Adelotus brevis

Tusked Frog

Gallery

Female, olive-green colour.

Note absence of finger disks and toe pads.

Female (above) and male (below). Note larger head size of male.

Largely brown-coloured individual shown. Note low warts.

Red and black marbling on groin and thighs. Black and white marbling on stomach.

Egg mass with white eggs visible.

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Threatened Status:
EPBC: N/A, NC: Vulnerable, IUCN: Near Threatened

Size:
Moderate, <50mm

Quick ID features:
Red and black marbling in groin and backs of legs, white flecking and marbling on belly, large head (males), tusks on lower jaw.

Characteristics:
A grey or brown colour above with irregular markings. Underside of body smooth, and grey or black coloured with white flecking and mottling. Red and black marbling in groin and on backs of legs. Skin rough above with many low warts. No toe pads or finger disks and little or no webbing between toes and fingers. Males have a larger head than females and have large bony 'tusks' projecting upwards from the front of the lower jaw (only visible when mouth open).

Call:
Described as a soft 'p-tuck' or 'cluck'. Males heard calling most often during spring and summer, usually following rain. Males call from undercut banks, tree roots and overhanging vegetation, and crayfish burrows. Males call day and night.

Breeding & Distribution:
A terrestrial species that breeds most commonly in creeks and streams of wet sclerophyll forest/rainforest, however also encountered in disturbed, urban, and peri-urban areas, including backyard ponds. Unpigmented eggs are laid in a floating foam nest. Restricted to South-east coastal region.

Similar species:
Often mistaken for the Cane Toad (Rhinella marina) but distinguished from the latter by the red and black marbling in the groin and backs of legs.

Species description paraphrased by permission © Ed Meyer. Text must not be used without the author's permission.