Animal Species:Brown Toadlet
The Brown Toadlet is the most widespread of its group (genus Pseudophryne), occurring throughout southern Australia.
Brown Toadlet, Pseudophryne bibronii
G Hoye
© Australian Museum
Alternative Name/s
Bibron's Toadlet
Size range
3 cm
Distribution
The Brown Toadlet is found in south-eastern Australia.
Habitat
The Brown Toadlet lives in forests, heathlands and grasslands where it can be heard calling throughout the year.
Communication
The male Brown Toadlets call with a grating 'ark' or squelching sound from burrows made in damp soil or from under rocks or within grass clumps.
Life cycle
Brown Toadlet eggs are usually laid in the burrow or in damp leaf mould and are larger and fewer in number than eggs from most frogs that breed in water. When they are fully developed, eggs hatch with the first heavy rainfall. This washes the eggs out of the burrow and into a creek or pond where the tadpoles continue their development.
Conservation Status
This species, as well as its relatives like the Red Crowned Toadlet (P. australis), and also the Corroboree Frog (P. corroboree), are in decline for reasons we don't fully understand.
Classification
- Species:
- bibronii
- Genus:
- Pseudophryne
- Family:
- Myobatrachidae
- Order:
- Anura
- Subclass:
- Lissamphibia
- Subphylum:
- Vertebrata
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
Last Updated:
Tags frogs, toadlets, endangered, threatened, amphibians, vertebrates, identification, wildlife of sydney,
4 comments
Good question!
Toadlets aren't actually toads, they belong to a different family of frogs that are native to Australia (Australia has no native toad species). Quite a few small, bumpy-skinned native frogs are called 'toadlets' simply because they look a little bit like tiny toads. Toadlets aren't closely related to true toads at all.
The Red-crowned Toadlet (Pseudophryne australis) and the Brown Toadlet (Pseudophryne bibronii) are found in the Sydney area. To my knowledge, the Red-backed Toadlet (Pseudophryne coriacea), is only found further north of Sydney.
There are only very subtle differences between the calls of each species of Pseudophryne, and it's quite difficult (practically impossible) to tell them apart in the field from their calls, particularly as you're likely to only hear one species at a time calling, and so can't compare.
The Red-crowned Toadlet and the Brown Toadlet do differ in habitat - sandstone escarpment areas are preferred by Red-crowned toadlets.