Rock Frog

Litoria coplandi (Tyler 1968)

Species Info Card | Updated 1 decade ago

A small to medium-sized (up to 4 cm) wide-bodied yet agile frog. Tympanum distinct. The fingers are long, slender and unwebbed with large terminal discs, the legs are long and the toes are fully webbed. They are uniform pale brown, sometimes with a darker mottling, usually with a pale bar between the eyes.

Breeding Biology

Breeds in slow-flowing sections of rocky creeks. Males usually call singly, not forming large choruses. Females lay the eggs one at a time in rocky pools or streams. Tadpoles are dark brown or black with a distinctive large white spot on either side of the base of the tail. They attain a length of about 5 cm.

Habitat

Rocks associated with streams, and sometimes encountered in caves.

Etymology

Named for S.J. Copland, an Australian frog taxonomist active in the 1950s.

General

Rock frogs are agile climbers that frequent the edges of rocky creeks and rockholes. They are known to skip across the water as a means of escape when approached too closely.

Kimberley region. Also occurs in the Northern Territory and Queensland.

A high-pitched whirring that increases in volume over 20-30 seconds; interspersed with soft chortles.