Bleating tree frog

Bleating tree frog
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hylidae
Genus: Litoria
Species: L. dentata
Binomial name
Litoria dentata
Keferstein, 1868
Distribution of the bleating tree frog.

The bleating tree frog or Keferstein's tree frog (Litoria dentata) is a tree frog of the family Hylidae. This frog is native to coastal eastern Australia, from south-eastern Queensland, to around Eden, New South Wales.

Description

The frog is small (45 millimetres) in length. The dorsal surface of this frog is a dark or pale, rich brown, with broad irregular, lighter bands on each side of the frog starting from the back of the eye. A dark stripe runs from the snout, through the eye and onto the tympanum. There is a white bar directly under the eye. The ventral surface is light cream, although in breeding males can be yellow. The fingers are one-third webbed, and toes are two thirds webbed. The tympanum is visible. The iris is a strong rusty red colour. During the breeding season males become a yellowish colour.

Ecology and behaviour

Breeding male bleating tree frog

This frog is associated with coastal lagoons, ponds and swamps, in heathland, sclerophyll forest and cleared farmland. The bleating tree frog is well known for its loud, high-pitched call, which can be painful to humans nearby. Males call from vegetation or ground around the breeding site. Mass breeding and calling can take place on warm, wet, overcast nights during spring and summer.

As a pet

It is kept as a pet, in Australia this animal may be kept in captivity with the appropriate permit.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, August 31, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.