Wotjulum Frog

Litoria watjulumensis (Copland 1957)

Species Info Card | Updated 1 decade ago

A medium-sized elongate frog with a long pointed head and long limbs. The fingers are long and unwebbed while the toes are fully webbed; both have large terminal discs. Variable in colour and pattern: usually uniform pale brown on the back, but sometimes with blotches of darker grey or brown. A broad dark stripe runs from the snout to the forearms on each side of the head, and the sides are often a bright yellow. Shin edged with black. Females can be much larger than males - maximum sizes 7 vs. 4 cm.

Breeding Biology

Occurs in slow-flowing sections of rocky creeks or temporary pools. From 30-200 eggs are laid in clumps in temporary pools. Mottled brown attaining a size of about 4 cm. Larval period is long - up to 2 months.

Habitat

In the dry season associated with permanent or semi-permanent rocky creek lines, but extends more widely in the wet season.

Etymology

Named after the Wotjulum Aboriginal community in WA (although the scientific name was misspelt with an 'a' and is not correctable by the rules of taxononmy).

General

A true late night frog, with full choruses only occurring from around midnight until past dawn (one of the few frogs to continue to call simultaneously with the dawn chorus of birds).

Kimberley region. Also extends to northern NT and Queensland.

A very complex series of chuckles, clicks and rattles that can sound like an excited chicken. A full call lasts for about 30 seconds. Males begin to call in earnest well after midnight and continue past dawn (resulting in a dawn chorus of bird and frog calls).