University of Western Australia University of Western Australia Western Australia has had state legislation protecting frogs since 1958. Unlike eastern Australia few frog species in south-western Australia seem to be in decline, and, for those that are, there are identifiable threats. It was initially given this status because it was known from a single locality and only a few specimens had been collected. It was the first frog given this status in W.A. A. rotunda is a small frog, that has been extensively studied on coastal sand dune systems on the western side of Shark Bay.
Frogs walk across the dune surface leaving distinctive tracks.
They feed largely on ants. Breeding biology is complex. Pairs form then but egg deposition is delayed until the following April. Eggs undergo direct development at up to 80 cm below the sand surface and hatch about May coinciding with opening winter rains. Field work starting in 1979 and particularly in 1980 established that this species was one of the most abundant frogs in Australia and has population densities equivalent to those of the most abundant terrestrial salamanders in North America.