Uperoleia lithomoda

Conservation Status

Calling Period

Description

A small species of frog reaching up to 3 cm in body length. It has a light brown or dark brown back, with pale brown or dark brown patches. There is an indistinct, pale brown longitudinal stripe along the middle of the head. The sides of the head are pale bluish-grey. The belly is covered with tiny white specks; it is clear grey in the middle and pale pink near the under-surface of the arms and legs. The male has a dark grey throat. The pupil is horizontal, and the iris is gold. The groin and the backs of the thighs are red-orange. The under-surfaces of the arms and thighs are pale pink. Fingers and toes are unwebbed or slightly webbed, both without discs. The parotoid glands and the glands near the groin can sometimes nearly join, creating a pale brown stripe along the sides.

Breeding Biology

Eggs are laid singly on vegetation under the surface of the water in temporary ponds. Tadpoles can reach a total length of up to 3 cm, and are black in colour with gold specks. They often remain hidden at the shallow edges of water bodies. It is unknown how long they take to develop into frogs. Breeds during summer in the wet season.

Similar Species

Looks very similar to Uperoleia arenicola, Uperoleia borealis, Uperoleia crassa, Uperoleia daviesae, Uperoleia littlejohni, Uperoleia mimula, Uperoleia minima, Uperoleia stridera, and Uperoleia trachyderma in its distribution, but has a slightly different call to all of these species.