The Wallum Froglet is a species of ground-dwelling frog native to the east coast of 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...

, from southeast Queensland to Kurnell, NSW. It is strongly associated with Wallum

Wallum

Wallum, or Wallum country, is an Australian ecosystem of coastal south-east Queensland, extending into north-eastern New South Wales. It is characterised by floristically-rich shrubland and heathland on deep, nutrient-poor acidic sandy soils and regular wildfire. Seasonal changes in the...

 swampland.

Physical description

This species is a small species of frog, up to 15 mm in length. It is very similar to the Common Eastern Froglet

Common Eastern Froglet

The Common Eastern Froglet is a very common, Australian ground-dwelling frog, of the family Myobatrachidae.-Distribution:...

, and can only readily be distinguished by call and a white stripe on the throat that reaches all the way to the tip on the snout. Its dorsal surface is variable, it can range from grey to brown and is normally smooth in texture. The dorsal surface can be spotted, plain, however it is normally striped. The ventral surface is faintly marbled black and white.

Ecology and behaviour

This species is confined to acid paperbark swamps in wallum country. Males make a high pitched squeaking noise and call at any time of the year, when water is available. Males normally call from hidden positions in grass, while floating in the water. Breeding happens mostly during autumn and winter and occurs in large swamps and temporary ponds fringing the swamp. Eggs are laid singly on twigs and leaves in still water. Tadpoles are brown with arched tail fins, reaching almost 40 mm in size. Tadpole development takes nearly 6 months, with metamorph frogs ranging from 6–11 mm.

The swamps that these frogs inhabit are coming under increasing threat by urbanisa

Sources

• 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.
• Frog Australia Network-frog call available here.