The marbled frog or marbled marsh frog (''Limnodynastes convexiusculus'') is a species of ground-dwelling frog native to northern and north-eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and southern

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

in both

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. It is not to be confused with the

spotted grass frog The spotted grass frog or spotted marsh frog (''Limnodynastes tasmaniensis'') is a terrestrial frog native to Australia. It is distributed throughout all of New South Wales and Victoria, eastern South Australia, the majority of Queensland, and ...

(''Limnodynastes tasmaniensis''), which was also formerly known as the "marbled frog" in South Australia.Waite, Edgar R. (1929): ''The reptiles and amphibians of South Australia.'' Facsimile Edition, issued to commemorate the Second World Congress of Herpetology, Adelaide,South Australia, by the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 1993.

Description

Adult marbled frogs reach about 4.5 centimetres (1.8 in) in length, sometimes larger. Toes are long and unwebbed. Grey to light brown on back with numerous prominent darker blotches. The belly is white. Males have a yellowish throat and numerous small sharp black spines on their backs. When disturbed their skin excretes large amounts of mucous.

Ecology and behaviour

The marbled frog tends to be solitary inhabiting thick ground vegetation and is more often heard than seen. Males often call from hidden sites, usually partly submerged beneath vegetation. Its call has been described as "a rapid series of uk uk uks". Eggs are laid in a floating foam nest under vegetation and are small and brown. Tadpoles reach 7 centimetres (2.8 in) in length. The marbled frog inhabits waterholes and pools in open grassland and woodland.

References

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2709393 Limnodynastes Amphibians of Western Australia Amphibians of the Northern Territory Amphibians of Queensland Amphibians of Papua New Guinea Amphibians of Western New Guinea Amphibians described in 1878 Taxa named by William John Macleay Frogs of Australia