# Sydney to Cairns Frogging Trip



## froggyboy86 (Jan 23, 2009)

Hi all, 

Just got back from a rather long drive from Sydney to Cairns looking for rainforest frogs of the wet tropics. Also saw lots of other herps, mammals and birds along the way. 

Frogs recorded: 

Austrochaperina fryi 
Austrochaperina pluvialis 
Bufo marinus 
Cophixalus infacetus 
Cophixalus ornatus 
Crinia signifera 
Crinia parinsignifera 
Crinia tinnula 
Hylarana daemeli 
Limnodynastes peroni 
Limnodynastes terraereginae 
Litoria bicolor 
Litoria caerulea 
Litoria chloris 
Litoria cooloolensis 
Litoria fallax 
Litoria freycineti 
Litoria genimaculata (serrata) 
Litoria gracilenta 
Litoria inermis 
Litoria infrafrenata 
Litoria jungguy 
Litoria myola 
Litoria nannotis 
Litoria nasuta 
Litoria olongburensis 
Litoria peroni 
Litoria pearsoniana
Litoria rheocola 
Litoria rothi 
Litoria tyleri 
Litoria wilcoxi 
Litoria xanthomera 
Mixophyes coggeri 
Mixophyes fasciolatus
Mixophyes schevilli 
Nyctimystes dayi 
Opisthodon ornatus 
Taudactylus liemi

Now some frog pics to start off...

Wallum Sedge Frog (Litoria olongburensis) 






Waterfall Frog (Litoria nannotis)





Australian Wood Frog (Hylarana daemeli)





Orange-thighed Frog (Litoria xanthomera)





Northern Barred Frog (Mixophyes schevilli)





I'll post some herp photos once they are all on photobucket. I have a few skinks I haven't been able to ID. 

Aaron


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## froggyboy86 (Jan 23, 2009)

*Now the herps...*

I didn't take many reptile photos as they were either DOR, annoying or too fast.

Herp List:

Skink spp. 
Gecko spp. 
Pogona barbata
Physignathus lesueuri
+ other agamids
Boiga irregularis
Dendrelaphis punctulata (very common)
Caretta caretta
Elseya latisternum
Chelodina longicollis
Antaresia spp. (probably stimsoni?) 
Tropidonophis mairii 
Pseudechis porphyriacus 
Morelia amethistina 
Liasis fuscus 
etc etc. 

I am not certain of the identity of this skink from Eungella NP west of Mackay





Or this skink from the Paluma Range north of Townsville





This one reminded me of Saproscincus spp. from NE NSW. It was commonly found in vegetation at night on the Atherton Tableland





Another Atherton skink, but much larger and nicely marked. 





And quite aggressive too...





This gecko I found west of Townsville in the Hervey Range, not sure of the ID. Is it an Asian House Gecko? 





Saw this large python at one of the frog spots north of Townsville, really beautiful snake. I am pretty sure its a Water Python (Liasis fuscus)





Walking in the rainforest in Atherton I spotted this large python in the root buttress of a tree...





And closer inspection lead me to think it was a Amythyst Python (Morelia amethistina) 





Lots of loggerhead turtle nests were hatching as we drove back towards Sydney





And Saw Shells (Elseya latisternum) were common in creeks and pools of the far north.





Aaron


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## lizardsNturtles (Jan 23, 2009)

arent they all little cuties


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## W.T.BUY (Jan 23, 2009)

This gecko I found west of Townsville in the Hervey Range, not sure of the ID. Is it an Asian House Gecko?

Nah thats a Dtellas either a dubious or a variegata


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## W.T.BUY (Jan 23, 2009)

GREAT PICS btw


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## channi (Jan 23, 2009)

Wow sounds like a dream trip for a lot of us. Thanks for sharing the pics.


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## ryanharvey1993 (Jan 23, 2009)

wow that is queit a list, nice pics by the way, how about a few more


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## froggyboy86 (Jan 23, 2009)

Thanks for the comments everyone. I'm thinking the Eungella skink is Eulamprus amplus but will wait for someone more knowledgeable to confirm. Don't have much in the way of reptile photos, most snakes I was busy hauling off the highway before the next cars would kill them. 

Everyone loves Water Dragons...





Rather optimistic gecko





Cryptoblepharus spp. from Fraser Island 





Some more frogs...

A very focussed Roth's Tree Frog (Litoria rothi)





Australian Lace-lid (Nyctimystes dayi) living life on the edge





Australia's largest tree frog the White-lipped Tree Frog (Litoria infrafrenata)





Aaron


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## LauraM (Jan 23, 2009)

WoW awesome pics yeh that would be a DREAM trip for me.


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## krusty (Jan 23, 2009)

cool pics mate,love the one of the scrubby that is the one python i would love to see in the wild.


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## JasonL (Jan 23, 2009)

Your mystery skink looks like Eulamprus amplus to me. Sounds like a great trip.


