Common Name: Painted Burrowing Frog, Painted Thrilling Frog, Mallee Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Neobatrachus pictus
Family: Myobatrachidae – Australian Ground Frog family
Location: Australia – New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria
Size: 2.5 inches (65 mm)
The Painted Burrowing Frog is a is a large, brown or gray frog with a stripe down the middle of the back. They live in a great variety of habitats from grasslands to deserts to back yards. They spend most of their life underground, only coming to the surface to mate.
The mating season is from March to October, peaking during the winter months. The males call from still bodies of water to attract females. The females lay around a thousand eggs. The offspring takes between 4 to 7 months to complete their metamorphosis. Neither parent provides any care for their offspring.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assess the Painted Burrowing Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a good sized range and decent sized population. The expansion of farms can lead to local population declines.