Red-crowned Toadlet
Encyclopedia
The Red-crowned Toadlet, (Pseudophryne australis) is a species of Australia
n ground frog, restricted to the Sydney
Basin, New South Wales
. It is only found around sandstone escarpment areas around Sydney, from Ourimbah in the north, Nowra to the south and the Blue Mountains areas to the west. Pretty Beach Public School is one of the few safe havens for this species.
This is a small species of frog, reaching 30 mm in length. It is characterised by the red "T" shaped mark on its head. It is dark brown or black above with a red wash or spots over its back, and a red mark near the vent. The sides are a blue-grey and there is a white mark in the armpits and thighs. The ventral surface is very strongly marbled black and white, with a bluish colour in some areas between the black and white.
Males make an ark call from nest sites under leaf litter and rocks, in areas likely to be inundated, generally only after heavy rain. Eggs are laid under leaf litter and tadpoles begin developing inside the egg, the males stays with the eggs in the nest. Once heavy rain floods the nest site the eggs hatch and the tadpoles (already fairly developed) finish their development in the temporary pools. In Sydney
it is often found in the same habitats as Giant Burrowing Frog
s.
This species has declined due to urbanisation around Sydney.
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...
n ground frog, restricted to the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
Basin, 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...
. It is only found around sandstone escarpment areas around Sydney, from Ourimbah in the north, Nowra to the south and the Blue Mountains areas to the west. Pretty Beach Public School is one of the few safe havens for this species.
Physical description
Ecology and behaviour
This species is only found around temporary creeks and soaks in sandstone habitats in woodland, heathland and dry sclerophyll forest around the Sydney basin.Males make an ark call from nest sites under leaf litter and rocks, in areas likely to be inundated, generally only after heavy rain. Eggs are laid under leaf litter and tadpoles begin developing inside the egg, the males stays with the eggs in the nest. Once heavy rain floods the nest site the eggs hatch and the tadpoles (already fairly developed) finish their development in the temporary pools. In Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
it is often found in the same habitats as Giant Burrowing Frog
Giant Burrowing Frog
The Giant Burrowing Frog is a large frog species that occurs in coastal south east New South Wales and Victoria in Australia-Physical description:...
s.
This species has declined due to urbanisation around Sydney.
Sources
- Frog and tadpole Study Group
- Frog Australia Network-Frog call available here.
- Anstis, M. 2002. Tadpoles of South-eastern Australia. Reed New Holland: Sydney.