura, Pipidae) recently discovered in Belgium

Zookeys. 2023 Nov 14:1184:41-64. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1184.103702. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Olivier S G Pauwels¹, Jonathan Brecko^{1

2}, Dimitri Baeghe³, Jeroen Venderickx^{1

4}, Ann Vanderheyden⁵, Thierry Backeljau^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Scientific Heritage, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Rue Vautier 29, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium Scientific Heritage, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Brussels Belgium.
² Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvensesteenweg 13, B-3080 Tervuren, Belgium Royal Museum for Central Africa Tervuren Belgium.
³ Evolutionary Biology and Ecology (CP 160/12), Department of Organismic Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium Université Libre de Bruxelles Brussels Belgium.
⁴ Operational Directorate Natural Environment, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium Operational Directorate Natural Environment, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Brussels Belgium.
⁵ Barcoding Facility for Organisms and Tissues of Policy Concern (BopCo), Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium Barcoding Facility for Organisms and Tissues of Policy Concern (BopCo), Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Brussels Belgium.
⁶ Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium University of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium.

Abstract

Using external morphology of adults and tadpoles, osteology from high-resolution microcomputed tomography, vocalization analysis, and DNA sequence data, the identity of a reproducing Belgian population of invasive Xenopus at the current northernmost edge of the distribution of the genus in Europe was assessed. All data concur to an identification as Xenopus (Xenopus) laevis (Daudin, 1802). Genetically it is most closely related to populations of the Cape region in South Africa. No studies on the natural history of the Belgian Xenopus population and its impact on the local environment have been made to date.

Keywords: Amphibians; France; South Africa; freshwater biodiversity; invasive species; morphology; phylogeny; systematics; taxonomy.

Olivier S. G. Pauwels, Jonathan Brecko, Dimitri Baeghe, Jeroen Venderickx, Ann Vanderheyden, Thierry Backeljau.