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Lesuer's Frog
Photo: C & D
Frith
Australian Tropical
Reptiles & Frogs
Other Names: 'Stony Creek Frog': Litoria lesueri
- A predominantly terrestrial amphibian
- A powerful leaping frog, it may be encountered a fair way from water.
- Upper colouration is variable from pale fawn through to a dark brown colour.
Males can also become quite yellow.
Habitat:
- These frogs are tolerant of habitats from heath and dry sclerophyll forests to
heavy wet rainforests.
- However they favour shallow rocky streams.
Size:
At a maximum of seven centimetres, the Lesueur's Frog is the largest of the Litoria
species.
Call:
- The male call is described as a gentle purring trill repeated in a time span of
two or three seconds, heard sometime during the daylight hours.
Additional Information:
Courtesy of
Damon Ramsey
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It has a darker brown stripe from
the snout and through the eye and over the distinct tympanum.
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There seems to be
two types of the same species which are found all the way along the east coast of
Australia.
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The tropical North east Queensland form is a bit smaller, coloured
leaf brown to quite bright yellow in breeding males.
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They have white undersides
with black and either blue or yellow patterns on the back of the legs serving as
the 'flash colours'.
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The North Queensland form of this species
has some interesting reproduction behaviours: after mating on the bottom of a
stream underwater, the frog makes a small circular nest in the sand and leaf
litter at the side of small freshwater stream, and lays the eggs inside (Barker
et al 1995).
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It seems to be one of the more common adaptable frogs and
can be found in a range of habitats and situations including around close to
urban and rural areas.
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As suggested by the common name both forms are indeed
often found along stony creeks beds, in gullies, and along rocky dirt roads and
tracks in the tropical rainforest.
Script:
Courtesy of Damon Ramsey BSc.(Zool) Biologist Guide
Lesuer's
Frogs of
the Lamington National Park.
Additional
Lesuer's Frog Photos
Additional
Leuser's Frog Photos 2
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