Coastal Frogs of the Lake Macquarie Basin

This publication discusses the various species of frogs found in the region and their biology and ecology. Coastal areas near Lake Macquarie basin have been suffered a high highly developed leaving a mosaic of fragmented populations. has a wide variety of frog habitats including mountain moss bogs, subtropical and temperate rainforest, dry sclerophyll forests, heath, and coastal swamps. This range of habitats and the region's location between the temperate and tropical zones has resulted in a rich variety of frogs.
Artificial water bodies are important in the conservation of frogs as these being at least three species of pond frogs in the region are in danger of extinction or declining in numbers, the Green and Golden Bell Frog, Green Tree Frog, and Tusked Frog. Also the total number of frogs increase the chance of their adaptation to environmental changes such as disease, climate change and pollution. Artificial ponds are an important frog habitat. Where there's life there's hope!

Frog Biology

Frogs are amphibians most of which have a distinctly two-staged lifecycle the first aquatic (water) and the second terrestrial (land). Survival of frog populations requires suitable spawning sites, tadpole, juvenile, and adult habitats.
Frogs may be explosive breeders in which most of the population spawns over a short period, after heavy flooding rain, following a dry period. Summer explosive breeders generally have a shorter period from egg to juvenile than winter breeders. Alternatively frogs may breed intermittently during a long season, sometimes with the same female laying eggs on several occasions.
Egg masses are laid in water and develop into filter-feeding and browsing tadpole. The number of eggs varies from 20-7000, the number depending on the size of the frog, egg size, and frequency of spawning. Eggs may be laid in foam nests, gelatinous egg strings, separately, or in shallow depressions next to ponds. Some male pond frogs, such as Striped Marsh Frogs, guard the eggs. Tadpoles filter pond water for algae, bacteria and suspended particles and increase water clarity and quality. They also provide an efficient conversion of pond nutrients and energy to food for wading birds and aquatic reptiles. Many snakes and tortoises will feed under water for tadpoles. Only about 1 in 20 tadpoles survives to change into a frog.
The tadpole eventually metamorphoses (they change form by growing legs and a more waterproof skin, absorbing their tail, trading gills for lungs, and developing a mouth and long tongue to catch prey) into a juvenile frog. They metamorphose in a shorter time in warmer water. After metamorphosis juvenile frogs leave the aquatic environment and feed on invertebrates (animals without backbones) such as insects and spiders. During this period the juvenile frog is particularly vulnerable to predation (being eaten), undergoing a dramatic body reorganisation and being restricted to pond margins. Leaving the aquatic environment may consist of simply occupying emergent vegetation or poolside shelter, or may involve considerable migration. Juveniles grow rapidly to maturity (frogs) with most types breeding in the first year. During suitable weather male frogs occupy breeding sites and begin calling to attract females. These sites may be in the water, on pond vegetation, or near the pond under shelter or on vegetation. Only male frogs call. They may congregate to form choruses for short periods or may call over time from established territories. Calling frogs do not necessarily mean successful spawning.
When not spawning many frogs can be difficult to find and their importance as predators and prey may be underestimated. Adult abundance, assuming breeding success and survival, is dependent on the amount of suitable habitat. Surprisingly some frogs bask to increase their body temperature allowing them to digest food and grow faster. These frogs wipe secretions over themselves to provide a sunscreen that reduces water loss. Most frogs also have skin secretions that are poisonous. These make the frog taste bad to predators, or parasites such as mosquitos and leaches. If you handle frogs it is important to clean your hands before touching your eyes as these secretions will sting. Some of these secretions have proved of value as medicines.
Frogs shed their skin, as do reptiles. If you are lucky you may see a frog wiping its skin into its mouth as it eats it. Frogs also sometimes growing extra limbs and some parasites cause this to happen. Frogs in captivity can live a long time, often from 5 to 15 years. However, in the wild with most species at least 9 out of 10 get eaten each year, giving them a fairly short average lifetime. That is why they lay so many eggs. Female frogs are generally larger than males, up to twice the size. During the breeding season males have a darker throats and rough dark patches or spines on the pad of their thumbs.
The habits of adult frogs of many species are not well known particularly forest frogs where the adults may live high in trees or desert frogs. Frogs can absorb water through their skin on their belly and thighs and do not necessarily need to have open water present. They can absorb water from wet surfaces and many tree dwelling frogs do not need to come to the ground except during breeding. Many frogs when resting fit their bodies snugly to flat surfaces and reduce water loss. There are no marine frogs although some species live in estuarine environments. Tadpoles can survive in 1 part seawater to 7 parts water.
There are three main groups of frogs in NSW. These are the tree frogs which have flattened disks on their fingers and toes (Hylids), allowing them to climb smooth steep surfaces, the ground frogs without disks (Myobatrachids), and one toad the introduced Cane Toad (Bufonids). There are two other groups in Northern Australia.
Amphibians have existed for 400 million years with many early aquatic ones (labyrinthodonts) growing to several meters and hundreds of kilograms in weight. However, dinosaurs and crocodiles replaced them in all waters except for the cold fresh waters of Australia, South America and Antarctica, which were joined into a super-continent located at the South Pole. They survived for another 40 million years until northern movement warmed the super-continent. Frogs have been around for 200 million years, and the ancestors of modern frogs were found in the Jurassic (135-190 million years ago). Many small carnivorous dinosaurs would have eaten frogs and their role in the ecology would have been as important then as it is now. The earliest Australian fossil frogs discovered are about 54 million years old and include examples of tree frogs and ground frogs very similar to those found today.
There are about 220+ frog species in Australia and 4000 in the world. The greatest concentration of species is in the wet eastern coasts and SW Western Australia. The Hunter/Lake Macquarie area is rich in frog species with 34 species found within 100 km.
Recently, many frogs have declined in numbers or become extinct. For some the reason is environmental degradation due to habitat destruction such as draining swamps, polluting creeks, or clearing the surrounding vegetation. There won't be anybody home if there's no home to go to! In suburbs for many species that seem adaptable to urbanisation as adults such as Bleeting Tree Frogs, Green Tree Frogs and Striped Marsh Frogs the population limiting factor seems to be lack of breeding sites (ponds). There is no reason that many of the coastal pond-breeding frogs cannot be maintained in suburbs with little effort.


