Frogs of Australia

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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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Litoria nudidigita

Leaf Green Tree Frog

Also: Leaf Green River Tree Frog

+ 42 kb Leaf Green Tree Frog (Litoria nudidigita)

Measuring 40mm, this small hylid (Victoria's smallest) is an inhabitant of rocky rivers and streams. It is seldom found near still water and is an excellent jumper and swimmer. Previously this frog was included with Litoria phyllochroa but is now considered a unique species distinguishable by distribution and call.

Distribution and habitat

Adults inhabit rocky and mountain streams in rainforest and wet forest. Eggs are spawned in streamside pools and backwaters and the tadpoles actively swim in the flowing water of streams and rivers, clinging to rocks from which they probably feed on surface algae.

There is a detailed distribution map available for: Victoria.

Calling

Males call from streamside vegetation or on rocky riverbanks. The call is in two parts - a long high pitched introductory note or notes followed by a harsh lower pitched note or series of notes - "eeeeeeeek cruk cruk ...... eeeeeeeeek eeeeeeek cruk".

Life cycle

Distinguishing characteristics

Leaf Green Tree Frog (Litoria nudidigita) Copyright Amphibian Research Centre.

+ 33 kb Leaf Green Tree Frog (Litoria nudidigita)

Adult length: 25-40mm.
The eggs are pigmented in jelly clumps attached to submerged vegetation in streamside backwaters. The tadpoles are dark brown and have transparent fins flecked with dark brown. Adults are bright emerald to dark green or dull brown (even in the same individual at different times) with a broad mottled gold and black band along each side. The back is smooth, the tympanum (ear) is hidden.

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".