Australian Frog Database

Australian Frogs

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Geocrinia victoriana

Family: Myobatrachidae
Common name: Eastern Smooth Frog

Description: This frog is grey or brown on its back, often with a number of scattered black-edged red spots and dark markings. The belly is white or light grey with brown or grey flecks. The legs and arms have pink patches underneath and there are some pink with black markings in each armpit and around the groin. The skin on the back is smooth with a few low warts. The belly is smooth. The toes are not webbed and the inner finger and toe are smaller than the others.

Size: 35 mm

Habitat: This frog lives in most habitats that have some water. Usually found under rocks, logs and leaf litter.

Call: The call has two parts (biphasic) - "cr-r-aack…" which is followed by many shorter chirps, "…pip, pip, pip, pip…" Call available in Windows Media or Quicktime audio. Recording Copyright © Murray Littlejohn.

Breeding: Males call from flood prone areas or from the edges of ponds and swamps.

Eggs: Are large and stick to each other to form clumps. The eggs are laid at the base of grass tussocks or in moist leaf litter. In damp conditions the tadpoles can survive in the eggs for up to four months.

Tadpoles: Are small in size and dark brown in colour. The sides of the body of this species of tadpole are dark with gold clusters over the top.

Similar species: This species is distinguished from Geocrinia laevis by its call and distribution.

Conservation Information

Suspected threatening processes

• Inappropriate catchment management, including degraded water quality
• Herbicides, insecticides, eutrophication due to excessive nutrients
• Habitat modification (e.g. vegetation clearing, invasive weeds)

Population size: An estimate of the total number of adults present in the species entire range is >50000 individuals. Some factors affecting population size and distribution are known, but 1 or more major factors are unknown.

Population trend in Australia over the past 50 years: Population trend unknown; no information on habitat changes.

Knowledge of population trend in Australia: Not currently monitored.

Population concentration: Not known to concentrate or exist in discrete locations. (e.g. the number of sites in which individuals group together either seasonally, such as breeding sites, or they may occupy discrete habitat patches within the broader landscape, such as discrete water bodies or drainage units.)

Ongoing management activities in Australia: None directed primarily at the taxon.

Reproductive potential for recovery: The average number of eggs deposited per adult female per year is 51-200 eggs/female/year. Minimum age at which females are known or suspected to first reproduce is 2-3 years.

Range size in Australia: The size of the geographic area over which the taxon is distributed: 1001-80000 km² (up to 1% area of Australia or about the area of Tasmania).

Distribution trend: Area occupied has declined by < 25%. (This is an estimate of change in the portion of the total range that is occupied or utilised; it may not equal the change in total range.)

Knowledge of distribution in Australia: Broad range limits or habitat associations are known, but local occurrence cannot be predicted accurately.

References

Anstis, M. 2002. Tadpoles of South-eastern Australia. Reed New Holland: Sydney.

Barker, J., G.C. Grigg and M.J. Tyler. 1995. A Field Guide to Australian Frogs. Surrey Beatty & Sons: Chipping Norton.

Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and amphibians of Australia. Reed Books: Sydney.

Robinson, M. 2002. A Field Guide to Frogs of Australia. Australian Museum/Reed New Holland: Sydney.