Western Spotted Frog

Heleioporus albopunctatus Gray 1841

Species Info Card | Updated 1 decade ago

This species is one of the more conspicuous in its patterning. The background colour is a medium to chocolate-brown, while the body is coloured with numerous white to pale yellow spots several millimetres in diameter. The maximum length for this species is 10 cm, and, as with other members of the genus, it has a robust, globular build with powerful hind limbs and large protruding eyes. Males have a large sharp spine on the first finger.

Breeding Biology

Males dig burrows in low-lying areas that become inundated after autumn and winter rains. Males call from within the burrow to attract females after which eggs are deposited at the bottom of the burrows in damp soil. The eggs masses of this species are white and foamy. As many as 600 eggs may be laid in each mass. Rising water levels of swamps and creeks caused by winter rains eventually flood the burrows, allowing the tadpoles to wriggle free of the egg mass and swim out of the burrows. Males only call for a month or so after the first rains in autumn.

Tadpoles are dark to pale brown with a series of thin, light coloured lines on either side. Tadpoles may be found in flooded burrows during early stages of development. Eventually they are washed in to larger water bodies where they are usually located on the bottom close to aquatic vegetation which they use for cover when disturbed. Development takes from 2-3 months.

Habitat

The Western Spotted Frog occupies the margins of temporary water courses and swamps in the wheatbelt and other semi-arid regions.

Etymology

albo means 'white' and punctatus means 'spot'; thus, 'white-spotted'.

General

Western Spotted Frogs are known to interbreed with the moaning frog where they co-occur in the Darling Range behind Perth.

The Western Spotted Frog is found through most of the wheatbelt extending north to the lower Murchison River, south to Tambellup and east to Jerramungup. Not found on the Coastal Plain.

The call is a 'coo' sound repeated about once per second.