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Litoria staccato

Chattering Rock Frog

Conservation Status

EPBC:

Unlisted

IUCN:

Least Concern

Calling Period

Possible
Yes
Peak
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Description

A medium-sized species of frog reaching up to nearly 4 cm in body length. It has a grey or brown back, with dark or light brown mottling. Females have an orange-red back. There is a dark brown stripe from the tip of the snout to the arm. The upper lip is white. The belly is white. The pupil is horizontal and the iris is copper-coloured. Fingers are unwebbed and toes are three-quarters webbed, both with large discs. Breeding males sometimes have pale yellow on the sides, groin, backs of the thighs, and upper lip.

Breeding Biology

Eggs are laid as small clusters that attach to the bottom of rock pools. Tadpoles can reach a total length of up to 5 cm and are gold in colour, with brown mottling. They often remain at the bottom of water bodies, and it is unknown how long they take to develop into frogs. Breeds during summer in the wet season.

Similar Species

Looks very similar to the many other rocket frog species in its distribution. Looks most similar to Litoria axillaris and Litoria coplandi, but has a different call and Litoria coplandi lacks a dark brown stripe from the tip of the snout to the arm, while Litoria staccato has two dark brown longitudinal back stripes present in Litoria axillaris.

Images

Photo: Adam Parsons

Photo: Adam Parsons

Photo: Jasmine Vink

Calls

By: Paul Doughty

Distribution

Found only in the Kimberley region of WA.

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