Frog ID

[rockett85]

Hey guys found this little guy in the tweed are northern NSW can anyone give an ID. I dug him up on our construction site in very sandy soil. Looks like some sort of burrowing frog. Awesome little frog never seen one like it.


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[butters]

From shape and colouration it looks like an ornate burrowing frog to me.

 

[rockett85]

That was my thought after some internet searching. Cheers.


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[Bluetongue1]

Yep. Ornate Burrowing Frog (Opisthodon ornatus). Stout body, markings, short, deep snout, horizonatal pupil with cross effect on the white/cream iris and the particularly stout forelimbs.
Just for future reference, a cup of water poured over the subject to remove soil particles adhering to it would help considerably in revealing the true colours and patterning.

Blue

 

[Thyla]

Just for future reference, a cup of water poured over the subject to remove soil particles adhering to it would help considerably in revealing the true colours and patterning.Blue

Preferably not treated tap water or bottled water. If you can use a local water supply like a pond or river, that is the safest.

 

[eipper]

Platyplectrum ornatum now

 

[Bluetongue1]

Thanks for the update Scott.

Thyla, I appreciate where you are coming from.

If unearthed away from any water body, pouring a cup of water over it should result in less than 5 seconds exposure. Given this brief exposure and the minute amount of chemicals contained in 250 mL of drinking water, it would not represent a hazard. I deliberately suggested pouring rather than immersing to ensure minimum duration when using scheme water with chlorine (salts) in it. Very few places use chloramines in their water treatment these days. The overall treatment methodology has improved such that the levels of disinfectants required are minimal. however, these effectiveness of several of the earlier processes is dependent upon the nature of the water source. consequently a few water supply regions do still require higher levels of disinfecting agent/s to be added.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Best not to use any water at all if no local (standing water, very close by) water is available.

Jamie

 

[Bluetongue1]

Why is that Jamie?

Blue

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Without going into tedious detail about the various water treatment regimes across the country, without specifying exactly what amount of water to use, or the technique used to clean the frog with that water, any water that has been treated has the possibility of being harmful, and any untreated water from a non-local source may contain pathogens such as Chytrid fungus.

Given that the frog in question was only covered in sand, a very light rub with CLEAN hands would remove most of the offending material.

Jamie

 

[Lachie3112]

I think you're being a little too precious on this water issue Pythoninfinite.

Granted I don't have nearly as much experience as you or Bluetongue1, but so far it's been my experience that despite all the emphasis on clean water for frogs, they can thrive in some pretty disgusting conditions.
Just last year I experienced seeing frogs living in toilets in a caravan park, that were cleaned regularly.
I use tap water for my Green Tree frogs and have seen no ill effects.

I think that too much crap is said about the water for frogs and just leads to the belief that unless the water has been scientifically tested to be pure water with nothing added it cannot be used for frogs.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

I totally agree with you about tap water Lachie3112, and I too am aware that frogs can cope with some pretty crappy conditions. I also, when I kept several species of frog at the WA Museum, used tap water when giving them a clean up. However, the big sleeper is the potential to expose these animals to Chytrid fungus when using "natural" water collected away from the area in which the frog was found. There is evidence that some species of frogs are bouncing back in numbers in areas where they were almost extinct, according to my friends at Taronga, so the prospect of Chytrid-immune populations of some species is looking promising, but we should all be aware of the damage this pathogen has caused worldwide, and take steps to ensure we don't help spread it further. Better to be cautious than sorry, not that anyone spreading Chytrid would ever be aware that they were doing it.

Jamie

 

[froggyboy86]

Just for future reference, a cup of water poured over the subject to remove soil particles adhering to it would help considerably in revealing the true colours and patterning.

Not sure why you think it's necessary to pour water on this frog to reveal its 'true colours and patterning' when it is patently obvious from the most cursory of examinations it is an Ornate Burrowing Frog (Platyplectrum ornatum). Besides the risks outlined above about pouring water of unknown provenance over wild frogs, P. ornatum is extremely variable across it's range so any attempts to reveal 'true colours and patterning' as you suggest is redundant.

 

[Bluetongue1]

Clearly, there was no need to wash the soil off this specimen/species as we were all able to readily identify it. What occured to me was what if it had been a less distinctive species that you need to judge by pattern or colours? Being a constuction site I figured either bottled or scheme water would be available, neither of which would do any harm if tipped over a frog. It was meant to be a simple tip for helping any future IDs. I did not consider the wider context, particular that others reading this thread might follow the advice given in rather different circumstances.


Use of potable water presents no issues (as discussed). However, the use of untreated water from a non-local water body, even rainwater tanks accessible to frogs, has the potential to spread the chytrid fungus. Zoospores of the fungus are capable of surviving in water for up to 7 weeks at the right temperatures. Such water should never be tipped out in another water body or even into the soil. It can be boiled to make it safe. If not wanted, to make it safe one can chlorine or iodine or salt or tip it into salt water such as the ocean or a saline lake or estuary.