• Background
• Characteristics

(Photo: Steve Walker)

(Photo: Steve Walker)

The Brown Tree Frog is the only Litoria species (tree frog) commonly found in Adelaide and the Mt Lofty Ranges. It is often found clinging to windows and is a common visitor to bathrooms. The Brown Tree Frog is slender, medium sized with a broad head and rounded snout. A wide and undivided light brown or grey band runs along its back from between the eyes to the cloaca. (A cloaca is a common chamber where reproductive, intestinal and urinary ducts open to a vent or anus).

The rest of the frog's colour is a pale brown except in south east South Australia where the back can be green. There is also a narrow black or brown stripe from the snout to the shoulder and a pale stripe beneath the eye. The back of the thighs are yellow-orange and sometimes have small black spots.

The fingers are free of webbing and the toes are half webbed. Breeding males may have a throat sac and a nuptial pad on the thumb (nuptial pads are dermal (skin) spines that occur during the breeding season). The tympanum, or ear, is distinct.

Brown Tree Frog distribution map

Size: Males 22-40 mm; Females 32-46 mm.

Habitat: The Brown Tree Frog occupies a wide variety of habitats in South Australia. It can be found on the ground, in vegetation, under rocks near permanent streams or pools and in your garden.

Breeding: Occurs anytime during the year. Eggs are deposited in small clumps attached to submerged vegetation. The tadpoles are nearly transparent with a couple of pigmented bands along the body.

Advertisement call: A loud, distinctive, high pitched 'weep-eep-eep' of 10 to 20 notes.