Researchers Tom Parkin, Dr. Jodi Rowley, and Professor Stephen Donnellan have described two new species of tree frogs to science. The species were all once thought to be the Brown Tree Frog (Litoria ewingii)), a medium sized tree frog found along southern Australia and Tasmania (they have even been introduced to New Zealand).
The researchers used DNA, recordings of the frogs mating calls, and their body shapes and determined that the Brown Tree Frog is not a singular species but three. The new species of tree frogs are named the Southern Australian Tree Frog (Litoria calliscelis) and the Kangaroo Island Tree Frog (Litoria sibilus). The Kangaroo Island Tree Frog is found only on Kangaroo Island while the Southern Australian Tree Frog lives in the Mount Lofty Ranges, Fleurieu Peninsula, and Adelaide coastal plain.
Light Blue on the Map = Kangaroo Island Tree Frog
Dark Red on the Map = Southern Australian Tree Frog
Black = Brown Tree Frog
While the Brown Tree Frog is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the Kangaroo Island Tree Frog won’t be as lucky. due to their relatively small range and on going recover from the 2019-2022 bushfires.
You can assess the paper at
Parkin, T., Rowley, J.J.L, Elliot-Tate, J., Mahony, M., Sumner, J., Melville, J. & Donnellan, S.C. (2024). Systematic assessment of the brown tree frog (Anura: Pelodryadidae: Litoria ewingii) reveals two endemic species in South Australia. Zootaxa.5406 (1): 1–36.