A small species of frog reaching up to nearly 3 cm in body length. It has an orange or red back, with small black spots or patches. There is black or grey on the sides of the body and head, clearly separated from the back colour. The belly has black and white marbling. The pupil is horizontal, and the iris is gold. The top sides of the arms and legs have orange or red patches, and the undersurfaces are grey or black. Fingers and toes are unwebbed, both without discs.
Eggs are laid as one small cluster on land under moist leaf litter, rocks and logs, and in muddy holes in the ground. The nest is guarded by the male, as it is with other Pseudophryne species. Tadpoles can reach a total length of up to 2.5 cm, and are dark grey or brown in colour with black mottling. They are released into water bodies after the nest is flooded by rain, and take at least two months to develop into frogs once released. Breeds during any time of the year after rain, possibly excluding winter.
Looks similar to Pseudophryne bibronii, Pseudophryne major, and Pseudophryne raveni in its distribution, but Pseudophryne bibronii and Pseudophryne major both lack clearly separated side and back colours, while Pseudophryne raveni is generally duller in colour.
Photo: Jodi Rowley
Photo: Stephen Mahony
Photo: Jodi Rowley
By: Jodi Rowley
By: Stephen Mahony
By: Ben Revell
Found in northeastern NSW and southeast QLD along the coast and ranges.