MISSING FROGS OF THE WET TROPICS

Sharp-snouted Day Frog (Taudactylus acutirostris)

LAST SEEN:

January, 1994; Big Tableland.

HISTORICAL DISTRIBUTION:

Ingham (Herbert River) to Cooktown.

HABITAT:

Small creeks in rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest between altitudes 300 to 1300 metres. Found under leaf litter and among rocks in and beside streams. Often found long distances from water during wet weather. Mainly diurnal.

DESCRIPTION:

Adult body length up to 30 mm Dorsal surface smooth with tubercles arranged in a triangle on lower back or ridges. Olive-brown, often with scattered paler flecks and one or two V or W shaped markings. A broad black band, bordered above by a thin light stripe, extends from the snout, along the side of the head to the groin. Dorso-lateral skin fold present. Ventral surface smooth. Throat and belly grey-white with scattered black flecks and blotches. Posterior portion of belly and underside of limbs olive-yellow. Lower jaw edged with black. Dorsal surface of fore and hind limbs crossbanded. White patch, edged with black at base of each forelimb. Toes fringed, without webbing. Fingers and toes with slightly expanded tips. Snout pointed. Tympanum concealed?

CALL:

Sharp pitched tapping sound repeated 3-4 times in quick succession. Heard during day and night from rocks or under roots of shrubs along streams with fast flowing water.

BREEDING AND LARVAE:

Eggs large, 25 - 40 deposited as a gelatinous clump amongst rocks in shaded portions of stream. Tadpoles have rounded snout and broad body. Transparent and unpigmented on posterior portion of body. Lateral and dorsal side of head pigmented. Base of tail musculature and tail fins pigmented. Tail tip rounded. Intestine visible dorsally, laterally and ventrally. Spiracle lateral left. Vent tube dextral. Oral disc surrounded by marginal papillae with anterior gap. Rows of labial papillae are deeply indented posteriorly and to lesser extent laterally. Outer upper labial tooth row lies in alignment with the labial papillae. Labial Tooth Row Formula: 2 (2) / 3 (1). Total length of tadpole at stage 25-26 is 16.0 - 36.1 mm.

REFERENCES:

Description: Liem and Hosmer, 1973. Call: McDonald, 1992; Liem and Hosmer, 1973. Larvae: Liem and Hosmer, 1973. Miscellaneous: Dennis and Trenerry, 1984; Cogger, 1988; McDonald, 1991, 1992; Covacevich and McDonald, 1993; Richards, et al, 1993.

Literature cited.

Prepared by: J-M. Hero, Updated August 1, 1994. Dept. Zoology, James Cook University, QLD 4811.

zljmh@jcu.edu.au