Australian wood frog
| Australian wood frog | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Ranidae |
| Genus: | Hylarana |
| Species: | H. daemeli |
| Binomial name | |
| Hylarana daemeli (Steindachner, 1868) | |
 | |
| Global range (in black). | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Rana daemeli Steindachner, 1868 | |
The Australian wood frog (Hylarana daemeli), locally simply known as the wood frog, is the only species from the family Ranidae found in Australia. The species is restricted to the rainforest of northern Queensland, the eastern border of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory, and much of New Guinea. Long placed in the "wastebin genus" Rana, it is now in Hylarana together with such species as the common green frog of Southeast Asia.
Description
The Australian wood frog is an elegant frog, with an elongated head and body and the head forming a narrow triangle at the snout. Common to the true frogs, it has large, protruding eyes, and large, distinct tympana. The dorsal surface is bronze in colour, with skin folds running from the eye to the base of the leg. A dark strip begins at the nostril, runs across the eye, and over the tympanum, and a white line is present on the top lip. Males are 43–58 mm in length, and the females 58–81 mm in length.
Ecology and behaviour
The Australian wood frog is a terrestrial frog, spending much of its time amongst dense vegetation close to a water source, usually in or near rainforests. It is unique among the Australian frogs, for its vocal sac is not under the jaw, but on either side of the head. Its call is a series of low "quacks".
References
- Hero et al. (2004). Rana daemeli. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is of least concern