Adelotus brevis
Copyright © Hal Cogger
Adelotus brevis belly
Copyright © Hal Cogger
Distribution map
Distribution of Adelotus brevis
Copyright © Hal Cogger
Status
IUCN Classification:
Near Threatened
(International Union for Conservation of Nature)
Bioregion occurrence:
(this is not a distribution map)
State occurrence:
Links
- Tusked Frog
Wildlife of Sydney Fact File on Adelotus brevis
- Tusked Frog
Queensland Museum page on Adelotus brevis
Search on this family or genus
Adelotus brevis
Family: Myobatrachidae
Common name: Tusked Frog
Description: This frog has a mottled dark brown back that is covered with small warts. There is usually a butterfly-shaped marking between the eyes and the arms and legs have dark bands. Bright red patches are located in the groin area and on the back of the legs. Males have very large heads and large 'tusks' (tooth-like projections from the lower jaw). The belly of the male is black with white spots, while the female has a marbled black and white belly. In both sexes the belly is smooth, the fingers are unwebbed and the toes are slightly webbed.
Size: 45 mm (males); 35 mm (females)
Habitat: This frog lives in rainforests, wet sclerophyll forests and open grasslands. Usually is found under logs, stones or leaf litter near puddles, creeks and ponds.
Call: A slow "cluck" repeated several times a minute. Call available in 
Windows Media or 
Quicktime audio. Recording Copyright © David Stewart.
Breeding: The males call from the water in spring and summer. They are territorial and fight using their tusks to bite other males around the throat. The female lays her eggs in a floating foam nest.
Eggs: Hundreds of eggs are laid at a time in a floating foam nest.
Tadpoles: Are small and dark brown to black in colour. Sometimes they have a small cream patch on the tip of the snout.
Similar species: The features that distinguish this species from others are its 'tusks', large head, body size and red patches.
Other characteristics: Males are bigger than females, and have a pair of tusks at the front of the lower jaw. These tusks fit into special holes or pits in the roof of the mouth, so are only seen when the mouth is open.
Conservation Information
Suspected threatening processes
- Inappropriate catchment management, including degraded water quality
- Herbicides, insecticides, eutrophication due to excessive nutrients
- Disease/pathogens (e.g. chytrid fungus, viruses)
- Habitat modification (e.g. vegetation clearing, invasive weeds)
Population size: An estimate of the total number of adults present in the species entire range is 10001-50000 individuals, or size is unknown but suspected to be large. Some factors affecting population size and distribution are known, but 1 or more major factors are unknown.
Population trend in Australia over the past 50 years: Population size known to be decreasing.
Knowledge of population trend in Australia: Monitored locally.
Population concentration: Not known to concentrate or exist in discrete locations. (e.g. the number of sites in which individuals group together either seasonally, such as breeding sites, or they may occupy discrete habitat patches within the broader landscape, such as discrete water bodies or drainage units.)
Ongoing management activities in Australia: None directed primarily at the taxon.
Reproductive potential for recovery: The average number of eggs deposited per adult female per year is 201-1000 eggs/female/year. Minimum age at which females are known or suspected to first reproduce is 2-3 years.
Range size in Australia: The size of the geographic area over which the taxon is distributed: 1001-80000 km² (up to 1% area of Australia or about the area of Tasmania).
Distribution trend: Area occupied has declined by 25-74%. (This is an estimate of change in the portion of the total range that is occupied or utilised; it may not equal the change in total range.)
Knowledge of distribution in Australia: Broad range limits or habitat associations are known, but local occurrence cannot be predicted accurately.
References
Anstis, M. 2002. Tadpoles of South-eastern Australia. Reed New Holland: Sydney.
Barker, J., G.C. Grigg and M.J. Tyler. 1995. A Field Guide to Australian Frogs. Surrey Beatty & Sons: Chipping Norton.
Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and amphibians of Australia. Reed Books: Sydney.
Robinson, M. 2002. A Field Guide to Frogs of Australia. Australian Museum/Reed New Holland: Sydney.
Swan, G. 2001. Green Guide to Frogs of Australia. New Holland: Sydney.