Stony Creek Frog

Scientific name: Litoria lesueuri

Updated

21/04/22
Read time

2 minutes

Fast Facts

Classification

Genus

Litoria

Species

lesueuri

Family

Hylidae

Order

Anura

Subclass

Lissamphibia

Subphylum

Vertebrata

Phylum

Chordata

Kingdom

Animalia
Size Range

7 cm

Description

A medium-sized species of frog reaching up to 6 cm in body length. It has a grey-brown or reddish brown back, sometimes with several black flecks or mottling, although the male can be yellow when active at night. There is a black stripe from the eye to the side, sometimes starting from the tip of the snout. The belly is white. The pupil is horizontal, and the iris is gold in the upper half and dark brown in the lower half. The groin and the backs of the thighs are black, with pale blue patches. Fingers are unwebbed and toes are three-quarters webbed, both with small discs.

Similar Species

Looks very similar to Litoria wilcoxii, but has a mostly different distribution, except for a possible overlap in the Sydney region. Also looks similar to Litoria ewingii, Litoria latopalmata, and Litoria verreauxii in its distribution, but all of these species have different colour and patterns on the backs of the thighs and the groin, and Litoria lesueuri lacks stripes on the back as present in Litoria ewingii and Litoria verreauxii.

Distribution

Found throughout southeast NSW, the ACT, and the eastern half of VIC.

Breeding Biology

Eggs are laid as a single cluster attached to rocks in creek and stream pools. Tadpoles can reach a total length of 4.5 cm, and are gold-brown in colour. They use their mouthparts to stick to rocks in order to avoid being swept away by flowing water, and take at least two months to develop into frogs. Breeds during spring and summer.