Frogs of Victoria

There are some 36 species of frog recorded in Victoria ranging from the critically endangered and range restricted Baw Baw Frog Philoria frosti to the very common Eastern Common Froglet Crinia signifera which seems to call from every damp area. On a wet or otherwise quiet night of spotlighting, frogs are an excellent distraction and are much easier to find at night with a head torch than during the day. I have only recently started photographing frogs but it is becoming quite addictive. A number of species are not well studied or the Victorian population is poorly understood so there is good scope for exploration and investigation.

This key guide to Victorian Frogs is excellent – Link

For a traditional field guide you can’t go past the new Frogs of Victoria book by Nick Clemann and Mike Swann.

Otherwise the Frog’s of Australia app for iOS devices is about the best $25 you will ever spend although it does take a hefty 800Mb+ of storage space – Link The app has detailed notes, pictures and calls of every Australian species and has a handy function that will show you the frogs likely in your current area which is very useful in narrowing down that cryptic call coming from the middle of a swamp.

My favourite frogs are Tree Frogs of the genus Litoria with the Blue Mountains Tree Frog – Litoria citropa being a stand out. Litoria’s are generally noisy and easier to find than some of the more cryptic species. Often they can be found far from water and some of them are poor climbers despite the tree frog moniker. Although I have never seen one and am very unlikely to (Now have seen) the proposed area of the Great Forest Park provides protection for the critically endangered Spotted Tree Frog – Litoria spenceri – yet another reason to protect this area.

It is now into Autumn in Victoria and I have recently heard Pseudophryne semimarmorata (Southern Broodfrog) calling at Wilsons Prom on the Five mile road and at Churchill National Park in the aqueduct. Pretty keen to get out on a wet night soon to photograph! Watch this space 🙂

My Victorian Frog list
– Giant Burrowing Frog – Heleioporus australiacus
– Common Pobblebonk – Limnodynastes dumerlii
– Barking Marsh Frog – Limnodynastes fletcheri
– Striped Marsh Frog – Limnodynastes peroni
– Spotted Marsh Frog – Limnodynastes tasmaniensis
– Common Spadefoot Toad – Neobatrachus sudellae
– Plains Froglet – Crinia parinsignifera
– Common Froglet – Crinia signifera
– Sloane’s Froglet – Crinia sloanei
– Southern Smooth Froglet – Geocrinia laevis
– Victorian Smooth Froglet – Geocrinia victoriana
– Otways Smooth Froglet – Geocrinia sparsiflora
– Haswell’s Froglet – Paracrinia haswelli
– Bibrons Toadlet – Pseudophryne bibronii
– Southern Toadlet – Pseudophryne semimarmorata
– Smooth Toadlet – Uperoleia laevigata
– Martin’s Toadlet – Uperoleia martini
– Green and Golden Bell Frog – Litoria aurea
– Booroolong Frog – Litoria booroolongensis
– Blue Mountains Tree Frog – Litoria citropa
– Southern Brown Tree Frog – Litoria ewingii
– Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog – Litoria fallax
– Rocky River Frog – Litoria leseuri
– Leaf Green Tree Frog – Litoria nudidigita
– Plains Brown Tree Frog – Litoria paraewingi
– Peron’s Tree Frog – Litoria peronii
– Growling Grass Frog – Litoria raniformis
– Spotted Tree Frog – Litoria spenceri
– Whistling Tree Frog – Litoria verreauxii