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Home -> Kingdom Animalia -> Phylum Chordata -> Subphylum Vertebrata -> Class Amphibia -> Order Anura -> Family Myobatrachidae -> Species Limnodynastes dumerilii

Limnodynastes dumerilii
eastern banjo frog, eastern pobblebonk frog
(Also: fourbob frog)



2009/11/29 03:28:22.049 US/Eastern

By Vickie Woods

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Myobatrachidae
Genus: Limnodynastes
Species: Limnodynastes dumerilii

Geographic Range

Southern Australia (Walker 1999).

Biogeographic Regions:
australian (native ).

Habitat

Burrows in loamy soil in grassland or wetland and river areas (Walker 1999).

Physical Description

Pobblebonk frogs have warty skin, thick, short legs, and round heads. Ground color is dark to pale grey with dark to bronze marking on the sides. Large glands are visible at the edge of the mouth and tibia region of the leg (Walker 1999). Webbing on the toes may stretch up to 1/4 the length of the toe. Pobblebonk frogs also have prominent teeth (Latham Bathfrog 1999). Adults reach 52-83 mm in size (Walker 1999). A pale "shovel" or spade can be seen on the hind toe (ACT Herpetological Association).

Reproduction

Pobblebonk frogs emerge from burrows to breed after rain. Females lay up to 4,000 eggs in foam nest using specialized skin flaps on the fingers to move bubbles from the water surface into the nest (Walker 1999).

Behavior

The pobblebonk frog is a burrowing frog, usually seen only after rainfall. Advertisement call is a "bonk" or banjo-like single syllable (Walker 1999)

Food Habits

No specific information could be found on this species, but frogs normally eat insects, worms, spiders, and centipedes, and although some frogs may eat fruit, mice, or snakes, (Latham Frog 1999) it can be assumed that the Pobblebonk frog follows the typical frog diet.

Conservation Status

These frogs are often dug up by gardeners (Walker 1999). They also face habitat loss as many Australian grasslands are endangered or threatened at this time (ACT Government 1997).

Other Comments

The supralabial gland - the gland at the corner of the frog's mouth - contains mucous, seromucous, and granular glands. The mucous glands affect osmoregulation. The granular glands secret a rodent repelling agent (Research Report 1998).

For More Information

Find Limnodynastes dumerilii information at

Contributors

Vickie Woods (author), Michigan State University.
James Harding external link (editor), Michigan State University.

References

"ACT Herpetological Association - Limnodynastes dumerilii" (On-line). Accessed 10 December 1999 at http://aerg.canberra.edu.au/pub/aerg/herps/actha/limdu.htm.

1998. "1998 Research Report - Biology of Frogs and Reptiles" (On-line). Accessed 10 December 1999 at http://www.science.adelaide.edu.au/envbiol/resrep/resrep12.htm.

ACTGovernment, 1997. "Natural temperate grassland: An endangered ecological community." (On-line). Accessed 10 December 1999 at http://ww.act.gov.au/environ/actionplans/GRASLAND.html.

Latham, C. 1999. "The Somewhat Amusing World of Frogs" (On-line). Accessed 10 December 1999 at http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/commerce/account/frogs/frog.htm.

Latham, C. 1999. "Frogs of the Bathurst Region" (On-line). Accessed 10 December 1999 at http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/commerce/account/frogs/bathfrog.htm.

Walker, S., B. Hill. 1999. "Eastern Banjo Frog" (On-line). Accessed 10 December 1999 at http://www.dehaa.sa.gov.au/epa/frogcensus/dumerili.htm.

2009/11/29 03:28:22.965 US/Eastern

To cite this page: Woods, V. 2000. "Limnodynastes dumerilii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed December 05, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Limnodynastes_dumerilii.html.

Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.

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