Description
Males 35-39 mm SVL, females 37-40 mm; 31-50 large spots on back and flanks, males with slightly more spots on dorsum and flanks than females; spots arranged in 5-7 longitudinal rows; lower flanks gray; females lack a gular flap and throat invariably unpigmented; light border of spots almost invisible in preservation; gular flap white in some preserved males; a few specimens with scattered spots on venter; reddish color of groin occasionally faded or absent, especially in females; 2-4 dark bars on femur and lower leg; living specimens with fine granular skin on the dorsum; a small outer metatarsal tubercle present in some specimens; females with swollen anal lobes.

The color in life is olive green to beige with dark brown on the dorsum, round to oval-shaped spots; spots with fine light yellow borders; groin area yellowish orange to reddish; posterior border of eye bluish; iris golden; throat blackish; venter white.

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea

	View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.
	View Bd and Bsal data (1 records).

One specimen (MNHN 1998.2116) was collected in a mountainous savanna habitat on the Guinean part of Mont Nimba. All other K. schioetzi known so far originated from the northern rain forest zone (Mont Péko National Park) and the Guinea savanna of Ivory Coast. We believe that the species occurs in similar habitats in northwestern Ghana.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Our records include specimens from mountainous savanna on Mont Nimba, degenerated rain forest (Mont Péko National Park ), gallery forest (Comoé National Park ), and savanna ponds in the vicinity of island or gallery forests (Marahoué National Park, Comoé National Park ). The latter habitat is also inhabited in the V-Baoulé, central Ivory Coast (Lamotte, 1967; Barbault, 1972).

The extremely short advertisement call is tonal with an upward frequency sweep characteristic of the genus Kassina. Most notably, calls of K. schioetzi are tonal with only one male from Mont Péko National Park showing amplitude modulation (AM) with two pulses. Rödel (2000) reports an advertisement call from the type locality under the name K. cochranae.

In the Comoé National Park K. schioetzi males called both from the ground and elevated perches, 1-6 m above ground, typically 20-50 meters from temporary savanna ponds. In Marahoué National Park males called at least 30 m away from ponds in bushes and trees. In Mont Péko National Park calling K. schioetzi sat in bushes and trees from the immediate vicinity of pond edges to up to 50 m away. Habitats used for reproduction comprised mostly larger, heavily vegetated savanna ponds in close vicinity to gallery, secondary or islands forests. Eggs and tadpoles have been described by Rödel (1996) under the name K. cochranae.

Rödel (2000) gave further details of phenology and biology from Comoé National Park, including the defense strategy in males of feigning death.

Comments
This species is dedicated to A. Schiøtz, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the knowledge of African treefrogs.

References

Barbault, R. (1972). ''Les peuplements d'amphibiens des savanes de Lamto (Côte d'Ivoire).'' Annales de l'Universite d'Abidjan, Série E, 5, 59-142.

Lamotte, M. (1967). ''Les batraciens de la région de Gpakobo (Côte d’Ivoire).'' Bulletin de l’Institut fondamental d’Afrique noire, Série A, 29, 218-294.

Rödel, M. O. (2000). Herpetofauna of West Africa, Vol. I. Amphibians of the West African Savanna. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt, Germany.

Rödel, M.-O. (1996). Amphibien der westafrikanischen Savanne. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.

Rödel, M.-O., Grafe, T.U., Rudolf, V.H.W., and Ernst, R. (2002). ''A review of West African Spotted Kassina, including a description of Kassina schioetzi sp. nov. (Amphibia: Anura: Hyperoliidae).'' Copeia, 2002(3), 800-814.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2021 Kassina schioetzi: Schiøtz's Running Frog <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/6027> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 17, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 17 Nov 2024.

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