Northern Territory Frog

Scientific name: Austrochaperina adelphe

Author(s)

FrogID Team
Updated

05/02/21
Read time

2 minutes

Northern Territory Frog, Austrochaperina adelphe Image: Stephen Mahony
© Stephen Mahony

Fast Facts

IUCN Conservation Status

LEAST CONCERN (LC)
Classification

Genus

Austrochaperina

Species

adelphe

Family

Microhylidae

Order

Anura

Subclass

Lissamphibia

Class

Amphibia

Subphylum

Vertebrata

Phylum

Chordata

Kingdom

Animalia
Size Range

2 cm

Description

A small species of frog reaching up to 2 cm in body length. It has a brown or brown-grey back, often with small dark brown spots and flecks, and sometimes a thin, pale longitudinal stripe along the middle. There is a dark brown stripe from the tip of the snout to the groin, below which the side and head colour are clearly separated from the back colour. There are sometimes blue specks on the sides. The belly is grey, with pale spots. The pupil is horizontal and the iris is gold in the upper half and dark brown in the lower half. Fingers and toes are unwebbed, both without discs.

Similar Species

Does not look similar to any other species in its distribution.

Distribution

Found in the far north of the NT.

Breeding Biology

Eggs are laid as one small cluster on land in a hidden area of moist leaf litter and the nest is guarded by the male, as it is with other Austrochaperina species. Tadpoles never swim in water; instead they develop inside the egg and hatch as little frogs after 23 days. Breeds during summer in the wet season.