Black-shinned Rocket Frog

Litoria tornieri (Neiden 1923)

Species Info Card | Updated 1 decade ago

A small to medium-sized elongate ground-dwelling frog. The head is long and pointed, with long unwebbed fingers, half-webbed toes and long legs. The body is pale or yellowish brown, but can be a rich brick red in the evenings, occasionally with yellow patches. There are thin black lines along the shins. Dark bands on sides of head end abruptly past the eardrum, often with isolated elements of the stripe further along the body. Back of the thighs is marked with yellow and black. To 3.6 cm SVL.

Breeding Biology

Males call from cover within 3 m of water from December to February during the wet season. Eggs are laid in large clumps in temporarily flooded areas. From 50-350 eggs per clutch. Tadpoles have a larval period of six to seven weeks. They are brown with long pointed tails and reach a size of 5 cm.

Habitat

Occurs near the edges of shallow permanent swamps and flooded grasslands.

Etymology

The species name is a replacement name coined by a German taxonomist who named it after his boss.

General

Little is known about this species in the Kimberley.

Western Kimberley. Also occurs in northern NT but the tw populations do not connect.

Quickly repeated modulated calls - 'merk...merk...merk'. Males call almost continuously in large choruses on warm, wet nights.