Roth's tree frog

Roth's tree frog
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Hylidae
Genus:Litoria
Species: L. rothii
Binomial name
Litoria rothii
(De Vis, 1884)
Synonyms

Hyla rothii De Vis, 1884

Roth's tree frog or the northern laughing tree frog (Litoria rothii) is a tree frog native to northern Australia and southern Papua New Guinea.[1][2] Roth's tree frog is a common frog, closely related to Peron's tree frog (Litoria peronii) and Tyler's tree frog (Litoria tyleri).

Adult frog on the edge of a drinking glass.

Description

Roth's tree frog is a medium-sized frog, reaching a maximum length of 5.7 cm (2.2 in). The body is elongated, with a small head and large eyes. It is an arboreal frog, and its toe pads are wider than its fingers. The dorsal surface is a dull grey to brown colour, and can be blotched with dark brown. The inner thighs and armpits are black and blotched with bright yellow or orange. The tympanum is visible, with a fold of skin covering the top portion.

A dark Roth's tree frog with red patches

There are two features which distinguish it from both Perons' tree frog and Tyler's tree frog - the upper half of the iris is deep red, and it has no emerald green flecks on the dorsal surface.

Ecology and behaviour

Roth's tree frog breeds during the wet season, from November to March. The call is seven to 9 loud, chuckling or cackling sounds that resemble laughter. Eggs are laid in temporary pools of water, and the tadpoles take a maximum of 65 days to metamorphose.

The colour of Roth's tree frog is extremely variable, and can change from pale grey to dark brown within hours. Typically, they are grey during the day whilst basking in the sun, and are brown at night.

References

  1. 1 2 Jean-Marc Hero; Dale Roberts; Paul Horner; Richard Retallick; Stephen Richards; Fred Parker (2004). "Litoria rothii". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2004: e.T41109A10400013. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T41109A10400013.en. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  2. ↑ Frost, Darrel R. (2015). "Litoria rothii (De Vis, 1884)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  • Barker, J.; Grigg, G.C.; Tyler, M.J. (1995). A Field Guide to Australian Frogs. Surrey Beatty & Sons. ISBN 0-949324-61-2.
  • Tyler, Michael J. 1992. Encyclopedia of Australian Animals: Frogs. Angus & Robertson. ISBN 0-207-15996-3
  • "Frogs Australia Network - Australian Frog Database - Litoria rothii - Northern Laughing Treefrog". Archived from the original on August 24, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-27.
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