Tusked Frog
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 Male Tusked Frog.
 Female Tusked Frog.
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| Adelotus brevis Günther, 1863 |
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 Range of the Tusked Frog
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The Tusked Frog, (Adelotus brevis) is a species of ground-dwelling from native to eastern Australia from Eungella National Park, Queensland south to Ourimbah, New South Wales. It is the only species in the Adelotus genus.
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[edit] Physical description
The Tusked Frog is a unique frog within Australia, as it is the only species where the female is smaller than male. Males can reach a maximum length of about 5 centimetres (2 in), while females reach 4 centimetres (1.6 in). The common name of "Tusked Frog" is derived from the small protrusions on the lower jaw, similar in position to tusks, which can reach about 5mm in length in males. Male Tusked Frogs have a dispropotionally large sized head, compared to the body, and females have a smaller proportioned sized head than males. The dorsal surface of the frog is normally brown, but can be olive to black, with low ridges, warts and irrigular darker markings. The ventral surface of this species is marbled black and white and the thighs are marbled red and black.
[edit] Ecology and behaviour
The Tusked Frog is associated with dams, ditches, flooded grassland and creeks in rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest and woodland. It is known from coastal and highland areas, however it has suffered declines in many highland areas, particularly the New England Tablelands of New South Wales.
Males create hidden nest sites in leaf litter and vegetation in streams and the edges of dams. This species has a call like "tok-tok", males call from the nest site and can be difficult to find. Breeding takes place in spring and summer and eggs are laid as a foamy mass in the nest, hidden from sunlight. The eggs are white in colour and lack pigment.
The tusks of the Tusked Frog are modified teeth, found in the mouth, on the lower jaw. The tusks are slightly curved and pointed, and fit into small grooves in the roof of the mouth. The males have larger tusks than females. The males have been known to fight, bighting each other under the head, and around the neck. This behaviour has presumably led to the sexual dimorphism of larger heads, body size and tusks to increase success of fights (Katsirakos & Shine 1997).
 The ventral surface of the Tusked Frog |
 Spawn of the Tusked Frog, note the unpigmented eggs |
 Tusks of a male Tusked Frog |
[edit] References
- Anstis, M. (2002): Tadpoles of South-eastern Australia. Reed New Holland, Sydney.
- Katsirakos & Shine (1997): Sexual dimorphism in the tusked frog, Adelotus brevis (Anura: Myobatrachidae): the roles of natural and sexual selection. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 60(1): 39-51. HTML abstract
- Robinson, M. (2002): A Field Guide to Frogs of Australia. Australian Museum/Reed New Holland, Sydney.
[edit] External links
- Frog Australia Network: Tusked Frog call.
