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Litoria dayi

Australian Lace-Lid

Conservation Status

EPBC:

Vulnerable

IUCN:

Vulnerable

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 6 cm in body length. It has a grey-brown, yellow-brown or reddish-brown back, with or without several cream-coloured patches or spots. The belly is cream-coloured. The pupil is horizontal and the iris is nearly black, making it difficult to distinguish from the pupil. There is also a distinct pattern of cream-coloured veins on the lower eyelid. Fingers are half-webbed and toes are nearly fully webbed, both with large discs.

Breeding Biology

Eggs are laid under or just above the surface of the water as a cluster that sticks to rocks in fast flowing streams. Tadpoles can reach a total length of 3.5 cm, and are yellow in colour when young, changing to grey with gold mottling, or black and white mottling, when older. They use their mouthparts to stick to rocks in order to avoid being swept away by flowing water, and take three to four months to develop into frogs. Breeds during spring to summer.

Similar Species

Looks similar to Litoria lorica, Litoria nannotis, Litoria nyakalensis, and Litoria rheocola in its distribution, but all of these species lack a nearly black iris.

Images

Photo: Jodi Rowley

Photo: Jodi Rowley

Photo: Jodi Rowley

Photo: Jodi Rowley

Calls

By: Stephen Mahony

By: Chris Roach

By: Wise Hok Wai Lum

Distribution

Formerly found throughout all elevations in the Wet Tropics region of QLD, but has declined severely due to the amphibian chytrid fungus, and is now known only from lower elevations in the region.

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