The Salmon-striped Frog (Limnodynastes salmini) is a species of ground dwelling frog native to southeastern Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

 and northern New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.

Physical description

It is a large species of frog reaching about 75 mm in length. It is brown above with spots and blotches of darker brown. The predominant feature of this species is the 3 pink, orange or red-brown stripes running down the dorsal surface, with two on each side and one down the back. There is also an orange raised bar running from under the eye to the shoulder. The armpit is orange. The belly is white while the thighs are mottled black and white. The iris is golden.

Ecology and behaviour

It is often a burrowing

Fossorial

A fossorial organism is one that is adapted to digging and life underground such as the badger, the naked mole rat, and the mole salamanders Ambystomatidae...

 species and will spend time underground or under logs and rocks to avoid drought

Drought

A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...

. It is associated with dams, flooded areas and ditches in open areas or woodland

Woodland

Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...

. Males make an "unk-unk-unk" call from vegetation in water after heavy rains in spring, summer and autumn.

About 1500 eggs

Egg (biology)

An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...

 are laid in floating foamy masses. Tadpole

Tadpole

A tadpole or polliwog is the wholly aquatic larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly that of a frog or toad.- Appellation :...

s hatch about 3 to 4 days after laying. Tadpoles are very dark brown and reach 67 mm. Tadpole development takes about 43 days in water temperature of 30 degrees Celsius. Metamorphs measure 13-20 mm and resemble tha adult however stripes are paler.

Similar species

It is similar to the Striped Marsh Frog

Striped Marsh Frog

The Striped Marsh Frog or Brown-striped Frog is a predominantly aquatic frog native to eastern Australia. It is distributed from North Queensland, through all of coastal New South Wales, Southern Victoria to eastern South Australia and Northern Tasmania.-Physical description:This frog reaches...

, from which it can be distinguished by the orange or red stripes.