Anstisia vitellina

Conservation Status

Calling Period

Description

A small species of frog reaching up to 2.5 cm in body length. It has a brown or light grey back, with longitudinal rows of black spots. The belly is bright orange-yellow. The under-surfaces of the arms and legs are pink-white, with brown specks. The pupil is horizontal, and the iris is dark brown. Fingers and toes are unwebbed, both without discs. This species was previously in the genus Geocrinia, but recent research has recognised this species, along with three other closely related species, as distinct and placed them in the newly-described genus Anstisia, in honour of Australian Museum Research Associate Dr Marion Anstis.

Breeding Biology

Eggs are laid as a small cluster on land in wet peat soil burrows hidden by vegetation near creeks. Tadpoles can reach a total length of up to nearly 2 cm and are brown in colour, with metallic bright blue specks. They never swim in water; instead they develop inside the broken egg jelly mass, feeding entirely on their own gut yolk reserves. They take at around three months to develop into frogs. Breeds during late winter to summer.

Similar Species

Looks similar to Crinia georgiana, Crinia glauerti, Crinia pseudinsignifera, Anstisia alba, and Geocrinia leai in its distribution, but has a different belly colour to all of these species.