Heleioporus inornatus
Copyright © J Dale Roberts
Distribution map
Distribution Map of Heleioporus inornatus
Copyright © Hal Cogger
Status
IUCN Classification:
Not listed
(International Union for Conservation of Nature)
Bioregion occurrence:
(this is not a distribution map)
State occurrence:
Links
- Plains Frog
AmphibiaWeb page on Heleioporus inornatus
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Heleioporus inornatus
Family: Myobatrachidae
Common name: Plains Frog
Description: This frog is dark brown or dark chocolate on its back, sometimes with indistinct brown, or dark grey marbling. The belly is white and smooth. The skin on the back is granular. The tympanum (tight membrane covering the entrance to the ear) is distinct but covered in skin. The toes have some slight webbing.
Size: 70 mm
Habitat: This frog lives in peaty swamps and bogs in the wetter forest systems in southwestern Australia.
Call: A "woop-woop-woop" sound. Call available in 
Windows Media or 
Quicktime audio. Recording Copyright © Dale Roberts.
Breeding: Occurs during April, May and June. The males call from their burrows and this is also where the pair mate.
Eggs: Are large and laid in a frothy mass.
Tadpoles: Develop in the frothy mass until hatching, which occurs when the burrow is flooded.
Similar species: This frog can be distinguished from other species of Heleioporus by the combination of its nuptial spines, size and call but may be difficult to distinguish from H. eyrei and H. psammophilus.
Conservation Information
Suspected threatening processes
- None stated
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 size stable or suspected to be stable or increasing.
Knowledge of population trend in Australia: Not currently monitored.
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 51-200 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%. (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.