''Ranoidea wilcoxii'', also known as the stony-creek frog, eastern stony creek frog, and Wilcox's frog, is a species of

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

in the subfamily Pelodryadinae. It 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 elsew ...

to Australia, being found solely on the eastern coast between Ingham,

QLD ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, and

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

NSW ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, and as far west as Atherton,

. 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

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, and pastureland.

Taxonomy

This species is almost identical physiologically to

Lesueur's frog Lesueur's frog (''Ranoidea lesueuri'') is a species of ground-dwelling tree frog native to south-eastern Australia, from Sydney, New South Wales, to eastern Victoria. Etymology The specific name, ''lesueuri'', is in honor of French naturalist ...

, and is identical physiologically to '' R. jungguy''. It can be distinguished from Lesueur's frog by the presence of blue spots on the thigh, which are missing in ''R. wilcoxii''. Geographical distribution and genetic testing are the only methods of differentiating ''R. wilcoxii'' from ''R. jungguy''.

Description

''Ranoidea wilcoxii'' shows extreme

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

, meaning the males and females have different appearances. Females can reach a length of up to and males . Individuals are a smooth brown in colour with speckling and blotching in the groin. A thick black stripe extends from the nostril to the base of the forearm, encompassing the eye and tympanum The lower underside and groin can be from a light yellow to olive green, tending more often towards a beige brown. The thighs will reflect this colouration, though more brightly. Females fit this description year-round, but males turn a bright yellow to yellow-orange during mating season. As with most members of its genus, they have climbing discs on their fingers and toes. The stony creek frog's snout is very useful in the wild. It enables it to stay low underwater so it can stay away from predators. The snout acts as a ventilation system. When swimming underwater, the snout will stick slightly above the water so it can breathe. L wilcoxi

Reproduction

Males call with a very soft purring from debris such as rocks, vegetation or the ground immediately next to the water body. Once the female has located the male, the pair will enter amplexus. Eggs will be laid in a single submerged cluster attached to a sediment.

Threats

It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, destruction of its native environment, in particular spawning locations, is leading to a decline in the number of this species. As with a great variety of Australian frog species, chytridiomycosis poses great threats to the future of this species, with some locales experiencing 28% infection rate.

Images

File:Stony Creek Frog, Female - Flickr - GregTheBusker.jpg File:Stony Creek Frog, Male - Flickr - GregTheBusker.jpg File:Eastern Stony Creek Frog (Litoria wilcoxii) (9898957535).jpg File:Eastern Stony Creek Frog (Litoria wilcoxii) (9899297993).jpg File:Stony creek frog (Litoria wilcoxi) (8237244018).jpg

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2241064 Ranoidea (genus) Amphibians of Queensland Amphibians of New South Wales Amphibians described in 1864 Taxa named by Albert Günther Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Frogs of Australia Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN