Kassina cassinoides

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Kassina cassinoides
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hyperoliidae
Genus: Kassina
Species:
K. cassinoides
Binomial name
Kassina cassinoides
(Boulenger, 1903)
Synonyms [2]

Hylambates cassinoidesBoulenger, 1903

Kassina cassinoides, also known as large running frog or silver running frog, is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. [1] [2] [3] [4] It is found in Cameroon and—disjunctly—in West Africa, specifically in (from west to east) in Senegal, the Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Benin. [1] [2] It might occur more broadly, and presumably occurs in Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Nigeria, [1] and Mauritania. [2]

Frog Member of an order of vertebrates belonging to the amphibians, and comprising largely carnivorous, short-bodied, and tailless animals

A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura. The oldest fossil "proto-frog" appeared in the early Triassic of Madagascar, but molecular clock dating suggests their origins may extend further back to the Permian, 265 million years ago. Frogs are widely distributed, ranging from the tropics to subarctic regions, but the greatest concentration of species diversity is in tropical rainforests. There are over 7,000 recorded species, accounting for over 85% of extant amphibian species. They are also one of the five most diverse vertebrate orders. Warty frog species tend to be called toads, but the distinction between frogs and toads is informal, not from taxonomy or evolutionary history.

Hyperoliidae family of amphibians

The Hyperoliidae, sedge and bush frogs, are a large family of small to medium-sized, brightly colored frogs which contains more than 250 species in 19 genera. Seventeen genera are native to sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the monotypic genus Tachycnemis occurs on the Seychelles Islands, and the genus Heterixalus is endemic to Madagascar.

Cameroon Republic in West Africa

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. Although Cameroon is not an ECOWAS member state, it is geographically and historically in West Africa with the Southern Cameroons which now form her Northwest and Southwest Regions having a strong West African history. The country is sometimes identified as West African and other times as Central African due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West and Central Africa.

Contents

Description

Kassina cassinoides, measuring 42–46 mm (1.7–1.8 in) in snout–vent length, is a large member of the genus Kassina. The dorsum is silver-gray to yellow and has six longitudinal stripes, of which the two median ones are close together, often coming together. [3] [4] The toes are slightly webbed and have small disks. The fingers have no webbing [3] Kassina cassinoides is not easy to tell apart from Kassina senegalensis . [1]

<i>Kassina senegalensis</i> species of amphibian

Kassina senegalensis, the Senegal running frog, is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, possibly Benin, possibly Burundi, possibly Republic of the Congo, possibly Eritrea, possibly Guinea-Bissau, possibly Mauritania, and possibly Togo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, swamps, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, pastureland, rural gardens, heavily degraded former forest, ponds, and canals and ditches.

The male advertisement call is similar to other Kassina, but it differs from the calls of the sympatric K. senegalensis and K. fusca by being deeper (it has the lowest-pitched call of its genus [3] ) and more sonorous. [4] The tadpoles are slender and measure 8.5–9.0 mm (0.33–0.35 in) upon hatching and about 55 mm (2.2 in) at the time of metamorphosis. [3]

Kassina fusca is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. Its common name is brown running frog or pale running frog. It is found in the West African savanna zone in Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger, and Nigeria. It probably occurs in Guinea-Bissau, although there are no records from there.

Tadpole larva of amphibians

A tadpole is the larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly that of a frog or toad. They are usually wholly aquatic, though some species have tadpoles that are terrestrial. When first hatched from the egg they have a more or less globular body, a laterally compressed tail and internal or external gills. As they grow they undergo metamorphosis, during which process they grow limbs, develop lungs and reabsorb the tail. Most tadpoles are herbivorous and during metamorphosis the mouth and internal organs are rearranged to prepare for an adult carnivorous lifestyle.

Habitat and conservation

Kassina cassinoides inhabit dry and wooded savannas and gallery forests. Breeding occurs in the rainy season and takes place in temporary water, preferably in large, well-vegetated pools. Males call from the ground or from elevated sites in the vegetation. [1] [3] The species is nocturnal. [3]

Savanna grassland ecosystem

A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland grassland ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of grasses.

Kassina cassinoides is difficult to find, so it might be more common than it appears to be. It is reasonably common in the Comoé National Park (Ivory Coast). The populations might fluctuate significantly. It is believed to be an adaptable species that is not facing significant threats. [1]

Comoé National Park national park

The Comoé National Park is a Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Zanzan and Savanes Districts of north-eastern Ivory Coast. It is the largest protected area in West Africa, with an area of 11,500 km2, and ranges from the humid Guinea savanna to the dry Sudanian zone. This steep climatic north-south gradient allows the park to harbour a multitude of habitats with a remarkable diversity of life. Some animal and plant species even find their last sanctuary in some of the different savanna types, gallery forests, riparian grasslands, rock outcrops or forest islands.

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<i>Hyperolius picturatus</i> species of amphibian

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Kassina cochranae, sometimes known as the Cochran's running frog, is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found in southern Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, western Ivory Coast, and at least tentatively, southern Ghana. Kassina arboricola was for a period treated as a subspecies Kassina cochranae arboricola, but it is now considered a valid species.

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Leptopelis macrotis, sometimes called the big-eyed forest tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in the rainforests of Sierra Leone, southern Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and southern Ghana. Notice that similar common name "big-eyed tree frog" is sometimes used for Leptopelis vermiculatus from Tanzania and for Litoria exophthalmia from New Guinea.

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<i>Leptopelis viridis</i> species of amphibian

Leptopelis viridis is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is widely distributed in the West and Central African savanna zone between Senegal and the Gambia to the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2013). "Kassina cassinoides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T56226A18385494. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T56226A18385494.en.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Kassina cassinoides (Boulenger, 1903)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Kassina cassinoides (Boulenger, 1903)". African Amphibians. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "Kassina cassinoides". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
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