The Spotted Marsh Frog is February’s frog of the month as part of the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority’s 2022 Year of the Frog community awareness campaign.
The Spotted Marsh Frog is February’s frog of the month as part of the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority’s 2022 Year of the Frog community awareness campaign.
This project is supported by the Goulburn Broken CMA through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
“Abundant summer rains lately mean there is water, water almost everywhere,” GB CMA project officer, Janice Mentiplay-Smith said.
“Where there is not actual water, there is damper soil, which means summer homes for frogs.
“Our February frog of the month is the Spotted Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis) which despite the reference to Tasmania in its name, is found far and wide across the Goulburn Broken Catchment as well as the entire east coast and inland New South Wales and Queensland, Victoria, the ACT, southeast South Australian and the eastern half of Tasmania.”
Ms Mentiplay Smith said the Spotted Marsh Frog was a smaller frog, about 5cm in length.
“Well adapted to the ‘boom and bust’ of the Australian climate, the Spotted Marsh Frog will take advantage of dams and ponds, as well as flooded paddocks, water lying in roadside ditches and in gilgais to lay their eggs,” she said.
“Gilgais are depressions that form on the surface of the ground, usually in clay soils that feature strongly in the Grey Box Grassy Woodland environment, a focus of the GB CMA Linking Landscapes and Communities Project which is working with landowners, communities and Traditional Owners to improve this critical habitat.”
For more information on the Spotted Marsh Frog visit www.frogid.net.au/frogs/limnodynastes-tasmaniensis and www.frogid.net.au/about-frogid. The Australian Museum FrogID Project involves recording frog calls via the FrogID app on a Smartphone, providing a valuable time-stamped and geo-referenced audio recording that allows scientists to understand the movements and populations of frog, and conserve Australia's unique frog species.
Throughout 2022, The Goulburn Broken CMA and partners are celebrating the Year of the Frog, featuring a local frog species each month. For more information contact Janice Mentiplay-Smith on 0418 316 169 or email: janicem@gbcma.vic.gov.au
Photo: The Spotted Marsh Frog. Photo by Chris Tzaros.