Trilling Frog
Encyclopedia
The Trilling Frog or Desert Trilling Frog (Neobatrachus centralis) is an Australia
n burrowing frog
, of the family Myobatrachidae.
and Western Australia
. It is remarkable in its toleration for arid
environments.
to posterior), usually of a brown and tan colour with sharply differentiated mottling, much like army desert camouflage.
This frog is white underneath. The pupil
of this frog contracts to a vertical slit.
The dorsal
surface is usually smooth, however it is reported that during the breeding season, the males develop fine, dark bristles on their back.
The Trilling Frog can be differentiated from The Painted Frog (Neobatrachus pictus) by the 'baggy pants' of loose skin that extends almost to their knees when the hind legs are extended.
The Trilling Frogs will commonly dig themselves to the surface at the beginning of the late summer rains. There are stories that to prevent death by thirst, Indigenous Australians
could catch these frogs by cleverly stamping on the right patch of ground to simulate thunder or falling rain, causing the frogs would surface where they could then be made to give up their stored moisture.
These frogs will spend a few weeks calling nightly while floating in or sitting at the edge of rainwater filled claypans, puddles and waterholes.
DEH, Trilling Frog Call
They eat the numerous insects accompanying the rains and lay eggs in drawn out clumps, often wrapped around snags in the water. The tadpoles mature very quickly.
Like most Australian frogs, the Trilling Frog is an opportunistic predator and so the diet of the species consists mostly of any desert dwelling insects and reptiles small enough to fit in its mouth. In some areas it is the only ground living vertebrate
collected.
Recently results of molecular biology analysis have caused some speculation that this may be the same species as Neobatrachus sudelli (Roberts (1997))
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n burrowing frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
, of the family Myobatrachidae.
Distribution
The Trilling frog is found throughout the central Australian deserts in a band encompassing South AustraliaSouth Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. It is remarkable in its toleration for arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
environments.
Description
The Trilling Frog is a medium sized short, fat frog (5 centimetres meaured from snoutSnout
The snout, or muzzle, is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw.-Terminology:The term "muzzle", used as a noun, can be ambiguous...
to posterior), usually of a brown and tan colour with sharply differentiated mottling, much like army desert camouflage.
This frog is white underneath. The pupil
Pupil
The pupil is a hole located in the center of the iris of the eye that allows light to enter the retina. It appears black because most of the light entering the pupil is absorbed by the tissues inside the eye. In humans the pupil is round, but other species, such as some cats, have slit pupils. In...
of this frog contracts to a vertical slit.
The dorsal
Dorsum (biology)
In anatomy, the dorsum is the upper side of animals that typically run, fly, or swim in a horizontal position, and the back side of animals that walk upright. In vertebrates the dorsum contains the backbone. The term dorsal refers to anatomical structures that are either situated toward or grow...
surface is usually smooth, however it is reported that during the breeding season, the males develop fine, dark bristles on their back.
The Trilling Frog can be differentiated from The Painted Frog (Neobatrachus pictus) by the 'baggy pants' of loose skin that extends almost to their knees when the hind legs are extended.
Ecology and behaviour
The Trilling frog is adapted to desert conditions and can spend years without having to surface, buried deep underground with their glands under the skin full of water.The Trilling Frogs will commonly dig themselves to the surface at the beginning of the late summer rains. There are stories that to prevent death by thirst, Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
could catch these frogs by cleverly stamping on the right patch of ground to simulate thunder or falling rain, causing the frogs would surface where they could then be made to give up their stored moisture.
These frogs will spend a few weeks calling nightly while floating in or sitting at the edge of rainwater filled claypans, puddles and waterholes.
DEH, Trilling Frog Call
They eat the numerous insects accompanying the rains and lay eggs in drawn out clumps, often wrapped around snags in the water. The tadpoles mature very quickly.
Like most Australian frogs, the Trilling Frog is an opportunistic predator and so the diet of the species consists mostly of any desert dwelling insects and reptiles small enough to fit in its mouth. In some areas it is the only ground living vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
collected.
Genetics
This interesting little frog is a tetraploid organism, having double the normal number of chromosomes.Recently results of molecular biology analysis have caused some speculation that this may be the same species as Neobatrachus sudelli (Roberts (1997))