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## smacdonald (Jan 24, 2009)

Hi Aaron,

Wow! What a haul! How long were you away for?

Here are my thoughts, bearing in mind it can be hard to ID animals from photos.

Your Eungella skink is _Eulamprus amplus_. Was it on rocks next to a creek?

Your Paluma Range skink looks like _Carlia rostralis_.

Your _Saproscincus_ sp. could be _S. basiliscus_. I found lots of them in that position when I was up in the Tablelands late last year.

Your "much larger and nicely marked" skink looks like _Eulamprus tigrinus_.

Your water python is a water python. Your amythyst python is indeed a scrub python.

Your "Rather optimistic gecko" is cute! And is probably an Asian house gecko.

Your "_Cryptoblepharus_ spp. from Fraser Island" is upside down! And should be _C. pulcher pulcher_.

I think your _Nyctimystes dayi_ is just a very surprised _Litoria rubella_.

Again, a very impressive series of finds.


Stewart


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## JasonL (Jan 24, 2009)

I'd agree with you Stewart, but I'd say the N. dayi is def a N. dayi, eyes far to big and overall too lean for rubella.


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## froggyboy86 (Jan 24, 2009)

Thanks for that Stewart. I'm always happy for people to question my ID's but I'm confident it is Nyctimystes dayi in that photo. Your reptile ID's are much appreciated, I can generally get them down to a genus level at least but beyond that I am lost! Yes the Eulamprus amplus was resting on a boulder at night near the creek.

I was away for three weeks but only spent one week in the wet tropics proper. Problem with travelling long distances is you invariably have to stop and visit friends and keep up appearances.

I saw a really small skink near Mareeba on the Tablelands, similar I guess to Morethia spp. but it had a bright red tail I tried getting a photo but they were very fast and darted into crevices. 

Cheers

Aaron


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## smacdonald (Jan 24, 2009)

Err, my N_. dayi_-_L. rubella_ comment was a joke. I was making fun of his massive eyes. I'm cruel, I know. 

Stewart


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## BenReyn (Jan 24, 2009)

Love your scrub pics
Thanks for posting them all.


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## JasonL (Jan 24, 2009)

reptilesDownUnder said:


> Err, my N_. dayi_-_L. rubella_ comment was a joke. I was making fun of his massive eyes. I'm cruel, I know.
> 
> Stewart



I was hoping you were joking..I couldn't see how you could mistake the two


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## MrsDragonLady (Nov 11, 2009)

Congratulations on what appears to have been a successful Field Trip with awesome photos. I am sure others who were not members when you posted this thread will enjoy viewing it now too.
I found this thread when I Googled to ID the little frog I photograhed (below).
I thought it was the *Wallum Sedge Frog *but it doesn't have the same colours as yours and ones I found on Google.
Still haven't identified him/her  and was hoping you or someone else could help me


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## moloch05 (Nov 11, 2009)

Fantastic shots, Aaron. You certainly found lots and take the best amphibian photos that I have seen. I always have trouble with glare. Do you use a filter on the lens or a flash diffuser?

Regards,
David


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## Waterrat (Nov 11, 2009)

reptilesDownUnder said:


> Hi Aaron,
> 
> Wow! What a haul! How long were you away for?
> 
> ...




just a correction.


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## redbellybite (Nov 11, 2009)

reptilesDownUnder said:


> Err, my N_. dayi_-_L. rubella_ comment was a joke. I was making fun of his massive eyes. I'm cruel, I know.
> 
> Stewart


 careful there stewart ..some like to use your ID jokes as a bit of 'ammo' in later posts 
(speaking from experience :lol::lol 
GREAT trip ...sounds like it was quite an adventure ...frogs are sweet but was hoping for a few more snakes in the mix of all the pics


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## eipper (Nov 11, 2009)

Mrs Dragon Lady,

It looks like a common sedge frog Litoria fallax to me

Cheers,
Scott


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## phillthediamond (Nov 11, 2009)

great photo work ! nice variety of herp. two thumbs up mate.


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## Adsell (Nov 11, 2009)

Sounds like a great trip. I am surprised you found liemi and not eungellensis. 
T. liemi is the hard one of the two so good job. Any pics of the little SOB's?
Ads


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## JoshMVG (Nov 11, 2009)

Hey guys
How can you distinguish a Litoria xanthomera from Litoria chloris
Iv seen other pics and you can see that the eyes are different but that one looks just like a chloris to me


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## eipper (Nov 12, 2009)

Josh,

thigh colour splits xanthomera from chloris

Cheers,
Scott


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## JoshMVG (Nov 12, 2009)

Thanks Scott
And by the way great pics


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## JasonL (Nov 12, 2009)

eipper said:


> Josh,
> 
> thigh colour splits xanthomera from chloris
> 
> ...



but if your colourblind like myself you have to rely and trust :shock: on location to split them :lol:


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