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 verreauxi

Verreaux's Tree Frog

Also: Alpine Tree Frog (subspecies alpina), Verreaux's Frog, Whistling Tree Frog

+ 62 kb Verreaux's Tree Frog (Litoria verreauxi)

A highly variable species abundant in a wide variety of habitats. A clumsy climber but a strong swimmer and fair jumper. Usually a ground dwelling species near water.

Distribution and habitat

Adults can be found from coastal lagoons through all habitat types to alpine bogs and disturbed areas, but are most often associated with water. Not found in semi-arid or arid zones. Eggs and tadpoles can be found in still water in ponds, dams, lakes and roadside ditches.

There is a detailed distribution map available for: Victoria.

Calling

Males call more commonly from the ground, often several metres from the pond, or floating among vegetation, sometimes in low vegetation near water. The call is a rapidly repeated burst of 10-20 short notes with an almost whistling quality - "tweee tweee tweee twee twee....".

The call of the alpine subspecies (Litoria verreauxi alpina) is a slower and less-whistling call than the more common Litoria verreauxi verreauxi.

Life cycle

Distinguishing characteristics

The alpine form of Verreaux's Tree Frog (Litoria verreauxi alpina) Copyright Wildlife Profiles. Photograph by Peter Robertson.

+ 66 kb The alpine form of Verreaux's Tree Frog (Litoria verreauxi alpina)

Adult length: 25-40mm.
500 - 1000 pigmented eggs in jelly clumps are usually attached to submerged vegetation. The tadpoles are pale yellow to dark grey with clear fins. Adults have large dark or black patches on the sides and in the groin, usually on a diffuse yellow background.

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 or full-webbing

Belly

Texture: smooth

Pattern: plain

Colour: single colour

Back

Texture: smooth or rough

Pattern: plain or striped 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 Litoria ewingi and Litoria paraewingi by the dark or black blotches on its sides and by having pads only as wide as, and not wider than, its digits. It is distinguished from Litoria lesueuri by having a hidden or indistinct tympanum.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognised. Litoria verreauxi verreauxi throughout most of the range and Litoria verreauxi alpina (sometimes known as the Alpine Tree Frog) in alpine areas between Marysville and Canberra. They are best distinguished by their calls, Litoria verreauxi alpina having a slower and less-whistling call.