Kimberley rockhole frog

The Kimberley rockhole frog (Litoria aurifera) is a small frog from northern Australia. It lives in the Kimberley area.  It was first found in the Prince Regent River by two plant scientists.

Adult frogs are about 22 mm long from nose to rear end.  They live in rockholes and streams with rocky bottoms.  They are so small and light that they can skip across the top of the water like a skipping stone.

They lay 60-110 eggs at a time, in different places instead of large groups of eggs like other frogs.  The tadpoles have dark black bodies and tails with bright gold spots.  They eat algae and their mouths have suckers so they can hold onto rocks in fast streams.  They are about 1 cm long when they become frogs.

The Latin name aurifera means "carrying gold."

References

Category:Pelodryadidae