Frogs of Australia

Regional guides

Frogs of ...

Key guide to Victorian frogs

The Frogs of Victoria project is retained only for the great key guide. Work through a series of questions until, finally, your frog is identified.

Key guide

Stay in touch

Get news from frogs.org.au with our mailing lists - you'll hear about upcoming events and changes to the website and much more. Manage your account to receive only the news that you want.

More to see

This website is part of the ARC group of sites at frogs.org.au.

Litoria lesueuri

Lesueur's Tree Frog

Also: Rocky River Frog, Stoney Creek Frog, Stony Creek Frog

+ 50 kb Lesueur's Tree Frog (Litoria lesueuri)

One of the largest of the "rocky river" frogs and a very strong jumper, this frog has on occasions been found long distances from water. It is locally common and its distribution extends from Western Victoria to the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales. This frog was previously thought to occur through northern New South Wales and Queensland but the northern populations were described as new species in 2004 - Litoria wilcoxi and Litoria jungguy.

Distribution and habitat

Adults can be found in both wet and dry forest and open areas but more commonly in association with running water. Eggs are laid in streamside pools and backwaters and the tadpoles are active swimmers in running water.

There is a detailed distribution map available for: Victoria.

Calling

Males usually call from rocks on stream or river banks. The call is a series of several similar short soft trills rapidly repeated - "creww crewwk crewwwwk crewwwwwk".

Life cycle

Distinguishing characteristics

Lesueur's Tree Frog (Litoria lesueuri) Copyright Amphibian Research Centre.

+ 46 kb Lesueur's Tree Frog (Litoria lesueuri)

Adult length: 30-55mm.
The eggs are pigmented in jelly clumps attached to vegetation or rocks, or floating. The tadpoles are light brown and the fins are yellowish with brown flecks. Adults have purple/black on the back of thighs and a black stripe passing through the eye and broadening over a distinct tympanum (ear).

Visible features

Presented here is the information stored in the frogs.org.au database which is used to identify frogs based on their appearance. It is intended to be used in a key guide for separating species so some of the information (for example, back colours) may be rather non-specific. The system is currently being developed - if you notice errors in the data, please write to Dave Black at the address at the bottom of the page.

Important note: This information details only the appearance of the frog. If an "or" appears in the description, this may mean either that there is some variation within the species or that the feature might be observed differently by different people. For example, if a frog has very small toe pads, it may be listed as having "Toe pads: present or absent".

Size

Up to between 30mm and 60mm

Eyes, hands, and feet

Pupils: horizontal

Toe pads: present

Webbing on feet: half-webbing

Belly

Texture: smooth

Pattern: plain

Colour: single colour

Back

Texture: smooth or rough

Pattern: plain or mixed / marbled

Colour: single colour or multi-coloured

Glands and tubercles

Parotoid gland: absent

Tibial gland: absent

Metatarsal tubercles: absent

Similar species (note: this version was written for Victorian species).

Distinguished from most other hylids (at least in Victoria) by the colouration on the thighs. May be easily distinguished from Litoria peroni (which has similar markings) by having a horizontal pupil.