Red-legged running frog
| Red-legged running frog | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Hyperoliidae |
| Genus: | Kassina |
| Species: | K. maculata |
| Binomial name | |
|
Kassina maculata (A.H.A. Duméril, 1853) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Hylambates maculatus Duméril, 1853 | |
Hylambates maculatus Duméril, 1853
Kassina poweri Hoffman, 1944
Kassina maculata is a frog species of the family Hyperoliidae. They are silvery greyish-brown with dark brown to black spots, and derive their name from bright red coloring on the ventral side of their hind legs. Adult body length is typically 6 to 7.5 centimeters. These frogs have vertical pupils. Common names include red-legged running frog, brown-spotted tree frog, red-legged Kassina, red-legged pan frog, spotted running frog, tiger leg running frog, and vlei frog.
K. maculata is endemic to the tropical and sub-tropical areas of Africa's east coast (Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Swaziland). The frog thrives in varying terrain including shrubland, grassland, savannah, and forest as long as there exists a ready source of fresh water or high humidity. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, temperate grassland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, swamps, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marches, arable land, pastureland, rural gardens, heavily degraded former forest, water storage areas, and ponds. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Red-legged running frogs are nocturnal, and therefore somewhat elusive to humans—preferring to burrow under loose soil or hide in dense vegetation during the day. At night they take to climbing trees and tall shrubs to feed mainly on a diet of insects and insect larvae.
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Wikipedia