Cover photo by Johan Kritzinger.
Find the Namaqua Caco in the FBIS database (Freshwater Biodiversity Information System) here.
Family Pyxicephalidae
Identification
The Namaqua Caco is a small frog that reaches a maximum length of 25mm. It has a narrow head and a broad body.
The upper surface is granular, and the colouration consists of pale brown and beige blotches, and there is a distinct pale triangle on the head. The undersides are pale with large dark markings, and the throat area carries grey mottling. The namaqua Caco is well camouflaged.
Habitat
The Namaqua Caco occurs in the winter-rainfall regions of Namaqualand and the Richtersveld, mainly in Upland Succulent Karoo vegetation. The annual precipitation is low, averaging 150–300 mm (Schulze 1997). There are a few records of this species in Bushmanland, where rainfall occurs mainly during late summer and autumn and the vegetation type is Bushmanland Nama Karoo.
The species is generally associated with rocky granitic outcrops, locally referred to as “Namaqualand klipkoppies”, where it shelters under stones and exfoliating granite or in cracks during the dry season, emerging in wet periods to feed and reproduce. It is highly cryptic with blotches of beige and brown and stippled markings that break up its outline, enabling it to blend with the granite substrate.
Breeding takes place in temporary pools formed in eroded “tanks” in granitic bedrock, rocky streambeds, permanent pools and seeps or springs in granitic inselbergs, but the species has also adapted well to breeding in man-made dams, quarries and borrow-pits.
Behaviour
Breeding is opportunistic and correlated with sparse rainfall events. Calling has been recorded after rains in July, August, September, October, November, March and April. Little is known of the breeding biology of this species, although Channing (2001) recorded the laying of two clutches containing 43 and 69 eggs respectively. Males call from beneath vegetation or from exposed positions at or near the water’s edge. The advertisement call is a repeated, nasal bleat, frequently followed by a clicking territorial call. Calling is antiphonal, producing an almost continuous chorus. Males engage in territorial disputes when other males approach too closely. The only known predators are large toads.
Status and Conservation
The Namaqua Caco is a common frog in Namaqualand and the Richtersveld, and it does not appear to be threatened. It is known to occur in two protected areas: the Richtersveld National Park and the Goegap Nature Reserve. Its presence in the recently proclaimed Namaqualand National Park is unconfirmed.
Small-stock farming is the principal form of land use in the area, and has created a variety of new breeding sites for C. namaquense in the form of small dams and other impoundments. Although the regions in which the Namaqua Caco occurs have low urbanisation and industrial potential owing to their aridity, there is significant mining activity in the region, mostly for copper. The impact of this on C. namaquense is unknown.
A more tangible threat to this species could come from the quarrying of granite. These frogs aestivate in cracks in the rock, thus they are vulnerable to quarrying, as are many other endemic reptiles and invertebrates. Accordingly, any new quarrying activity in this region should be strictly controlled and monitored by conservation authorities, including insistence on the completion of full environmental impact studies before new permits are issued.
Distribution
The Namaqua Caco is found throughout Namaqualand, except for a narrow strip along the coast and most of the low-lying Knersvlakte. The distribution continues inland up to the escarpment. The species is recorded just east of Vanrhynsdorp (3118DB) in the south, and extends northwards beyond the atlas region into southern Namibia as far as the Hunsberg (2716DD). Its distribution extends eastwards into Bushmanland as far as the Ghaamsberg (2919AC). There are also southeasterly inland records from the Calvinia district (3019CD, 3119AB). Since the known distribution of C. namaquense is strongly correlated with the sparse road network in the area, its range is likely to be more extensive. The atlas data are reliable but incomplete.
Further Resources
The use of photographs by Johan Kritzinger is acknowledged.
Namaqua Caco Cacosternum namaquense Werner, 1910
Other Common Names: Namaqua Dainty Frog (Alternative English Name); Namakwa Blikslanertjie (Afrikaans)
Recommended citation format: Scott, E; Tippett, RM. (2025). Namaqua Caco Cacosternum namaquense. Biodiversity and Development Institute, Cape Town. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2022/02/17/namaqua-caco-cacosternum-namaquense/
This species text has been updated and expanded from the text in the
2004 frog atlas: Scott, E. (2004). Namaqua Caco Cacosternum namaquense. In Minter LR et al 2004.
References:
Minter, LR; Burger, M; Harrison, JA; Braack, HH; Bishop, PJ; Kloepfer, D. (Editors). (2004). Atlas and Red Data Book of the Frogs of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, and Avian Demography
Unit, Cape Town.
Carruthers, V; du Preez, L. (2017). Frogs of southern Africa: A Complete Guide. Struik Nature, Cape Town.
Channing, A. (2001) Amphibians of Central and Southern Africa. Protea Book House, Pretoria
