Litoria infrafrenata

Conservation Status

Calling Period

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.