Frogs of Australia

Regional guides

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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

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Geocrinia laevis

Southern Smooth Froglet

Also: Tasmanian Smooth Froglet

+ 38 kb Southern Smooth Froglet (Geocrinia laevis)

A small and secretive terrestrial frog found in damp locations, under leaf litter and other debris. Described last century in Tasmania, it was only recently found to occur in Victoria (and just into South Australia).

Distribution and habitat

Adults frequent moist areas in dry forest, woodlands, shrublands, open and disturbed areas. Eggs are terrestrial and spawned in moist leaf litter or in the bases of grass tussocks that will later be flooded. Tadpoles hatch when the nest is flooded and are aquatic, in dams, flooded ditches and ponds.

There is a detailed distribution map available for: Victoria.

Calling

Males call from the ground in moist leaf litter and among grass tussocks usually near water in low areas which are later flooded. The call is a long slowly pulsed rattling or creaking sound, the first note often being the longest - "cre-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-ek cre-e-e-e-ek cre-e-ek cre-e-ek".

Life cycle

Distinguishing characteristics

Geocrinia laevis Adult length: 20-35mm.
70 - 150 pigmented eggs are spawned on land and adhere in sticky clumps in leaf litter and grass tussocks. Tadpoles hatch when the area is flooded and are dark brown with clear fins flecked with brown. Adults have smooth bellies, sometimes a pink patch in each armpit and groin, and pink/white marbled with darker pigment on the underside of the limbs.