Southern Sandhill Frog

Scientific name: Arenophryne xiphorhyncha

Author(s)

FrogID Team
Updated

21/04/22
Read time

2 minutes

Southern Sandhill Frog, Arenophryne xiphorhyncha Image: Stephen Mahony
© Stephen Mahony

Fast Facts

IUCN Conservation Status

NOT EVALUATED (NE)
Classification

Genus

Arenophryne

Species

xiphorhyncha

Family

Myobatrachidae

Order

Anura

Subclass

Lissamphibia

Class

Amphibia

Subphylum

Vertebrata

Phylum

Chordata

Kingdom

Animalia
Size Range

3.5 cm

Description

A medium-sized species of frog reaching up to 3.5 cm in body length. It has a brown-grey or brown back, with mostly black and some red patches and spots. There is often a thin, cream-coloured longitudinal stripe along the middle of the back. The belly is white, with black patches. The pupil is horizontal and the iris is gold. Fingers and toes are unwebbed, both without discs. The fingers are very wide and short, and are used for digging head first into sand. This is very rare among Australian burrowing frogs, as most burrow backwards so that their legs go under the surface first.

Similar Species

Looks very similar to Arenophryne rotunda, but has a slightly different distribution and a darker-coloured back.

Distribution

Found only along the coast just south of the Shark Bay region, in WA.

Breeding Biology

Eggs and development are unknown, but are likely to be similar to Arenophryne rotunda, which lays eggs in a small clutch underground in wet sandy burrows and has no true tadpole stage; all development takes place inside the egg before little frogs emerge. Breeding season is unknown, but possibly occurs during winter to spring.