About Ponds and Their Frogs

Pond Frogs

Tadpoles of pond breeding frogs are highly vulnerable to predators, such as fish, dragon fly larvae (mudeyes), water beetles and most pond frogs prefer to breed in areas with low predator populations. One tactic is to breed in waters that dry down periodically, killing predators and water born diseases. These temporary ponds will be free of fish after flooding rain, assuming there is no fish recruitment through migration from local permanent water bodies, and the ponds will take time to develop a population of air born predators such as dragon fly larvae and water beetles. A restricted number of frogs breed in waters inhabited by predatory fish. Their tadpoles have specific chemical or behavioural defences adapted to the natural fish species found in breeding areas. However, these tadpoles are still highly vulnerable to introduced fish species.
Shallow flooded grassland are also a favoured site of some winter breeding species as water may remain for long periods in such habitats during cool weather. The tadpoles are sheltered from bird and fish predation by the grass matt, and the cold weather limits water insects. Although there are several small native fish in permanent water bodies, the introduced Plague Minnow (Gambusia holbrooki) is capable of rapid colonisation of recently flooded areas. This fish will prevent successful tadpole survival in open water bodies, and severely reduce survival in highly vegetated water bodies.
The time for tadpole development to frogs is generally 6 to 24 weeks, with summer breeders having a shorter development time than winter species. Rainfall patterns may vary widely from year to year and ponds which hold water for long periods, in a wet year with consistent rainfall, may not hold water long enough for tadpole development in dry years. Therefore it is desirable to have a range of pond types with different filling and drying patterns allowing the successful reproduction of the types of frogs in the area.
Adult frogs are a favourite food of many predators and need shelter, such as trees with cracks or loose bark, logs, fallen bark, loose stones or thick vegetation. Grazing areas can incorporate adult habitat for frogs in sympathy with production and sustainable management practices. One successful strategy is to fence small areas on the margins of pond allowing the growth of dense vegetation to provide adult frog shelter. An additional benefit is that enclosed trees may also regenerate through seedlings or suckers. Grazing of ponds should not affect the survival of most tadpoles. Frogs increase pasture production by feeding on insects and providing food for birds such as Ibis, Cranes and Egrets that also eat pasture pests.
Ponds overgrown with tall rushes are not good habitat for either adult frogs or tadpoles. Each type of frog has particular areas of ponds that it likes to call from. Ponds with the widest variety of habitats will support the highest variety of frogs. Tadpoles generally like shallow water from a 5cm to about 70cm deep. Many prefer shallow banks with plenty of shelter such as emergent plants, leaves bark and timber, or flooded grass clumps.

