The Centralian Tree Frog (Litoria gilleni) is a large species of tree frog

Tree frog

Hylidae is a wide-ranging family of frogs commonly referred to as "tree frogs and their allies". However, the hylids include a diversity of frog species, many of which do not live in trees, but are terrestrial or semi-aquatic.-Characteristics:...

 native to a small area in central Australia

Central Australia

Central Australia/Alice Springs Region is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory. The term Central Australia is used to describe an area centred on Alice Springs in Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Centralia; likewise the people of the area are sometimes called Centralians...

. It is closely related to the Australian Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea), and closely resembles it in appearance.

Physical description

The Centralian Tree Frog is a large, tree frog reaching a length of 8 centimetres (3.1 in) in females and 6.2 centimetres (2.4 in) in males. The dorsal surface is green or olive green, while the ventral surface is white. The large fold covers the top portion of the tympanum, which is visible. The toe pads are large, the feet webbed and hands are one-third webbed. The only physical feature which can distinguish the Centralian Tree Frog from the Australian Green Tree Frog is a lot of white spots on the dorsal surface. There are many Australian Green Tree Frogs with these spots, however they are generally in the Centralian Tree Frog.

Ecology and behaviour

The habitat of the Centralian Tree Frog are rock gorges with water holes, either permanent or temporary. The frog will hide during the day beneath rocks, and hunt and mate during the cooler night. The call of the Centralian Tree Frog is a slow barking call, similar to the Australian Green Tree Frog.

The Centralian Tree Frog inhabits the MacDonnell Ranges

MacDonnell Ranges

The MacDonnell Ranges of the Northern Territory, are a long series of mountain ranges located in the centre of Australia , and consist of parallel ridges running to the east and west of Alice Springs...

in central Australia. This confined distribution is not inhabited by the Australian Green Tree Frog, which allows easy identification.