F I E Throughout much of the world, frog populations are declining and some L species are disappearing totally. In Australia, several species have become D extinct in the past 25 years. G This revised and updated guide provides concise accounts of all the known U frogs of Australia. There are 230 species within the five native frog families: I D Hylidae, Limnodynastidae, Microhylidae, Myobatrachidae and Ranidae. FIELD GUIDE TO THE E Also included are the introduced Cane Toad and nine ‘stowaway’ species that T have arrived in Australia. O FROGS OF The text for each species includes details of size, status, distribution, habitat, T behaviour and advertisement call. Each species is accompanied by a map of H Australia showing its known distribution, and a full-colour painted illustration. E Closely related frogs are shown in identical poses so that comparisons can be F R made readily. The introductory section of the book covers frog biology and O AUSTRALIA habitats and includes notes on families and genera. G S O F A REVISED EDITION U S T R A L I A About the authors Michael Tyler AO DSc is a Fellow of The American Association for the M Advancement of Science, and the recipient of numerous awards, including i the Eureka Prize for Science Communication. He has published more than c h 400 scientific papers and 24 books, and has edited or co-edited 11 books a and journals. Among his many contributions to herpetology, he has described e 69 new frog species or genera, and reported the first fossil frogs from Australia l J and New Guinea. He is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at the University T of Adelaide, and for the past 49 years has been Honorary Associate in y l Herpetology at the South Australian Museum. e r Frank Knight spent 25 years at CSIRO’s Division of Wildlife Research illustrating a n books and scientific papers. He won a CSIRO Overseas Study Award in 1980, d visiting artists and illustrators in Europe, UK, USA and Canada. He left the F organisation in 1991 to illustrate the best-selling Field Guide to the Birds of r a Australia. Since then he has illustrated a series of field guides including Parrots n of the World: An Identification Guide with text by Joseph Forshaw. Field Guide k to the Frogs of Australia is his most recent work. K n i g h t Michael J Tyler and Frank Knight FIELD GUIDE TO THE FROGS OF AUSTRALIA REVISED EDITION (cid:41)(cid:42)(cid:16)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:16)(cid:41)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:74)(cid:86)(cid:53)(cid:40)(cid:57)(cid:44)(cid:54)(cid:40)(cid:39)(cid:17)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:20) (cid:21)(cid:28)(cid:18)(cid:19)(cid:25)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:20)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:29)(cid:22)(cid:24)(cid:3)(cid:51)(cid:48) ii (cid:41)(cid:42)(cid:16)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:16)(cid:41)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:74)(cid:86)(cid:53)(cid:40)(cid:57)(cid:44)(cid:54)(cid:40)(cid:39)(cid:17)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:21) (cid:21)(cid:28)(cid:18)(cid:19)(cid:25)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:20)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:29)(cid:22)(cid:24)(cid:3)(cid:51)(cid:48) FIELD GUIDE TO THE FROGS OF AUSTRALIA REVISED EDITION Michael J Tyler and Frank Knight (cid:41)(cid:42)(cid:16)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:16)(cid:41)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:74)(cid:86)(cid:53)(cid:40)(cid:57)(cid:44)(cid:54)(cid:40)(cid:39)(cid:17)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:22) (cid:21)(cid:28)(cid:18)(cid:19)(cid:25)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:20)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:29)(cid:22)(cid:24)(cid:3)(cid:51)(cid:48) Text © Michael J Tyler 2009 and 2011 Illustrations © Frank Knight 2009 and 2011 All rights reserved. Except under the conditions described in the Australian Copyright Act 1968 and subsequent amendments, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, duplicating or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Contact CSIRO PUBLISHING for all permission requests. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Tyler, Michael J., 1937– Field guide to the frogs of Australia / by Michael J Tyler and Frank Knight. Revised ed. 9780643103986 (pbk.) 9780643103993 (epdf) 9780643104006 (epub) Includes bibliographical references and index. Frogs – Australia – Identification. Knight, Frank. 