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Litoria rubella

Red 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

A medium-sized species of frog reaching up to 3.5 cm in body length. It has a red-brown, brown, or pale grey back, with or without darker patches or mottling. There is a dark brown stripe from the tip of the snout to the groin, sometimes ending at the arm, or becoming patches at the side. The belly is white, and the male has a grey throat. The pupil is horizontal and the iris is gold. The groin is sometimes pale yellow. Fingers are slightly webbed and toes are half webbed, both with large discs.

Breeding Biology

Eggs are laid as small clusters that are attached to vegetation near the surface of the water in ponds, dams, flooded ditches, and most other available still fresh water bodies. Tadpoles can reach a total length of up to 5.5 cm, and are grey-brown in colour, sometimes with many black spots. They often swim in the mid-depths and surface areas of water bodies, and take around one month to develop into frogs. Breeds during spring to autumn.

Similar Species

Looks similar to Litoria electrica in its distribution, but lacks the darker horizontal V-shaped or butterfly-shaped patches on its back and has a different call.

Images

Photo: Stephen Mahony

Photo: Stephen Mahony

Photo: Jodi Rowley

Photo: Jodi Rowley

Calls

By: Paul Doughty

By: Dane Trembath

By: Darren McMullin

By: Vic Patterson

By: Jake Hart

Distribution

Found throughout all of QLD, the NT, the northern half of WA, most of NSW and northern SA.

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