Pond Types and Density

An important concept in ecology (the study of the interaction of animals and plants with each other and their environment) is the idea of sources and sinks. The concept is that certain areas within an animals or plants range provide the majority of recruitment (breeding) and maintenance areas, and that others may actually drain the population. For instance frogs may lay lots of eggs in ponds that dry too soon for tadpole development. These ponds are considered sinks. A good breeding site may result in frogs migrating to unsuitable areas, or to colonise other suitable areas, this site is a source. Some ponds that the frogs may think are sources, a good place to spawn, such as a pond with introduced predatory fish may in fact be sinks resulting in wasted reproductive effort. Frogs are complicated in that they have an aquatic and land lifestyle. Frogs develop behavioural patterns to maximise the use of sources and minimise the drain of sinks.
The type of ponds will determine the variety and number of frogs and tadpoles that they can support. Ponds vary in size (depth, and the area and percentage of any depth), vegetation (marginal, emergent, and submerged), and water quality (nutritional status and pollution), and ephemerality.
A pond that dries occasionally is called ephereral. Certain species of frog will breed in small, shallow, ephemeral pools. Others need deeper water, or deeper more permanent water. The degree (time between drying out) of ephemerality, and the location of ponds respect to predator sources, will determine which predators of tadpoles and frogs and their numbers, live in the pond. For instance a pond although ephemeral, if connected to a permanent water body may be colonised by fish immediately on flooding. If these fish breed quickly they may decimate tadpole numbers.
Some tadpole and frog predators, such as the introduced Plague Minnow and Eels also have the ability to travel over flooded land. Plague Minnows are voracious predators of tadpoles and eels will eat both tadpoles and adult frogs. Some frogs, such as Spotted Marsh Frogs and Green Tree Frogs seem to prefer breeding in ephemeral ponds, which do not contain fish, immediately after flooding. They may be trying to avoid predation by water beetles and dragon fly larvae, by their tadpoles growing faster than these insects.
The degree of ephemerality and metamorphosis time also decides how many tadpoles will survive to metamorphosis. If the time to metamorphosis is greater than the time between pond filling and drying out the tadpoles will all die. The time tadpoles have to grow and the amount of food available limits the size of the resulting juvenile frog.
If all the tadpoles from one spawning change into frogs at the same time conditions on land may not be suitable and they may suffer severe losses. These conditions could be a lack of feed (no insects), shelter, bad weather (dry and cold), or a concentration of predators (a flock of egrets' concentrates on the pond margin at that time). Frogs that breed in highly ephemeral ponds cannot avoid this and all their tadpoles change to frogs in a short period and at one time. These tadpoles are easy to raise in captivity. Frogs that breed in more permanent water bodies have tadpoles that take different times to change to frogs, and metamorphosis may extend over six months or more. These are harder to raise because keeping them longer increases the chance of mortality, the effort to keep them, and handling frogs at different growth stages simultaneously.
In nature a pond may vary in type over time because seasonal effects and the succession of plants and animals. For instance after flooding with time, a pond that had been dry will develop larger vegetation and different predators. If the time between drying is more than one season such a pond can be considered semi-permanent. This effect is common in Eastern Australia because of the El Nino (dry/wet season) climatic cycle.
For each individual species the distance between suitable habitats will determine whether a population can survive. Because there may be range of ponds of different degrees of ephemerality in an area and seasons vary in rainfall, the best ponds for different frog species to live in as adults and tadpoles will change year to year. Adult frogs if they are to stay near breeding sites will also have to change their home base. If frogs cannot travel between suitable breeding ponds and adult habitat, due to distance or barriers such as roads, the frog population may die out in the area even though at all times some ponds may have suitable habitat.
A study on the effect of pool size, age and isolation on frog communities in the Netherlands showed the rate of colonisation was determined by the breeding ponds distance from woodland which provided adult habitat and corridors for movement. Banks and pasture slowed colonisation and a distance of 0.5-1km between ponds prevented colonisation. Another Netherlands study showed that roads severely effected colonisation rate and also that successful colonisation distance was less than 1km.

Frogs of the Hunter/Lake Macquarie Region

The Hunter/Lake Macquarie area and the surrounding ranges have a rich and diverse frog fauna. There are more than 34 species in the area. Pond breeding frogs are the most likely types to be encountered around residential areas.

The frogs that may be found in suburbs extending into more forested, wetter, hilly areas around Hunter/Lake Macquarie are briefly listed at the end of this section.
The Hunter Valley acts as a divide for mountain dwelling frogs with some closely related species one side or the other. Some species with wide ranges are only found north or south of the Hunter Valley. South of the Hunter there are some mountain frogs that are only found on the Hawkesbury Sandstone country.
Frogs like all animals have a common and a scientific name. The common name changes from place to place and with time. Each species has only one scientific name avoiding confusion. Scientific names also gives an idea of the relationship of animals, the first name being like a surname (Genus) and the second (specific) the particular species of frog in that genus. Scientific names are italicised or underlined and when a Genus name is mentioned more than once in a document it may be abbreviated to a letter (eg. Litoria aurea to L. aurea). If two genus names starting with the same letter are repeated more than one letter may be used in the abbreviation to avoid confusion (eg. Litoria to L. and Limnodynastes to Lim. ). Where you see Litoria sp. it means an undefined species of frog that is in the Litoria genus or Litoria spp. more than one species of Litoria.

Note: Many frogs when under cover or cold, particularly green tree frogs, will change to a dark colour.

Conservation status in the Hunter/Lake Macquarie Region
Common: Abundant in suitable widespread habitat.
Declining: Numbers lower than expected or missing from some suitable habitat.
Threatened: Many suitable habitats without/or have very low populations or common in restricted areas under threat of development.
Endangered: These frogs are on the way out.
Uncertain: Little known frogs.

Common Frogs of Constructed Ponds

Striped Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes peronii)
Early spring-late summer, 48-73mm, Common
This large abundant frog has a mottled brown back with a distinct light stripe down the back. The males establish a territory under vegetation and call continuously in the deeper areas of ponds sometimes even during the day. Once the eggs are laid in foam nests the male frog guards them by lying underneath. They often form aggregations of 5-10 males spaced several meters apart.
Call : "Bonk…2- 3 seconds…Bonk ..".
This frog is the commonest inhabitant of garden ponds. The typical garden pond design of steeply sloping banks with moderately deep water, with sheltering border or water-plants on the pond margin is ideal habitat. The males can hide under the vegetation. The moderate depth of open water suits the Striped Marsh Frog tadpoles.

Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog (Litoria fallax)
Summer, 20mm, Common
This is one of the smallest tree frogs. Very common where a suitable habitat of sedges or reeds on which the frogs call during summer is found. They are bright green with a black stripe through the eye.
Call : High pitched "wreek-pip-pip".
This frog is often found in small garden ponds. Its prime requisites are strappy leaved plants such as bullrushes etc. It lies longitudinally along the leaves often in sunshine making it highly visible. During unfavourable conditions it retreats to the leaf axils, to immerge at night or during rain. Several reasonably sized clumps should be placed containers in the pond, for breeding, with some clumps around the edge as shelter. This frog is a summer frog and active from August to April and often extremely abundant.

Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)
Mid summer, 60-110mm, Declining
This is the largest tree frog species in the Hunter and is often found around houses. They form breeding aggregations after heavy summer rain in flooded grassland depressions. These may often be roadside ditches.
Call : "crawk" repeated continuously.
This very large tree frog is wonderful to have in the suburban environment, as it is conspicuous and placid. It will often inhabit porches with moist areas such as abundant lush potted plants. It is notorious for breeding in derelict swimming pools. Apparently it will also breed in quite small plastic pools and tubs. Calls from vegetation in shallow water. Examples of Green Tree Frogs are often found in old suburbs but as they are noted for their longevity they may not have bred in these areas for some years. This frog should be encouraged as much as possible.

Spotted Grass Frog (Lynodynastes tasmaniensis
Autumn-Late Spring 30-47mm, Common
Abundant throughout the Hunter/Lake Macquarie area, its foam nests are easily observed in shallow flooded grassland. In spring large aggregations may spawn together with dozens of egg masses visible in an area. Although commonly sighted on open areas during rainy periods, or under shelter, it is very secretive and difficult to find when calling, but easily found under rocks and shelter on moist ground.
Call : "uk-uk-uk-".
This frog would successfully inhabit a shallow well-vegetated (with emergent grasses) pond margin where there was lots of shelter, over moist soil, on the pond edge.

Common Froglet (Crinia signifera)
Early autumn-Late Spring, 20-28mm, Common
A very abundant tiny frog that calls, except in hot weather, from hides under grass, logs or rocks. Medium to dark brown noted for the wide variety of patterns even from specimens from the same site. The tadpoles live at the shallow pond margin in thick shelter. Easily heard but best observed by turning shelter.
Call : A rapid "crick…crick…crick…crick…" very loud for such a small frog.
This frog is noted for its ability to rapidly colonise ponds, even quite large distances from other sites. They need areas around the pond margin covered with shelter such as leaf and bark mats, or small rocks with lots of spaces underneath. They a repetitive spawner and lay their eggs right at the pond edge under shelter on moist soil. Subsequent rain or pond rises flush the tadpoles into the water. They call all winter and are very loud for such a small frog.

Potential Frogs for Constructed Ponds

Pobblebonk (Lymnodynastis dumerili)
Spring-summer, 50-80mm, Common
Commonly called a bullfrog this large frog is distinguished by having a very broad, rounded head and stocky legs and arms with prominent glands. Often it has salmon blotching on the back with yellowish sides. They will spawn with a foam nest in any still water-body, such as dams and pools.
Call : "bonk" repeated.
They lay about 3-4000 eggs in a foam nest.This frog burrows in soft soils and appears after rain. Often found in suburbs where there is surrounding bushland.

Tusked Frog (Adelotus brevis)
Spring-autumn, 30-45mm, Declining-Threatened
The Tusked Frog is a very interesting frog. The male is larger than the female and has two "tusks" on the bottom jaw which are hidden without opening the mouth. They have a distinct black and white belly and orange in the groin. The female lays white eggs in a foam nest. They used to be common around Newcastle but are becoming rare. In Brisbane they adapt well to ponds.
Call : "Chuluk-chuluk" repeated; reminiscent of the Striped Marsh Frog but softer.
The male frogs call from holes in banks or from under leaf rafts on pond edges. In moist garden conditions juveniles grow rapidly.

