Striped rocketfrog

Common name: striped rocketfrog

Scientific name: Litoria nasuta

Family: Hylidae (tree frogs)

Conservation status: The striped rocketfrog is listed as Least Concern in Queensland (Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992).

Description

Rocketfrogs are a small to medium sized frog about the size of a standard match box (40 mm in length). They can vary greatly in colour and pattern but generally they have light to dark brown stripes on the back enclosing warts and longitudinal skin folds. The belly is white and a distinctive head stripe runs from the nose and ends behind the eye. Typical of a rocketfrog its snout is pointed, while its long legs give it an impressive jumping ability.

Habitat and distribution

Striped rocketfrogs are distributed widely across north and eastern Australia and in some parts of New Guinea. In Queensland they occur in a band along the coast from the border with New South Wales to the Northern Territory border as well as being distributed throughout Cape York. Rocketfrogs live in a variety of habitats from flooded pasture and temporary soaks to permanent swamps.

Life history and behaviour

Male rocketfrogs call at night from among plants at the water's edge. Its call begins with slow chirps, builds to a crescendo of busy chattering, and then slows to a few chirps at the end. Eggs are laid in clumps on the water's edge in summer.

Unlike tree frogs the rocketfrog does not climb, instead spends its nights rustling among leaf litter on the ground, looking for insects and spiders.

Listen

Listen to an audio clip of the striped rocketfrog (MP3, 97KB)^†.

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