597.890994 Published by CSIRO PUBLISHING 150 Oxford Street (PO Box 1139) Collingwood VIC 3066 Australia Telephone: +61 3 9662 7666 Local call: 1300 788 000 (Australia only) Fax: +61 3 9662 7555 Email: [email protected] Web site: www.publish.csiro.au Cover and text design by James Kelly Printed in China by 1010 Printing International CSIRO PUBLISHING publishes and distributes scientific, technical and health science books, magazines and journals from Australia to a worldwide audience and conducts these activities autonomously from the research activities of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of, and should not be attributed to, the publisher or CSIRO. (cid:41)(cid:42)(cid:16)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:16)(cid:41)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:74)(cid:86)(cid:53)(cid:40)(cid:57)(cid:44)(cid:54)(cid:40)(cid:39)(cid:17)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:23) (cid:21)(cid:28)(cid:18)(cid:19)(cid:25)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:20)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:29)(cid:22)(cid:24)(cid:3)(cid:51)(cid:48) Foreword Throughout the world, many species are declining and becoming extinct at alarmingly high rates. Frogs have the highest proportion of vertebrate species threatened with extinction. For example, the IUCN Red List of Threatened and Endangered Species indicated that one in three of Earth’s amphibian species are endangered. Australia’s frogs are no exception, with close to 30 per cent of species either under threat, extinct or of uncertain conservation status. There are many reasons advanced for the serious plight of the world’s frogs. These include habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, relatively low vagility, high vulnerability when moving over inhospitable terrain, relatively narrow habitat specificity, vulnerability to pathogens, impacts of invasive species, impacts of climate change, increased exposure to ultra-violet light, exposure to pollution, and a range of these factors working synergistically. Frogs may well constitute the best indicators for environmental change of all of our biota. For that reason alone, frogs deserve much more attention and concern than has been devoted to them to now. From a purely selfish, anthropocentric perspective, it is in our own survival interests that we need to know much more about the biology and ecology of frogs, and the reasons for their decline. The first step in this process is being able to identify them. This is where this excellent field guide is so important. The first national field guide to Australia’s frogs, published in 1977, described about 150 species. The authors (John Barker and Gordon Grigg) predicted then that more species would be discovered. This was shown clearly with their second national field guide, published in 1995, which included a further fifty species. Dr Michael Tyler, one of Australia’s pre-eminent frog biologists, was one of the authors of the 1995 field guide. Since then, more species have been discovered and this excellent field guide, written by Dr Tyler, includes descriptions of 227 species native to Australia; an increase of over 13 per cent on the total described in 1995. Undoubtedly more will be identified as a result of better coverage v (cid:41)(cid:42)(cid:16)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:16)(cid:41)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:74)(cid:86)(cid:53)(cid:40)(cid:57)(cid:44)(cid:54)(cid:40)(cid:39)(cid:17)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:24) (cid:21)(cid:28)(cid:18)(cid:19)(cid:25)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:20)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:29)(cid:22)(cid:24)(cid:3)(cid:51)(cid:48) FOREWORD of remote areas and of taxonomic revisions in the light of more refined taxonomic techniques. Dr Tyler estimates that Australia may have about 240 species of frog. It is to be hoped that all will be identified before any further species extinctions occur. A good field guide should contain only the information necessary to identify the organism of interest. This should include an informative text that gives the latest scientific and common names of the species, a description of the species, its distribution, its habitat, its vocalisations, something about its conservation status, and an account of any species with which it could be confused. Dr Tyler has written an excellent text which covers these areas and is not burdened with information about biology which is not relevant to identification. A good field guide should also provide illustrations which, together with the text, provide the most appropriate visual information on which to base identifications. This is the first field guide to Australian frogs which does not use photographs. Frank Knight, one of Australia’s most talented wildlife artists, has produced a superb set of illustrations which place the frogs in a similar stance, making comparisons considerably easier than with photographs. Dr Tyler’s text and Mr Knight’s illustrations combined make for an excellent, easy-to-use field guide that also provides a solid introduction to the taxonomy and biology of frogs. Dr Denis A Saunders AM President WWF-Australia vvvviiii (cid:41)(cid:42)(cid:16)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:16)(cid:41)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:74)(cid:86)(cid:53)(cid:40)(cid:57)(cid:44)(cid:54)(cid:40)(cid:39)(cid:17)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:25) (cid:21)(cid:28)(cid:18)(cid:19)(cid:25)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:20)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:29)(cid:22)(cid:25)(cid:3)(cid:51)(cid:48) Contents Foreword v ............................................................................... Preface ix ................................................................................... Introduction 1 .......................................................................... Families and genera 4 ............................................................ Biology 10 ................................................................................ Habitats 15 ............................................................................... Species accounts 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Checklist of genera and species 167 ......................................... Glossary 173 .................................................................................... References 174 ............................................................................... Index of scientific names 180 ...................................................... Index of common names 183 ................................................. vvvvvvviiiiiiiiiii (cid:41)(cid:42)(cid:16)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:16)(cid:41)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:74)(cid:86)(cid:53)(cid:40)(cid:57)(cid:44)(cid:54)(cid:40)(cid:39)(cid:17)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:26) (cid:21)(cid:28)(cid:18)(cid:19)(cid:25)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:20)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:29)(cid:22)(cid:25)(cid:3)(cid:51)(cid:48) (cid:41)(cid:42)(cid:16)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:16)(cid:41)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:74)(cid:86)(cid:53)(cid:40)(cid:57)(cid:44)(cid:54)(cid:40)(cid:39)(cid:17)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:27) (cid:21)(cid:28)(cid:18)(cid:19)(cid:25)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:20)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:29)(cid:22)(cid:25)(cid:3)(cid:51)(cid:48) Preface Many books have been written on the identification of the frogs of Australia. Most are field guides to particular portions of the continent: states, territories, cities or other specific regions, and all of them use photographs to illustrate the various species. The problem with this approach is that, although each illustration may be superb, it is very difficult to identify species of similar appearance when the poses are not identical. Until now, my ventures into the production of field guides, either on my own or in collaboration with others, have followed this format. For many years, I have admired the superb work of the nature illustrator Frank Knight. As a result of a chance meeting, we agreed to collaborate on a field guide to the frogs of Australia. It was to be in the same format as his publications on birds and mammals. What it would do is overcome the deficiency of the photographic approach. Closely related species with similar appearances would be presented in identical poses and, wherever possible, adjacent to one another to facilitate identification. We have tried to include all described species; a little artistic licence was involved in the illustration of Uperoleia marmorata which has not been rediscovered for more than 150 years, since it was first found in the Kimberley district of Western Australia. Similarly, U. orientalis has proven particularly elusive and the faded museum specimens give no indication of its colour. Some of the statements made in the species accounts have been taken from the literature. These sources have been included in the References cited on pages 174–179. Every effort has been made to ensure that there are no omissions. Numerous colleagues have provided photographs or data vital to the project. I would like to thank Marion Anstis, Hal Cogger, Margaret Davies, Scott Eipper, Conrad Hoskin, Murray Littlejohn, Mike Mahony, Keith McDonald, Steve Richards and John Weigel. Many friends joined me on field trips and made them inspiring occasions. I would particularly like to thank Margaret Davies, Angus Martin and Graeme Watson. Together we found numerous new ix (cid:41)(cid:42)(cid:16)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:16)(cid:41)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:74)(cid:86)(cid:53)(cid:40)(cid:57)(cid:44)(cid:54)(cid:40)(cid:39)(cid:17)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:28) (cid:21)(cid:28)(cid:18)(cid:19)(cid:25)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:20)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:29)(cid:22)(cid:25)(cid:3)(cid:51)(cid:48)