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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.
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Mixophyes balbus
Southern Barred Frog
Also: Stuttering Frog
+ 47 kb Southern Barred Frog (Mixophyes balbus)
This large frogs occurs in the extreme east of Victoria with its range extending through New South Wales following the east coast to Southern Queensland. These frogs are large and well built with strong hind limbs and are restricted to rainforest and very wet forest.
Distribution and habitat
Adults are most often found in association with wet gullies and streams in rainforest and wet forest. Eggs are spawned in streams or in rock pools and backwaters. Tadpoles are strong swimmers and inhabitants of streams and fast flowing water.
There is a detailed distribution map available for: Victoria.
Calling
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Males call from the ground along the banks of streams or from rocks along stream sides. It is a soft, short, pulsed call with a grating quality - "kook kook kook kra-a-ak kruk kruk" - lasting one to two seconds.
Copyright Murray Littlejohn. Recorded by Murray Littlejohn. Must not be reproduced without permission.
Life cycle
Distinguishing characteristics
+ 43 kb Southern Barred Frog (Mixophyes balbus)
Adult
length: 60-85mm.
Eggs are pigmented and in jelly clusters attached to submerged rocks. Tadpoles are large with dark grey bodies, the fins are dark grey often with dark or black flecks. Adults have mid to dark brown bars on at least the hind limbs and have a dark line running from the eye then above the distinct tympanum and towards the shoulder. The eye has a blue crescent under the upper lid.
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 60mm and 90mm
Eyes, hands, and feet
Pupils: vertical
Toe pads: absent
Webbing on feet: full-webbing
Belly
Texture: smooth
Pattern: plain
Colour: single colour
Back
Texture: smooth
Pattern: plain or mixed / marbled
Colour: multi-coloured
Glands and tubercles
Parotoid gland: absent
Tibial gland: absent
Metatarsal tubercles: absent
Similar species (note: this version was written for Victorian species).
The clearly defined tympanum and vertical pupil, along with the distinct barring on the legs, readily distinguish this species from all other Victorian frogs.
The scientific names of Mixophyes balbus
- Mixophyes balbus (Straughan 1968)
