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Litoria infrafrenata

White-lipped Tree Frog

Conservation Status

EPBC:

Unlisted

IUCN:

Least Concern

Calling Period

Possible
Yes
Peak
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Description

Australia's largest species of frog, reaching up to 13.5 cm in body length. The back is bright green, bronze, or in rare cases yellow, and becomes dark when the frog is cold or inactive. There is a distinct white stripe along the lower lip that extends to the shoulder. The belly is white, and the male has a green throat. The pupil is horizontal, and the iris is gold. There is a white stripe on the lower leg, which becomes pink in males during the breeding season, as do the hands, feet, and sides. Fingers are half-webbed and toes are fully webbed, both with large discs.

Breeding Biology

Eggs are laid as a large cluster on the surface of the water in forest pools, swamps, and even garden ponds. Tadpoles can reach a total length of up to nearly 6cm, and are dark brown in colour with two distinct light brown stripes from the tip of the snout to the tail. They often swim at the surface of water bodies, and take one to two and a half months to develop into frogs. Breeds during late spring to summer in the wet season.

Similar Species

Looks similar to Litoria caerulea in its distribution, but has a distinct white stripe along the lower lip.

Images

Photo: Jodi Rowley

Photo: Stephen Mahony

Photo: Jodi Rowley

Calls

By: Kim Bels

By: Jessica Herring

By: Peter Stein

Distribution

Found in from the Cape York region, south through the Wet Tropics to Townsville in QLD. A population also occurs further south around Airlie Beach and Proserpine.

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