Austrochaperina adelphe

Conservation Status

Calling Period

Description

A small species of frog reaching up to 2 cm in body length. It has a brown or brown-grey back, often with small dark brown spots and flecks, and sometimes a thin, pale longitudinal stripe along the middle. There is a dark brown stripe from the tip of the snout to the groin, below which the side and head colour are clearly separated from the back colour. There are sometimes blue specks on the sides. The belly is grey, with pale spots. The pupil is horizontal and the iris is gold in the upper half and dark brown in the lower half. Fingers and toes are unwebbed, both without discs.

Breeding Biology

Eggs are laid as one small cluster on land in a hidden area of moist leaf litter and the nest is guarded by the male, as it is with other Austrochaperina species. Tadpoles never swim in water; instead they develop inside the egg and hatch as little frogs after 23 days. Breeds during summer in the wet season.

Similar Species

Does not look similar to any other species in its distribution.