Heleioporus eyrei

Conservation Status

Calling Period

Description

A large species of frog reaching up to 6.5 cm in body length. It has a brown or grey back with white, grey, orange or yellow patches. There is often a pale vertical stripe on the tip of the snout. The belly is white. The pupil is vertical and the iris is silver-grey. Fingers are unwebbed and toes slightly webbed, both without discs. Adult males lack the large black spines on their fingers that are present in other Heleioporus species.

Breeding Biology

Eggs are laid as a foamy mass out of the water inside burrows near swamps and other temporary or permanent water bodies. Tadpoles can reach a total length of up to 7.5 cm and are brown or gold in colour, with very distinct cream-coloured or gold lateral lines along the sides of the body. They often remain on the bottom of water bodies and escape into water after their burrows are flooded, taking four to six months to develop into frogs. Breeds during autumn.

Similar Species

Looks similar to Heleioporus albopunctatus, Heleioporus barycragus, Heleioporus inornatus, and Heleioporus psammophilus in its distribution, but lacks the yellow stripe from the eye to the arm present in Heleioporus barycragus, and distinct white or cream spots on the back as present in Heleioporus albopunctatus. It can most easily be distinguished from Heleioporus inornatus and Heleioporus psammophilus by its call.