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.

Pseudophryne semimarmorata

Southern Toadlet

Also: Orange-throated Toadlet

+ 58 kb Southern Toadlet (Pseudophryne semimarmorata)

A quite small and attractively coloured frog found in Victoria and Tasmania and whose range extends just into South Australia. Regionally common, this frog, like all Pseudophryne species, is a ground dweller and has a preference for walking.

Distribution and habitat

Distribution map for Pseudophryne semimarmorata

Adults frequent dry forest, woodland, shrubland, grassland, and heaths. They shelter under leaf litter and other debris in moist soaks and depressions. Eggs are spawned in shallow burrows (or nests) under litter, in low areas, near water, that will later be flooded. Tadpoles are aquatic in ponds, flooded grassland and roadside ditches.

There is a detailed distribution map available for: Victoria.

Calling

Males of this species call from the shallow nest or burrow in low lying areas usually near water. The call is a very short harsh grating note - "cre-ek" - repeated every few seconds.

Life cycle

Distinguishing characteristics

The beautiful colouration on the underside of Pseudophryne semimarmorata. Copyright Wildlife Profiles. Photograph by Peter Robertson.

+ 49 kb The beautiful colouration on the underside of Pseudophryne semimarmorata.

Adult length: 22-32mm.
Between 70 and 170 pigmented eggs are spawned in loose clumps often coated in soil. Tadpoles are dark brown and the clear fins have fine dark flecks. From above they sometimes appear to have a light mid-dorsal stripe. Adults Have bright orange or yellow on their throats, lower belly, and hind limbs.They have black and white (or black and blue) marbling on the chest and upper belly.

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

Distinguished from most other frogs by its coarse black and white marbling and bright orange/yellow on its underside. It can be distinguished from Pseudophryne bibroni and Pseudophryne dendyi by the bright orange or yellow colouration on its throat, lower belly, and hind limbs.