Red-crowned Toadlet

Red-crowned Toadlet
Pseudophryne australis

The Red-crowned Toadlet is a small frog species, usually less than 30 millimetres long. It is dark brown, grey or black, with a distinctive reddish-orange triangle between the eyes and a variable stripe on the rump. Its belly is marbled black and white. This little frog is endemic to the Sydney Basin where it is only found in or near drainage lines and soaks near ridgetops. It occurs in small colonies and males can be heard calling most of the year. Eggs are laid in moist leaf litter and are washed by rainfall into nearby pools. Much of the tadpoles’ development can occur within the egg. The habitat of the Red-crowned Toadlet is under increasing pressure from urbanisation and pollution.

Distribution: Sydney Basin in New South Wales, Australia
Conservation status: Vulnerable
Evolutionary distinctiveness: not assessed