''Pyxicephalus cordofanus'', also known as ''Rana cordofana'', is a possible species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...

. It is a ''

nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...

'', a name of unknown application.

Franz Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner descri ...

, who described the species in 1867, specified neither a

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of seve ...

nor

syntype In biological nomenclature, a syntype is any one of two or more biological types that is listed in a description of a taxon where no holotype was designated. Precise definitions of this and related terms for types have been established as part of ...

s. The syntypes are believed to be at the

Natural History Museum, Vienna The Natural History Museum Vienna (german: Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) is a large natural history museum located in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the most important natural history museums worldwide. The NHM Vienna is one of the largest museum ...

(NHMW), possibly including the specimen NHMW 2673. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natur ...

lists it as "data deficient", citing "continuing doubts as to its taxonomic validity, extent of occurrence, status and ecological requirements".

Description

The original

species description A species description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species that have be ...

, based on two specimens, is summarized as follows:

Head considerably narrower, snout longer and sharper than in the two species mentioned earlier ''Pyxicephalus adspersus'', ''Tomopterna delalandii">Pyxicephalus delalandii''">Pyxicephalus adspersus">''Pyxicephalus adspersus'', ''Tomopterna delalandii">Pyxicephalus delalandii'' Tongue roundish, at the posterior margin only very slightly constricted, tongue lobes very short; Back with brownish marbling and small spots; Tympanum (anatomy) indistinctly visible; A small clump on the outer edge of the metatarsus.

Distribution

It is only known from its Type locality (biology), type locality, "Kurdufan, Cordofan", Egypt", an area that falls within the present-day Sudan, thus making this taxon a Sudanese

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Ecology

The ecology of this taxon is unknown, but it is presumed to be an aquatic species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q28035794 Frogs of Africa Vertebrates of Sudan Endemic fauna of Sudan Amphibians described in 1867 Taxa named by Franz Steindachner Taxonomy articles created by Polbot