Uperoleia mahonyi

Conservation Status

Calling Period

Description

A small species of frog reaching up to 3.5 cm in body length. It has a brown or dark brown back, with or without grey, pale pink-brown, and/or orange-brown patches. There is often a brown triangular patch on the head; the sides are bluish grey with black specks. The belly is marbled with black and bluish white. The pupil is horizontal, and the iris is bronze. The tops of the arms at the shoulder are sometimes yellow. The groin and the backs of the thighs are bright orange. Fingers and toes are unwebbed, both without discs. The parotid glands are large, and sometimes a different colour to the back.

Breeding Biology

Eggs are unknown in the wild but are laid singly in ponds and swamps, and as with other Uperoleia species are likely to be attached to vegetation under the surface of the water. Tadpoles can reach a total length of up to 3.5 cm, and are gold-brown or dark brown in colour. They often remain at the bottom of water bodies, and take three to four months to develop into frogs. Breeds during autumn and spring.

Similar Species

Looks very similar to Uperoleia fusca, Uperoleia laevigata, and Uperoleia rugosa in its distribution, but has a different belly colour pattern to all of these species.