Yellow-spotted tree frog, New england swamp frog, Tablelands bell frog, Yellow-spotted bell frog
Litoria castanea , also known as the yellow-spotted tree frog, New England swamp frog, tablelands bell frog, or yellow-spotted bell frog is a species of frog in the family Pelodryadidae. It is a critically endangered species of frog that is endemic to southeastern Australia, found in the New England Tablelands bioregion. Its natural habitats are temperate grassland, rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, and ponds.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Jumping (saltation) can be distinguished from running, galloping, and other gaits where the entire body is temporarily airborne by the relatively l...
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starts withLitoria castanea is a member of the Litoria aurea complex, being distinguished by cream markings on its thighs. Its overall colour is pale green and the dark to black spots are highlighted by the bronze patches. The toes are entirely webbed, the species favouring permanent water bodies. The reasons behind its drastic decline are unclear, but the disease chytridiomycosis is suspected to have played a major role. No recorded sighting had been made since 1980, and the species was believed to be extinct. However, in late 2009 New South Wales Fisheries field scientist Luke Pearce located a surviving population of the frogs. Scientists acted quickly to establish a small "insurance" colony. Soon after, the wild colony was eradicated due to two consecutive floods and an outbreak of chytrid fungus. Following a breeding program at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, in early 2018, a colony of yellow-spotted bell frogs was released in a secret location in the New South Wales' southern tablelands.
