Litoria lesueuri
Copyright © Craig Cleeland
Litoria lesueuri tadpole
Copyright © Marion Anstis
Status
IUCN Classification:
Not listed
(International Union for Conservation of Nature)
Bioregion occurrence:
(this is not a distribution map)
- Wet Tropics
- East Central Queensland
- Humid East Coast
- South-East Uplands
- Victorian Lowlands
- Murray Darling Basin
State occurrence:
Links
- Lesueur's Frog
Frogs of Victoria page on Litoria lesueri
Search on this family or genus
Litoria lesueuri
Family: Hylidae
Common names: Stoney Creek Frog; Lesueur's Frog
Description: This frog is yellow-brown to dark brown on its back either with no markings, a few scattered dark flecks, or with larger dark brown patches. A dark stripe runs from the snout, through the eye and tympanum (tight membrane covering the entrance to the ear), breaking up into a series of blotches down the side of the body. The groin is yellow with black blotches and the backs of the thighs have a reticulated black and yellow pattern. The belly is white and granular. The skin on the back is smooth or finely granular. The finger and toe pads are small but visible, and the toes are webbed.
Size: 70 mm
Habitat: This frog lives in dry sclerophyll forests, coastal heathlands and rainforests. It can be found near flowing and still water.
Call: A soft purring sound.
Breeding: Males call in early spring through to late autumn from bedside streams and ponds. Breeding mainly occurs in spring and summer after rain.
Eggs: Are often attached or placed underneath rocks in streams and dams.
Tadpoles: Are medium sized and mostly gold over a darker layer of colour, except for a darker area over the base of the body near the tail. These tadpoles can attach to rocks in flowing streams with their mouths.
Similar species: This frog can be distinguished from other species of Litoria by its groin colouration, toes pad size and lack of warts.
Conservation Information
Suspected threatening processes
- Disease/pathogens (e.g. chytrid fungus, viruses)
Population size: An estimate of the total number of adults present in the species entire range is >50000 individuals. 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 trend unknown; no information on habitat changes.
Knowledge of population trend in Australia: Monitored locally.
Population concentration: Majority concentrates at more than 25 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 >1000 eggs/female/year. Minimum age at which females are known or suspected to first reproduce is <2 years.
Range size in Australia: The size of the geographic area over which the taxon is distributed: > 1,000,000 km².
Distribution trend: Area occupied has declined by < 25%. (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.