The Northern Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes terraereginae) is a species of ground-dwelling burrowing frog native to eastern 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 northeastern 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 75 mm in length. It is brown above with occasional darker flecks. There is red-orange or scarlet markings in the thigh and flanks, which gives this species it other common name, the Scarlet-sided Pobblebonk. There is a dark band which runs from the snouth to the shoulder. It is underlined by a raised cream to orange bar. The armpit is orange and the belly is white.

Ecology and behaviour

It is a burrowing species and will spend time underground during dry periods. It is associated with dams, flooded areas and ditches in forest, woodland, cleared land or farmland. Males make a high pitched "bonk" call from concealed positions in water after heavy rains from October to May.

Eggs are laid in a large floating foamy mass. Tadpoles hatch about 2 to 3 days after laying. Tadpoles are very dark brown and reach 70 mm. Tadpole development takes about 70 days and metamorphs measure 20 mm and resemble the adult, however thigh colouration does not become apparent until about 1 week later.

Similar species

It is similar to the Eastern Banjo Frog

Eastern Banjo Frog

Limnodynastes dumerilii is a frog species from the family Myobatrachidae. The informal names for this species, and its subspecies, include...

, from which it can be distinguished by the red thigh colouration.