 The name " quagga " is derived from the Khoikhoi word for zebra and is onomatopoeic , being said to resemble the quagga 's call , variously transcribed as " kwa @-@ ha @-@ ha " , " <unk> " , or " <unk> @-@ ga " . The name is still used colloquially for the plains zebra . The quagga was originally classified as a distinct species , Equus quagga , in 1778 by Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert . Traditionally , the quagga and the other plains and mountain zebras were placed in the subgenus Hippotigris . 
