This species ranges from Bagandou, Etoi and Bouchia in southern Central African Republic, east to northeastern Democratic Republic Congo as far as Semliki in western Uganda. It presumably occurs in northern Congo, but this has not yet been confirmed. Because of the difficulty in identifying cryptic Xenopus species, probably some records of this species have been assigned to Xenopus fraseri. This probably includes at least some X. fraseri records from Garamba and Virunga National Parks.
Habitat and Ecology
It is a water-dependent species found in small water holes, pools and shady swamps in lowland forest. It is clearly adaptable, since it has also been found in swamps at the edge of a village. It breeds in still water. In Bouchia it is sympatric with X. andrei, X. muelleri and S. epitropicalis.
It is abundant in suitable habitat.
In view of its wide distribution and likely adaptability to altered habitats, this species is unlikely to be seriously threatened. It is harvested for human consumption, and this might have an impact on local populations.
It might occur in the Garamba and Virunga National Parks in Democratic Republic of Congo.
This species is a diploid species in the Xenopus fraseri Group (Loumont 1986).
Richard Tinsley, John Measey 2004. Xenopus pygmaeus. In: IUCN 2014