''Kassina kuvangensis'' is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

in the family

Hyperoliidae The Hyperoliidae, or sedge frogs 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 ...

. It is found in south-central

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

and northern and western

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

. Its range probably extends into the southern

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. It is also known as the Kuvangu running frog, Kuvango running frog, and Kuvangu kassina.

Description

Adult males measure in snout–vent length. The dorsum is dark with indistinct darker spots, or uniformly dark. The ventrum is light, sometimes having indications of dark reticulation. The concealed parts of legs are marbled in red and grey. The

gular Gular is of or pertaining to the throat, and may more specifically refer to: * Gular scales in reptiles * Gular scute, or gular projection, in turtles and tortoises * Gular fold in lizards * Gular skin, or gular sac, in birds and some gibbons Ot ...

disc is round rather than strap-like. The finger and the toe tips are not dilated. The males call in very large numbers from flooded grasslands. The call is a very fast, somewhat irregular series of relatively unmelodic "quoicks". Females lay up to 130 eggs in a sticky clump. The

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...

s are bright yellow with darker mottling. They are large, measuring up to in length, including a very high fin.

Habitat and conservation

''Kassina kuvangensis'' is associated with dense swamps and flooded grasslands in wooded

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) 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 ...

. Breeding takes place in flooded grasslands, marshes, and slow-flowing streams in dense vegetation. It is a common species that is unlikely to face significant threats. It is likely to occur in several protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1945166 kuvangensis Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Angola Amphibians of Zambia Taxa named by Albert Monard Amphibians described in 1937 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot