Tyler's toadlet
Tyler's toadlet is a species of ground frog that is found in coastal areas in southern New South Wales and eastern Victoria.[1][2]
Tyler's toadlet | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Anura |
Family: | Myobatrachidae |
Genus: | Uperoleia |
Species: | U. tyleri |
Binomial name | |
Uperoleia tyleri Davies and Littlejohn, 1986 | |
Range of the Tyler's toadlet |
Etymology
The specific name tyleri honours Michael J. Tyler, an Australian herpetologist.[3]
Description
This is a large frog (for its genus), up to about 35mm. It is dark to light brown with some orange/yellow spotting on the dorsal surface. A pale crown is present on the head of this species, however is less distinct than in U. fusca and U. laevigata. It has large parotoid glands. There is a pale yellow patch in the armpits. The ventral surface of this species is fully pigmented dark blue/black. The thigh patch is yellow in colour. This species is very similar to the smooth toadlet.
Ecology and behaviour
This species is associated with dams and swamps in heathland, forest and cleared land. Its distribution is not fully determined. It has a solid distribution south of Jervis Bay Territory and there are some populations between Jervis Bay and Sydney, there are records for this species north of Sydney, however similarities with other Uperoleia frogs may have led to mis-identification. Males make a deep, drawn out "arrrrk" call from spring to autumn around the breeding site, males often call many metres away from water.
References
- Graeme Gillespie; Murray Littlejohn; Peter Robertson; Frank Lemckert (2004). "Uperoleia tyleri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T41063A10396019. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T41063A10396019.en.
- Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Uperoleia tyleri Davies and Littlejohn, 1986". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. pp. 341–342. ISBN 978-1-907807-42-8.
- Robinson, M. 2002. A Field Guide to Frogs of Australia. Australian Museum/Reed New Holland: Sydney.
- Anstis, M. 2002. Tadpoles of South-eastern Australia. Reed New Holland: Sydney.
- Frog of Australia-frog call available here.