The javelin frog (''Litoria microbelos'') is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

in the subfamily

Pelodryadinae Pelodryadinae, also known as Australian treefrogs (although not all members are arboreal), is a subfamily of frogs found in the region of Australia and New Guinea, and have also been introduced to New Caledonia, Guam, New Zealand, and Vanuatu. ...

, that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to Australia. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, swamps, and intermittent freshwater marshes.

Description

The javelin frog is the smallest known tree frog in Australia, with males reaching and females in length. Colours are typically brown with a light-brown dorsal surface, dark-brown lateral stripes and light, almost white, ventral surface. A white stripe runs along the lip and along the side of the frog.

References

Litoria Amphibians of Western Australia Amphibians of the Northern Territory Amphibians of Queensland Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians described in 1966 Frogs of Australia {{WesternAustralia-stub