Rocket Frog
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| Litoria nasuta Gray, 1842 |
Litoria nasuta commonly known as the Rocket Frog or Striped Rocket Frog occurs mostly in coastal areas from northern Western Australia to around Gosford in New South Wales at its southern most point, with a disjunct population occurring further south at the Sydney suburb of Avalon. It also inhabits the southern lowlands and south east peninsula of Papua New Guinea.
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[edit] Physical description
This species of frog is very variable in colour and patterning. It reaches 55 mm in length, has extremely long legs and is very streamlined. Its dorsal surface is shades of brown with longitudinal skin folds or warts that are darker in colour than the skin around them. The ventral surface is white and granular. A brown stripe starts from the nostril, goes through the eye, through the tympanum and ends between the armpit and groin. The tympanum is brown with a white circle surrounding it. The thighs are marked with black lines on a yellow background. Throats of breeding males are yellow. Although being a 'tree frog' this species spends most of its life as a frog on the land, due to its inability to climb because of its small discs.
[edit] Ecology and behaviour
This frog inhabits swamps, ponds and flooded grasslands in forests and open woodland. The call is a 'wick... wick' repeated several times followed by a 'but... but' the call may last for several seconds. Males call from spring through to early autumn while sitting around the bank of a water body or in shallow water. Breeding increases after rain.
[edit] Similar species
This species is a member of the Rocket Frog complex. This complex includes many species, for example Freycinet's Frog (Litoria freycienti) and Broad Palmed Frog (Litoria latopalmata). All species in this complex are very agile jumpers and often contain "Rocket Frog" in the common name and have a duck like quacking or wicking call. Litoria nasuta is sympatric with every species in this complex through at least part of its range. The dorsolateral stripes and skin folds on this species are best used to distinguish this species from other species in the complex. The Australian wood frog, (Rana daemeli) is physically similar to this species and others in the complex. R. daemeli and L. nasuta both occur in the northern part of the Cape York peninsula in Queensland.
[edit] References
- Anstis, M. 2002. Tadpoles of South-eastern Australia. Reed New Holland: Sydney.
- Robinson, M. 2002. A Field Guide to Frogs of Australia. Australian Museum/Reed New Holland: Sydney.
- Frogs Australia Network-frog call available here