Peron's Tree Frog (Litoria peronii); Tyler's Tree Frog (Litoria tyleri)
Summer, 44-65mm, Common
This medium sized frog tends to shelter in cracks in logs, on trees and under bark. When calling their large size and habit of sitting on vegetation on the pond surface makes them easy to find. They have brown backs with green flecks, their groin is bright orange/yellow with black spots. This "flash colour" distracts predators when the frogs jump. A black line on top of the ear membrane distinguishes Tyler's Tree Frog from Peron's.
Call: "maniacal cackle".
These frogs can be found in ponds, farm dams and marshes and seem to be common and widely spread. They should adapt to home ponds and the habitat requirement that would most likely restrict them is adult habitat, specifically over-wintering sites. They are a fairly large frog and the provision of some old logs, or timber or rock piles with lots of cracks would provide this habitat.

Bleating Tree Frog (Litoria dentata)
Mid summer, 32-44mm, Common
This frog is similar in appearance to Peron's Tree Frog however it is smaller, lacks green flecks, and has no black spots in the groin. They call on warm nights particularly before summer rain, and are abundant where suitable habitats occur. The adults are secretive and shelter deep in cracks in wood.
Call : "loud high pitched pulsed note".
They often call from elevated sites a distance from the water. This frog has been heard in suburbs such as Hamilton, an old suburb in Newcastle, so the adults can survive urban habitats. In the wild they are only found where there are trees or fenceposts etc. They are a possible candidate for garden ponds as they are known to breed in suburbs.

Verreaux's Tree Frog (Litoria verreauxii)
Spring-autumn, 30-36mm, Common
A medium sized tree frog with an indistinct brown strip down it back. A black stripe runs extends from the eye to the shoulder. The groin is pale yellow with black spots. This frog is only found where there are permanent water bodies. The males call from concealed sites on pond banks.
Call : "cree-cree-cree-cree-"
Little is known of this frog in the home garden situation, but it is found in a wide variety of habitats in the wild. It may adapt to ponds with shallow margins and abundant poolside vegetation.

Pond frogs with special requirements

Broad Palmed Frog (Litoria latopalmata)
Early summer, 30-42mm, Common
This frog belongs to a group of tree frogs that have adapted to a ground lifestyle. It has a more pointed snout, a racier appearance, and longer legs than the other brown backed tree frogs. This frog is found in areas of thick grassland and open areas.
Call : "soft purring trill" for 2-3 seconds.
It remains to be seen whether this frog could adapt to the home garden. A large area planted with native and exotic grass next to the pond would probably be needed. They call from open pond banks.

Ornate Burrowing Frog (Limnodynastes ornatus)
Summer, 30-42mm, Common
This is the only burrowing frog found in the Hunter/Lake Macquarie region. It favours sandy areas where it can burrow. These frogs breed after heavy summer rain, when water table rises sufficiently for the shallow basins to flood for long enough for the tadpoles to metamorphose.
Call : "Unk-Unk-" repeated
This frog can appear in large numbers in areas where it has not been seen for a while in suitable conditions. These frogs have been seen breeding at Hamilton in pools along the railway line. Because of their specialised habits they would not be expected to adapt to most home gardens.

Toadlets (Uperiola fusca, U. laevigata)
Spring-autumn, 20-30mm, Common
These small frogs have black and white bellies, orange in the groin, and lumpy glands behind the eyes. They are found calling from the pond margins to some distance away, often up to 10 meters.
Call : Short rasping notes of about one half a second.
They like open areas covered with small grass tussocks, with debris covered soil in between. These conditions would be difficult to simulate in the home garden.

Green-thighed Frog (Litoria brevipalmata)
Summer, 40-50mm, Uncertain
This very pretty frog has a chocolate back, a beautiful lime green groin, and a black stripe behind the eye. These frogs live in forested areas with flats along creeks. They breed after heavy summer rain in pools that form for a few weeks on the creek-side flats.
Call : short quacking notes for a few minutes
They are little known as they are only found when breeding which is only for a few days, and sometimes not even every year in every site.

Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea)
Summer, 50-70mm, Endangered
Green and Golden Bell Frogs were once one of the most abundant frogs in coastal swamps in throughout NSW. Unfortunately it has suffered a dramatic decline that has been more extreme in the northern parts of its range. The reasons for the decline are not clear and several studies are underway to determine the present habitat requirements of the species allowing more efficient conservation and rehabitation. However, for the time being conservation measures are inadequate with all the colonies in the Hunter/Lake Macquarie region under threat of extinction.
Call : Long nasally "craawk" repeated followed by several short grunts.

The Wallum Frogs

There are three types of frogs found mainly in the shallow, acidic, paperbark, coastal wetlands near Newcastle/Lake Macquarie. Because of their specialised habitat they would not be unlikely candidates for home gardens.

Wallum Froglet (Crinia tinnula)
Winter-early spring, 15-20mm, Threatened
This tiny brown frog is very difficult to find in the heavily vegetated coastal swamps. However, where it is found it is extremely common and during the breeding season, the calls can dominate the swamp.
Call : "tching … tching" like a small bell, from emergent vegetation within the swamp.

Freycinet's Frog, Wallum Rocket Frog (Litoria freycineti)
Spring-summer, 35-40mm, Threatened
Not as restricted in habitat as the Wallum Froglet it nevertheless is most commonly found in coastal wetland and surrounding scrub. It is a brown frog and has a typical "rocket frog" shape with a pointed snout, and yellow thighs with black markings, and very long and powerful legs.
Call : a rapid duck like quacking

Jervis Bay Tree Frog (Litoria jervisiensis)
Autumn- spring, 30-45mm, Common
Another coastal frog found around coastal lagoons and hind dune creeks. Brown or dark grey with a brown stripe from back of eye and down the side. Pale yellow patch in the armpit with undersurfaces pale. The soil is almost always sand where these frogs are found.
Call : 2-3 high pitched squeals over two seconds, repeated.

Other Hunter/Lake Macquarie Frogs

Red-eyed Green Tree Frog (Litoria chloris)
Summer, 55-70mm, Declining
The red-eyed tree frog made famous by the post-office posters. Breeds in summer in pools and lives in coastal rainforest and wet schlerophyll forest. Found in the Watagan and Barrington Ranges.
Call : Long moans followed by a soft trill.

Blue Mountains Tree Frog (Litoria citropa)
Spring-summer, 45-60mm, Declining
Call : Scream followed by a soft trill
Glandular Frog (Litoria subglandulosa)
Spring-summer, 35-50mm, Threatened
Call : Low pitched notes followed by a orak-orak-orak.
L. citropa is found along creeks in the mountains south of the Hunter Valley to Victoria. This beautiful frog has a brown back with light orange in the groin.
L. subglandulosa is similar in coloration to L. citropa but is found on the north side of the Hunter and has yellow in groin. Both these species seem to be declining in abundance but not in range. The tadpoles of L. subglandulosa are unusual by lacking the horny beak and having tentacles around the mouth.

Littlejohn's Tree Frog (Litoria littlejohni)
Spring-summer, 40-70mm, Uncertain
This broad-headed tree frog has a light brown/greyish back with a pale cream or yellow underside. A black line runs through the eye from the nostril to the shoulder. They are orange in the armpit and thigh. This frog is found in rocky streams in hilly sandstone areas often where Blue Mountain Tree Frogs are found. A rarely identified little known species.
Call : a low reedy whistle

Revealed Tree Frog (Litoria revelata)
Spring-summer, 20-35mm, Common
These frogs are smaller than L. littlejohni and have black spots in the groin. They are commonly found breeding in pond and swamps and occur from the coast to mountain forests.
Call : a number of high pitched whirrings.

Lesueur's Frog (Litoria lesueuri)
Spring-summer, 40-60mm, Common
This frog has a very wide distribution from Victoria to Northern Queensland, and is found along stony creeks.
The females are larger than the males and are brown as are the males except during breeding when the males develop a distinct deep yellowish color. Both sexes have a black stipe through the eye.
Call : They lack a vocal sack and make a soft purring trill lasting several seconds.
Eggs are laid in a jelly mass on rocks in stream pools. Populations north of the Hunter region may make pebbly or sand nests for their eggs.

