Kassina

Kassina are a genus of hyperoliid frogs, commonly referred to as running frogs. They are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. They are characterized by preferring a distinctive "walking" with the back legs instead of the more traditional frog hopping ^[1].

Species

There are 14 recognized species in the genus Kassina:

• Ivory Coast Running Frog, Kassina arboricola (Perret, 1985)
• Silver Running Frog, Kassina cassinoides (Boulenger, 1903)
• Cochran’s Running Frog, Kassina cochranae (Loveridge, 1941)
• Brown Running Frog, Kassina fusca (Schiøtz, 1967)
• Kassina jozani Msuya et al., 2006
• Kuvangu Running Frog, Kassina kuvangensis (Monard, 1937)
• Rainforest Running Frog, Kassina lamottei (Schiøtz, 1967)
• Red-legged Running Frog, Kassina maculata (Duméril, 1853)
• Parker’s Running Frog, Kassina maculifer (Ahl, 1924)
• Marbled Running Frog, Kassina maculosa (Sternfeld, 1917)
• Mertens’ Running Frog, Kassina mertensi (Laurent, 1952)
• Schiøtz's Running Frog, Kassina schioetzi (Rödel, Grafe, Rudolf & Ernst, 2002)
• Senegal Running Frog, Kassina senegalensis (Duméril & Bibron, 1841)
• Somalian Running Frog, Kassina somalica (Scortecci, 1932)

In captivity

K. maculata is frequently exported from Tanzania for the exotic pet trade.

Research

It is the source of "Kassinin", a frequently studied tachykinin peptide.

References

• "Kassina". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=208079. Retrieved 17 July 2006. 

External links

• Grace R, Lynn A, Cowsik S (2001). "Lipid induced conformation of the tachykinin peptide Kassinin.". J Biomol Struct Dyn 18 (4): 611–21, 623–5. PMID 11245256. 
• Perfumi M, de Caro G, Panocka I, Polidori C, Massi M (1988). "Effects of kassinin, a tachykinin of the skin of the African frog Kassina senegalensis, on body fluid homeostasis in rats.". Pharmacol Res Commun. 20 Suppl 5: 67–70. PMID 3247356. 
• MeSH Kassinin
• Amphibian Species of the World: Kassina