Myobatrachus gouldii
Copyright © Hal Cogger
Distribution map
Distribution Map of Myobatrachus gouldii
Copyright © Hal Cogger
Status
IUCN Classification:
Not listed
(International Union for Conservation of Nature)
Bioregion occurrence:
(this is not a distribution map)
State occurrence:
Links
- Turtle Frog
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Myobatrachus gouldii
Family: Myobatrachidae
Common name: Turtle Frog
Description: This frog has a very small head and very short arms and legs, small eyes and a round bulbous body. Its back can range in colour from dull grey to brown. The belly is smooth and dirty white with brown flecks. The skin on the back is smooth with fine granulations, which gives a shiny appearance.
Size: 45 mm
Habitat: This frog lives beneath logs in sandy soils not usually near water. It comes to the surface after it rains.
Call: Single call "ba-a-a-r-k".Call available in 
Windows Media or 
Quicktime audio. Recording Copyright © Dale Roberts.
Breeding: Male and female pairs burrow in the sand, mate and lay their eggs.
Eggs: Are the largest Australian frog eggs measuring between 5 mm - 7 mm in diameter. Females lay 15 - 20 eggs at one time, underground.
Tadpoles: Develop entirely within their eggs and emerge as frogs.
Similar species: This frog can be distinguished from the only other head-first burrowing species, Arenophryne rotunda, by its size and distribution.
Other characteristics: This frog can burrow head first into the sand with its arms. It feeds entirely on termites and is widespread outside the forested areas of Western Australia. It can eat over 400 termites at one time.
Conservation Information
Suspected threatening processes
- Salinisation
- Direct human impact/urbanisation/tourism
- Inappropriate catchment management, including degraded water quality
- 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 size stable or suspected to be stable or increasing.
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 1-50 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: 80,001-1,000,000 km² (up to 12% area of Australia or about the area of South Australia).
Distribution trend: Area occupied has declined by 25-74%. (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
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.
Swan, G. 2001. Green Guide to Frogs of Australia. New Holland: Sydney.