Description A large (Males 37-44 mm, females 46 mm) terrestrial Kassina from the forest in West Africa. Dorsum grey with 2-4 large, irregular dark patches along the dorsal midline. Ventrum black with small white or light blue spots. Sides dark red. Limbs very slender with transverse stripes. Hind limbs short. These frogs tend to crawl sluggishly rather than jump.
A curious defence reaction was observed: when handled the frog would bend its back and put its head between its arms which together with the legs were held close to the body, the animal thus forming itself into a small, immobile and unrecognisable ball.
Voice. - The males call from the forest floor, half-hidden under roots and fallen branches in dense forest away from water. The voice is a typical Kassina call but with a rather long duration, and with a purer tonal quality that that of the sympatric K. cochranae.
Distribution and Habitat
Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Cote d'Ivoire
The few known specimens were collected while calling in a very dense forest with tangled undergrowth of creepers, roots and fallen branches, but no grass. Only very few males were heard at the localities. Known from Côte d'Ivoire.
Comments This account was taken from "Treefrogs of Africa" by Arne Schiøtz with kind permission from Edition Chimaira publishers, Frankfurt am Main.
References
Schiøtz, A. (1999). Treefrogs of Africa. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.
Originally submitted by: Arne Schiøtz (first posted 2001-01-30)
Edited by: Kellie Whittaker (2008-09-10)Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2008 Kassina lamottei <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/3689> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 22, 2024.
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Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 22 Nov 2024.
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