The desert tree frog (''Litoria rubella''), or little red tree frog, is a species of tree frog native to Australia, 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 ...

, and

Timor Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is East Timor–Indonesia border, divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western p ...

. It is one of Australia's most widely distributed frogs, inhabiting northern Australia, including desert regions and much of temperate eastern Australia. It is one of the few Australian tree frogs to inhabit arid, tropical, and temperate climates.

Description

It is rotund, with a small, flat head. It has short arms and strong, short legs. Adults are in snout-vent length. Its ventral surface is white, and the dorsal surface ranges from light grey to dark red and has small black flecks. Adult specimens from

Cooktown Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs ...

, Queensland, often show a pronounced metallic sheen on the dorsal surface, ranging in colour from bronze to gold. A dark band runs from the snout, across the eye, and along the flanks of the frog. The throats of males in breeding season are a dark grey colour. The groin is lemon-yellow, and the tympanum is visible. Baby frogs have an almost transparent abdomen, allowing a clear view of their abdominal organs.

Ecology and behaviour

The wide distribution and the large range of habitats it inhabits create a large variation in breeding habits. Populations that live in temperate or tropical zones breed annually during the

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...

or summer. However, the populations in desert regions will breed whenever rain occurs. Tadpole development is dependent on the temperature of the water. Small amounts of water heat to higher temperatures, which triggers the tadpoles to develop faster; some develop in just 14 days. Unlike most desert frogs, it does not burrow to avoid heat and desiccation. It will seek out shelter under rocks, trees, or leaf litter. They are commonly found around human dwellings where water is available and can be found in sinks, toilets or drain pipes.

References

;Sources * * ;Notes {{Taxonbar, from=Q2275306 Litoria Fauna of Timor Amphibians of Queensland Amphibians of New South Wales Amphibians of South Australia Amphibians of Western Australia Amphibians of the Northern Territory Amphibians of Indonesia Amphibians of Papua New Guinea Amphibians described in 1842 Taxa named by John Edward Gray Frogs of Australia