The Magnificent Tree Frog or Splendid Tree Frog (Litoria splendida) is a 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:...

 species that was first described in 1977. It has a limited range, only occurring on the north-western 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...

 in the Northern Territory

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...

 and Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. It has a similar appearance to, and can be confused with, the closely related White's Tree Frog

White's Tree Frog

The Australian Green Tree Frog, simply Green Tree Frog in Australia, White's Tree Frog, or Dumpy Tree Frog is a species of tree frog native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand and the United States. The species belongs to the genus Litoria...

.

Physical description

The Magnificent Tree Frog is a relatively large tree frog, with the males reaching a length of 10.4 centimetres (4.1 in) and the females 10.6 centimetres (4.2 in). They have an olive to bright green dorsal surface with a white ventral surface. The undersides of the feet and legs are bright yellow. Most specimens will have white or sulphur-coloured dots on their back, of varying densities. The older Magnificent Tree Frogs can be distinguished from White's Tree Frogs with the presence of very large parotoid gland

Parotoid gland

The parotoid gland is an external skin gland on the back, neck, and shoulder of toads and some frogs and salamanders. It secretes a milky alkaloid substance to deter predators...

s, which cover the entire top of the head and droop over the tympanum. The tympanum is large, almost the size of the eye, and partially obscured by the parotoid gland.

Ecology and behaviour

The Magnificent Tree Frog is native to the Kimberley region of Western Australia

Kimberley region of Western Australia

The Kimberley is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northern part of Western Australia, bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts, and on the east by the Northern Territory.The region...

, and as such, will enter caves and rock crevices during the day. Much like the other large tree frogs in Australia, White's Tree Frog and the Giant Tree Frog

Giant Tree Frog

The White-lipped Tree Frog , also known as the Giant Tree Frog, is the world's largest tree frog. This species is native to the rainforests of Northern Queensland, New Guinea, the Bismarck Islands and the Admiralty Islands....

, it will inhabit areas near humans, and can be found around buildings and in toilets, showers and water tanks. They are nocturnal, and will hunt and breed at night.

Breeding probably takes place during the wet season

Wet season

The the wet season, or rainy season, is the time of year, covering one or more months, when most of the average annual rainfall in a region occurs. The term green season is also sometimes used as a euphemism by tourist authorities. Areas with wet seasons are dispersed across portions of the...

. The male's call is very similar to that of White's Tree Frog, a deep "crawk-crawk-crawk" repeated many times. The breeding habits of the Magnificent Tree Frog have not been extensively studied.

As a pet

It is kept as a pet, in Australia this animal may be kept in captivity with the appropriate permit.