Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog

Details

The Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog (Litoria fallax, also referred to as Ranoidea fallax in some sources) is a tiny, bright green tree frog native to eastern Australia. It is one of the most familiar small frogs around suburban gardens, ponds and wetlands along the east coast.

Taxonomy & Names

• English name: Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog

• Scientific name: Litoria fallax (often still used in field guides)

• Genus: Litoria (Australian tree frogs)

• Family (broad sense): Australian tree frog group related to other small green tree frogs

Appearance

This frog is very small but attractively coloured and well adapted to life among leaves and reeds:

• Body size: adults are typically about 2–3 cm in length;

• Dorsal colour: bright green to yellow-green, sometimes with a fine pale stripe or small markings on the back;

• Side stripe: a narrow brown, bronze or golden stripe often runs from the snout, through the eye and along the flank,      which is a key field mark;

• Belly: underside is whitish or cream, with the throat sometimes slightly mottled;

• Feet: fingers and toes have distinct round toe pads for gripping leaves, and the toes are partially webbed for      moving in and around water plants;

• General build: light-bodied with slender limbs, giving the typical “tree frog” look.

Distribution & Habitat

The Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog is widespread along the eastern and north-eastern coasts of Australia:

• occurs through much of coastal Queensland and New South Wales and into parts of eastern Victoria;

• found in both natural and highly modified habitats.

It favours warm, moist environments with abundant vegetation and surface water:

• natural habitats include swamps, marshes, pond and lake margins, slow-flowing streams and wetland edges;

• in human-dominated landscapes it is common around garden ponds, farm dams, irrigation channels, roadside ditches      and constructed wetlands;

• wherever shallow water and dense grasses, reeds or aquatic plants occur, this species may be present.

Behaviour & Call

The Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog is nocturnal and strongly associated with vegetation around water:

• by day individuals rest on or within clumps of reeds, grasses and shrubs, or hide in crevices and human structures near water;

• at dusk and through the night they become active, moving among vegetation and hunting for small prey;

• during the breeding season males call from reeds, floating leaves and other plants at the water’s edge, producing a rapid,      high-pitched series of “trik… trik… trik” or “creek… creek…” notes.

In many eastern Australian suburbs the chorus of these small tree frogs is a familiar sound on warm, humid summer nights.

Diet

The Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog feeds mainly on small invertebrates:

• mosquitoes and other small flying insects around water and lights;

• tiny beetles, ants, aphids and other insects on leaves and stems;

• small spiders and other arthropods living among vegetation.

It hunts by watching for movement and then flicking out its sticky tongue to capture passing prey.

Breeding & Development

Breeding is tied to warm, wet conditions:

• breeding takes place mainly in the warmer, wetter months and is often stimulated by rain;

• males gather around shallow water, calling from emergent vegetation and other perches;

• females lay small clumps or thin layers of eggs in still or slow-moving water, often attached to aquatic plants;

• tadpoles develop in the water and are sensitive to water quality and temperature; in temporary pools they must complete      metamorphosis before the water disappears;

• after metamorphosis, tiny froglets move into surrounding vegetation and gradually adopt a more arboreal or reed-dwelling lifestyle.

Conservation Status & Threats

On the IUCN Red List the Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog is currently assessed as Least Concern (LC), reflecting its wide distribution and apparently stable populations.

Local pressures may include:

• loss of small wetlands and vegetated pond margins through drainage, infilling and canalisation;

• pollution and pesticide runoff affecting eggs, tadpoles and adults;

• introduced fish and other aquatic predators that consume eggs and tadpoles.

Creating and maintaining fish-free ponds, retaining dense native vegetation around water and reducing chemical use in gardens and farms all help this species and other native amphibians.