A medium-sized species of frog reaching up to 3.5 cm in body length. It has a dark brown or yellow-brown back. There is a dark brown stripe from the tip of the snout to the side, underneath which there is a cream-coloured or yellow stripe along the upper lip to the arm. The belly is white. The pupil is horizontal and the iris is reddish-brown in the upper half, and dark brown in the lower half. Fingers are unwebbed and toes are half-webbed, both with large discs.
Eggs have not been described, but are likely to be a single cluster attached to rocks under the surface of the water in rock pools. Tadpoles can reach a total length of up to 5.5 cm and are nearly black in colour, with distinct yellow longitudinal stripes along the back and side. If viewed from the side, the lower half of the body will be white, clearly separated from the colour of the back. They often remain at the mid depths and surface of water bodies, and it is unknown how long they take to develop into frogs. Breeds during summer in the wet season.
Looks very similar to the many other rocket frog species in its distribution, but can generally be distinguished by a combination of: smaller size, snout and face colour pattern, and lacking yellow on the sides.
Photo: Adam Parsons
Photo: Jodi Rowley
Photo: Adam Parsons
By: Chris Jolly
Found in western Arnhem Land in the NT.