Several new species of clawed frog discovered in sub-Saharan Africa

African clawed frogs are characterized by their flat bodies and vocal organs which can produce sound underwater, as well as the claws on their first three toes that give them their name. Despite being commonly used as a study subject by developmental biologists, researchers say we're still learning quite a bit about the species. Researchers from Canada's McMaster University say they’ve discovered a wealth of new information on the frog’s evolution using new techniques for analyzing DNA.There are now 29 known species of African clawed frog. Researchers in west and central sub-Saharan Africa say they’ve discovered six new species of the frog and added another, Xenopus calcaratus, back to the list of known species (it had previously been lumped in with a close relative, X. tropicalis). The word Xenopus means “alien foot” or, basically, “strange foot,” in Latin. African clawed frogs live in slow moving or stagnant water, according to a report in PLOS ONE describing the new species. The frogs are also characterized by their flat bodies and vocal organs which can -READ MORE -http://news.mongabay.com/2015/12/several-new-species-of-clawed-frog-discovered-in-sub-saharan-africa/