striped marsh frog
{{Short description|Species of amphibian}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Striped marsh frog
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| image = Limnodynastes peronii.jpg
| taxon = Limnodynastes peronii
| authority = (Duméril and Bibron, 1841)
| range_map = Limnodynastes peronii distribution.PNG
| range_map_caption = Striped marsh frog range
| synonyms = Several, including:
Cystignathus peronii Dumeril & Bibron, 1841
Limnodynastes krefftii Günther, 1863
Limnodynastes lineatus De Vis, 1884
}}
The striped marsh frog or brown-striped frog (Limnodynastes peronii) is a predominantly aquatic frog native to coastal Eastern Australia. It is a common species in urban habitats.
Taxonomy
The striped marsh frog was described by French naturalists André Marie Constant Duméril and Gabriel Bibron in 1841.
Description
Females may reach a length of {{convert|75|mm|in}} and males {{convert|70|mm|in}}.{{cite book|title=Wildlife of Greater Brisbane|year=2007|publisher=Queensland Museum|location=Brisbane|isbn=978-0-9775943-1-3|pages=222}} They are a shade of brown on the dorsal surface. This colour can be light or dark; they can also be a red-brown on the dorsal surface. There are distinct darker stripes running down the frogs back (giving this species its name), there is normally a paler mid-dorsal stripe running down the back. There is a black "mask" that runs from the nostril, through the eye and down to the shoulder. This "mask" is followed by a thick light golden line that runs underneath the "mask" and terminates at the end of the mouth. Breeding males develop thick arms, these are used in "wrestling" matches with other frogs, the throat of males is yellow in colour. The belly is white.
Distribution and habitat
It is distributed from the southern parts of the Cape York Peninsula in North Queensland, through all of coastal New South Wales, Southern Victoria to southeastern South Australia and Northern Tasmania.{{cite book|last=Tyler|first=Michael|title=Field Guide to the Frogs of Australia|edition=Revised|publisher=CSIRO Publishing|year=2011|pages=86|isbn=978-0643103986|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G8T0M6b1ZdMC&q=Limnodynastes+peronii&pg=PA169}} Although this species is very common in coastal NSW, it is not common in Tasmania and listed as rare.
Ecology and behaviour
File:Limnodynastes peronii with spawn.JPG
File:Spawn 03 CC BY-SA.jpgThis species is the most frequently encountered frog on the east coast of Australia. They are normally the first frog to colonise a garden frog pond and are often victims of backyard swimming pools. They will inhabit ponds, roadside ditches, creeks, dams, flooded areas and any other available water body. The natural prey of this species includes another local species of frog called Bibron's Toadlet. They are tolerant of polluted water. Males call while floating in water from a hidden area in vegetation. They make a "knock" call as if you were to hit a piece of timber with a hammer, during all months of the year (particularly spring-autumn). This call is familiar to anyone in Sydney who has a garden pond.
Several studies have used striped marsh frogs to try to understand why worldwide amphibian declines are greater in montane regions. Researchers have found that negative effects of low temperatures and high ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation on tadpole survival are greater when the two stressors are combined. UVB radiation decreased the survival of striped marsh frog tadpoles, but there was an increasingly large mortality rate when low temperatures were involved.{{Cite journal|last1=Lundsgaard|first1=Niclas U|last2=Cramp|first2=Rebecca L|last3=Franklin|first3=Craig E|date=2020-01-01|title=Effects of ultraviolet-B radiation on physiology, immune function and survival is dependent on temperature: implications for amphibian declines|journal=Conservation Physiology|volume=8|issue=1|page=coaa002 |doi=10.1093/conphys/coaa002|pmid=32467758 |pmc=7245394 |doi-access=free}} UVB radiation caused DNA damage, and as the temperature decreased, the turnover time to repair DNA decreased, so the damage lasted longer.{{Cite journal|last1=Morison|first1=Samuel A.|last2=Cramp|first2=Rebecca L.|last3=Alton|first3=Lesley A.|last4=Franklin|first4=Craig E.|date=2019-10-09|title=Cooler temperatures slow the repair of DNA damage in tadpoles exposed to ultraviolet radiation: Implications for amphibian declines at high altitude|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14837|journal=Global Change Biology|volume=26|issue=3|pages=1225–1234|doi=10.1111/gcb.14837|pmid=31518484 |s2cid=202571735 |url-access=subscription}}
The breeding season is from late winter to early spring. Eggs are laid in a foamy nest and tadpoles can take 8–12 months to develop. Pale brown, they can be up to 6.5 cm long.
Human interactions
In Australia this animal may be kept in captivity with the appropriate permit.Mark Davidson. 2005. Australian Reptile Keeper Publications. {{ISBN|0-9758200-0-1}} However, striped marsh frogs also often colonise garden ponds.{{cite web |title=Striped Marsh Frog |publisher=Australian Museum |date=4 February 2021 |url=https://australian.museum/learn/animals/frogs/striped-marsh-frog/ |access-date=10 December 2021}}
Sources
- Anstis, M. 2002. Tadpoles of South-eastern Australia. Reed New Holland: Sydney.
- Robinson, M. 2002. A Field Guide to Frogs of Australia. Australian Museum/Reed New Holland: Sydney.
- {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321185815/http://frogsaustralia.net.au/frogs/display.cfm?frog_id=40 |date=21 March 2012 |title=Australian Frog Database: Limnodynastes peronii}}
- [http://frogs.org.au/frogs/species/Limnodynastes/peroni/ Frogs of Australia]
- [https://www.fats.org.au/frogs Frog and Tadpole Study Group]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110320103342/http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/nature/frogLicenceInfo.pdf Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, New South Wales: Amphibian Keeper's Licence: Species Lists]
- [https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/keeping-and-trading-wildlife/private-wildlife-licences Wildlife Victoria,keeping-and-trading-wildlife/private-wildlife-licences]
References
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Category:Endemic fauna of Australia
Category:Amphibians of Queensland
Category:Amphibians of New South Wales
Category:Amphibians of the Australian Capital Territory
Category:Amphibians of Victoria (state)
Category:Amphibians of South Australia
Category:Amphibians of Tasmania
Category:Amphibians described in 1841