Kassina lamottei Schiøtz 1967

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.This account was taken from "Treefrogs of Africa" by Arne Schiøtz with kind permission from Edition Chimaira (http://www.chimaira.de/) publishers, Frankfurt am Main.

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.

Kassina lamottei is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, possibly Guinea, and possibly Liberia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and intermittent freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss.

These frogs have short hind limbs and tend to crawl sluggishly rather than jump. When threatened the frog bends its back and put its head between its arms which, together with the legs, are held close to the body. The animal thus forms itself into a small, immobile and unrecognisable ball.