Mixophyes balbus
Southern Barred Frog
Conservation Status
Calling Period
Description
A large species of frog reaching up to 10 cm in body length. It has a brown or grey-brown back, with a darker longitudinal stripe or series of patches along the middle. There is a black stripe from the nostril to past the eye, and a black triangular patch on the tip of the snout. The belly is white or yellow. The pupil is vertical and the iris is dark brown, with a blue crescent in the upper half. The legs and arms have dark horizontal bars. Fingers are unwebbed and toes are three-quarters webbed, both without discs.
Breeding Biology
Eggs are laid loosely or in clusters in very shallow water in wet gravel or leaf litter nests that are dug next to rocky streams. Tadpoles can reach a total length of up to 8 cm, and are dark grey or nearly black in colour. They often remain at the bottom of water bodies and take at least 15 months to develop into frogs. Breeds during spring to autumn after rain.
Similar Species
Looks similar to all Mixophyes fasciolatus and Mixophyes iteratus in its distribution, but has a different eye colour to both of these species, and is generally smaller than Mixophyes iteratus.
Images
Photo: Jodi Rowley
Photo: Jodi Rowley
Photo: Jodi Rowley
Photo: Stephen Mahony
Photo: Stephen Mahony
Calls
By: Jodi Rowley
By: Jodi Rowley
Distribution
Formerly found from northern NSW south to northeastern VIC along the coast and ranges, but has declined severely due to the amphibian chytrid fungus and is now only known from populations north of Sydney, NSW, excluding far northern NSW near the border with QLD.