Description
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Females grow to 50mm and males 40mm in SVL. They are a green to olive brown above (often with black flecking) and usually have green sides. They have a golden stripe bordered underneath by a black stripe that runs from the nostrils, through the eyes, over the tympanum and down the flanks. They also have a distinctive white line running along the top lip to the angle of the jaws. The sides, groin and backs of thighs are a brilliant red to orange. Litoria subglandulosa is said to be more brightly coloured than the closely related species Litoria daviesae, although both look quite beautiful. The tadpoles of L. subglandulosa grow up to 35mm in length and are reasonably typical tree frog tadpoles to look at except that they lack teeth or a beak, instead having a series of tentacle-like papillae around the mouth. This is exceptional amongst the tree frogs of Australia and what they eat is unknown, but of some curiosity.This frog is also very, very similar in appearance to the related species Litoria citropa (Blue Mountains Tree Frog). Fortunately, there is no overlap in the ranges and so individuals can be told apart simply by where there are found. They are broadly similar as well to the leaf green tree frogs (Litoria phyllochroa and Litoria pearsoniana groups), but can be clearly distinguished by a white lip and bright red-orange sides and thighs.This description is partially based on information contributed by Frank Lemckert (pers. comm. 2003).These two very beautiful tree frogs (I’ll refer to both species of Litoria as New England Tree Frogs) are very closely related, with Litoria daviesae having been split from Litoria subglandulosa in 2003 based on new genetic tests.
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- J.-M. Hero
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- Harry Hines
Distribution and Habitat
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Litoria subglandulosa and Litoria daviesae are both residents of the New England Tablelands, with Litoria daviesae being located from Mount Royal to Werrikimbee in New South Wales and Litoria subglandulosa continuing on from just north of this at the Styx River area to the Queensland border and just over. The extent of occurrence of the species is approximately 37900 km2. Both are high altitude specialists, occurring from as low as around 500m in altitude up to above 1100 metres. Interestingly, in the Nowendoc area, the New England Tree Frog is the most common species on streams and inhabits all available permanently flowing streams. This may be the case further north, but surveys at the correct time and under the correct conditions have not been performed. There are reports that the populations once known from Queensland have now disappeared, but again there is not good survey evidence to demonstrate this conclusively.New England Tree Frogs are found in a range of habitats, both very natural and highly disturbed. They call along large permanent streams 5-10m in width, but also use very small streams that are no more than 50cm wide. They have been found in wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest, dry sclerophyll forest, montane woodlands and semi-cleared to cleared grazing lands. It appears that they will stay on a stream as long as there is some fringing vegetation. Furthermore, they are just as common in the highly modified landscapes as they are in those areas that are undisturbed; this frog is clearly quite adaptable in its habitat requirements.
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- J.-M. Hero
- author
- Harry Hines
Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
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These frogs have a spring calling season that starts relatively early (August or September) and extends regularly only until early December. Calling can be heard later in the summer than this, but only rarely so and not in any concerted way. Temperatures at the time of calling can probably be relatively low (
- author
- J.-M. Hero
- author
- Harry Hines
Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
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Rationale for the Red List Assessment.Historical declines (more than 10 years/3 generations ago) so fails to meet IUCN criteria for declines. Missing from some sites, status at other sites not well known.Susceptible to various threats across its range. Habitat deterioration in parts of range. Threats include habitat modification due to removal of riparian vegetation, especially from grazing and timber harvesting. Introduced predators are also a threat; trout have been released into streams that support small populations of the frog.
- author
- J.-M. Hero
- author
- Harry Hines
New England tree frog
provided by wikipedia EN
The New England tree frog or glandular tree frog (Ranoidea subglandulosa) is a species of frog in the subfamily Pelodryadinae, endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, temperate shrubland, rivers, and pastureland. It is threatened by habitat loss.[2]
Description
The male New England tree frog reaches a snout-to-vent length of 40 mm (1.6 in) while the females reach 50 mm (2.0 in). The upper parts are green or greenish-brown often flecked with black. A white line runs along the upper lip and a straw-coloured line runs from the snout, through the eyes and tympani to the groin. The lower parts of the sides and the back of the thighs are bright orange-red. There are enlarged pads on the digits enabling the frog to climb. This frog is very similar in appearance to the Blue Mountains tree frog but as their ranges do not overlap, there is little chance of confusion.[3] The skin is smooth whereas in the closely related and similar-looking Davies' tree frog the skin usually has small raised bumps.[4]
Distribution
The New England tree frog is native to the New England Tableland in eastern Australia where it occurs at altitudes between 500 and 1,100 metres (1,600 and 3,600 ft). Its range extends northwards from the Werrikimbe National Park in New South Wales to southern Queensland and in the Nowendoc area it is the most common species of frog present in streams. It is an adaptable species and occurs in both wet and dry sclerophyll forests, in mountain woodland and cleared pasture. It is likely to be present in any stream with well-vegetated verges.[3]
Behaviour
Male frogs start calling at night in August or September and the breeding season continues until December, the call being described as a series of “orak..orak..orak” sounds continuing for about ten seconds. The males advertise their presence from logs or low vegetation beside streams, especially favouring Callicoma and Lomandra. The eggs are laid in shady parts of the stream and attached to submerged vegetation. The tadpoles grow to a length of about 35 mm (1.4 in) and are unique among Australian treefrog tadpoles in not having horny beaks, instead having a ring of tentacle-like papillae surrounding the mouth. It is not known on what the tadpoles feed but the adult frogs are presumed to eat small invertebrates. Their habits outside the breeding season are little known.[3]
Status
The New England tree frog has a very restricted range and fragmented population, with an area of occurrence of less than 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi). It is an uncommon frog and its habitat is threatened by clearance of vegetation along riverbanks and by pollution, and some of the streams in which the frog breeds have been stocked with exotic fish such as trout.[1] For these reasons, the IUCN has assessed this frog as being a "vulnerable species".[1]
References
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New England tree frog: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
The New England tree frog or glandular tree frog (Ranoidea subglandulosa) is a species of frog in the subfamily Pelodryadinae, endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, temperate shrubland, rivers, and pastureland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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