Post on 15-Dec-2015
Common name of Litoria Raniformis
It has many names
In New Zealand it is called Southern Bell Frog
In Australia, where it comes from, it is called Growling Grass Frog and Warty Swamp Frog
Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Ranidae
Genus: Litoria
Species: L. Raniformis
Binomial name: Litoria Raniformis
Description Adult size : Length- 10 cm long max , Width -4 cm wide
We measured it using my hand and it is as long as my hand which is 10 centimetres and it was about 4cm wide so it was adult frog
Colour bronze and brown and lots of bumps with blue/green legs
It changes from green to brown during breeding season
Comes from Australia but was introduced to NZ in 1860s
Largest frogs in NZ
I reported my frog sighting to the Department of Conservation
My sighting report to the Department of Conservation
ARDS CARD NEW ZEALAND AMPHIBIAN/REPTILE DISTRIBUTION SCHEMEHerpetofauna Administrator, RD&I, Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 10420, Wellington.
Card No:
Observer:
William Johnston Date: 15 February 2014 Locality Name: Cape Palliser, Kawakawa River
Initials Surname Alt (m):
Address:30 Upton Terrace Thorndon
Easting Northing
GPS
Series
Map No.
Easting
Northing
Affiliation: Area Office: Conservancy: Ecol. District:
Species name No. Time
Habitat Weather WeatherLight1. Fine/Sunny2. Part Cloudy3. Overcast4. Showers5. Rain6. Night7. 0-½ Moonlit8. ½-1 Moonlit Temperature9. Hot10. Warm11. Moderate12. Cool13. Cold Wind14. Calm15. Light breeze16. Mod breeze17. Gusty18. Strong winds
Major Habitat Types1. Beech Forest2. Podocarp forest3. Broadleaf forest4. Exotic forest5. Scrub6. Sub-alpine7. Alpine8. Undeveloped tussock land9. Developed farmland10. River terrace11. Fresh water
e.g. Hoplodactylus maculatus 6 18:00
16, D, E 6,2,1
Southern Bell 1300
Voucher specimen(s) Yes/No
Specify:
Photograph(s) Yes/No
Extra notes on reverse side Yes/No
1. Wet land2. Coastal3. Scree4. Bare rocks16. Beach17. Urban18. 19. 20.
Micro habitatsA FoliageB TrunkC BranchesD Under stonesE Under woodF Open groundG CrevicesH
Food chain
Moths and fly's. Other frogs- they are cannibals.
Insects and insect larvae.Anything moving they can
scavenge.
Southern Bell Frogs
Life cycle/MetamorphosisReproduces at
aged two or three.
Breeding between
November and March.
Male croaks to attract female.
Females lays about 3000
eggs.
Eggs hatch into Tadpoles two to four days later.
Metamorphosis takes about
three months
Habitat Found throughout New Zealand.
Wet lands
Streams with reeds
Pond weed
Wood lands
Coastal areas
Dams
They shelter under rocks (this is where I found my frog) and it was in a stream with reeds
Adaptive features
They change colour from green to brown in breeding season
They will also move to another area if the water is drying out.
Have been found in very cold and wet areas and very dry areas.
The Southern Bell frog is a very agile climber and they can travel up to a kilometre in 24 hours
It is often seen walking a along the highway in Australia
Threats It is endangered in Australia and has disappeared from many areas where it was once widespread
Disease such as Crytid Fungus
Loss of Habitat due to grazing near streams of other animals and droughts and floods
Predators such as Mosquito Fish
Bibliography
http://www.nzfrogs.org/Resources/Frog+Images/Green+and+Golden+Bell+Frog.htmlhttp://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=1828#threatshttp://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/southern_bell_froghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growling_grass_frogwww.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=1828http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/natural-sounds/9997/southern-bell-froghttp://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/southern_bell_froghttp://bird.net.au/bird/index.php?title=Growling_Grassfrog