Leaf Green Tree Frog (Litoria phyllochroa)
Speckled Tree Frog (Litoria barringtonensis)
Spring-summer, 30-40mm, Declining
These small tree frogs are found on leaves of bushes and on strappy plants such as Bulbushinus along streams in forested areas. L. phyllochroa are green on the back and L. barringtonensis are green with black speckling. All the frogs in this group that ranges from Gippsland (Victoria) to Northern NSW were though to be one species L. phyllochroa. However recent studies have shown that the species south of the Hunter Valley is L. phyllochroa and those at Barrington are L. phyllochroa and L. barringtonensis . These species are found together in the creeks in the Barringtons and their range extends further north but other species may exist in the complex.
Call : "wrk rrrrk wrrrrk"

Giant Burrowing Frog (Heleioporus australiacus)
Spring-summer, 60-100mm, Threatened
This very large and spectacular frog is found in pockets of sandy-heath/Banksia scrub within wet schlerophyll forest in the Watagans. They have a blotchy grey/black on the back with bluish sides and a light belly. There are usually yellow patches at the corner of the mouth and along the side. They could be mistaken for Pobblebonks but lack the glands on their legs. These burrowing frogs are most commonly seen on mountain roads during extended periods of showers in summer. They call from holes on poolside banks where they lay eggs in frothy masses that develop into large tadpoles.
Call : "oo-oo-oo" like an owl.
Because of their specialised habitat in restricted areas they are considered a threatened species.

Stuttering Frog (Mixophyes balbus)
Summer, 60-80mm, Threatened
Great Barred Frog (Mixophyes fasciolatus)
Summer, 60-100mm, Declining
Giant Barred Frog (Mixophyes iteratus)
Summer, 70-110mm, Endangered
The Mixophyes are large frogs, living along densely forested creeks, and are patterned to look like the leaves they shelter under. All species overlap in range but different species have declined in different parts of their respective ranges. The Great Barred Frog is still common in this region but the Giant Barred Frog has declined and is only found in very few localities. The Stuttering Frog is still common in the Barrington Ranges but gone from the Watagan area.
The three species are distinguished by :
M. balbus Bars on legs brown and indistinct, blue crescent on top of eye.
Call : short trill of about 10 paces
M. iteratus Distinct black bars on legs with golden eyes.
Call : deep grunt
M. fasciolatus Dark bars on front of legs with black eyes.
Call : throaty "wark".

Red-crowned Toadlet (Pseudophryne australis)
Summer, 20-30mm,Threatened
Bibron's Toadlet (Pseudophryne bibronii)
Summer, 20-30mm, Declining
Keferstein's Toadlet (Pseudophryne coriacea)
Spring-summer, 25-35mm, Common
These little frogs have distinctly black and white patterned bellies. When disturbed they lie still depending on their toxicity to prevent predation. The males call from nests under vegetation in moist situations where the females lay an egg clutch.
Calls similar: short calls, upward inflecting "ark"
The tadpoles when hatched wash into pools. Bibron's Toadlet was very common until recently but is becoming increasingly difficult to find. The habitat of the Red-crowned Toadlet, which only lives on the Hawksebury Sandstone, is under threat from development. Another species the Corroboree Frog (P. corroboree) found in the alpine marshes around Canberra is almost extinct.

Fletcher's Frog (Lechriodus fletcheri)
Spring-summer, 40-55mm, Common
This forest frog is the only member of its genera found in Australia with a range extending from the Watagan Mountains inland of Lake Macquarie to Southern Queensland. It has a similar appearance to Mixophyes sp. with a leafy brown coloration but can be distinguished by its sandpapery skin on the back. Eggs are laid within a foam nest in short-lived forest pools and the tadpoles have a short time to metamorphosis.
Call : "g-r-r-r-r-up" lasting about 1 second.