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xenopus (ZEN-uh-puhs) - n., any of several aquatic, tongueless, clawed frogs of southern Africa (genus Xenopus), especially the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis).
Two species, the one mentioned and X. tropicalis, are widely used as model organisms in biological research, and formerly in pregnancy testing -- females produce eggs in response to substances in the urine of a pregnant woman. The name was coined in 1827 by German herpetologist Johann Georg Wagler from Latin roots of Greek origin: xénos, foreign/strange + poús, foot.
---L.
Two species, the one mentioned and X. tropicalis, are widely used as model organisms in biological research, and formerly in pregnancy testing -- females produce eggs in response to substances in the urine of a pregnant woman. The name was coined in 1827 by German herpetologist Johann Georg Wagler from Latin roots of Greek origin: xénos, foreign/strange + poús, foot.
---L.
