Common Name: Fleay’s Barred Frog
Scientific Name: Mixophyes fleayi
Family: Myobatrachidae – Australian Ground Frog family
Location: Australia – New South Wales and Queensland
Size: 3.5 inches (9 cm)
The Fleay’s Barred Frog lives in the leaf litter near streams in rain forest and wet sclerophyll forests. They get their name from the dark lines on the frog’s rear legs. The frogs mate nearly year long, from July to March. They avoid breeding during and after heavy rains. The male frogs call out from rocks in the streams, on the edges of the stream, or from underneath leaf litter. Once the female frog arrives and selects her mate, the male frog grasps her from behind in amplexus. Then, both frogs move to a shallow part of the stream. There, they build a nest and lay the eggs. Neither parent provides any care for their offspring. Tadpoles take up to a year to complete their metamorphosis.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Fleay’s Barred Frog as Endangered with Extinction. This is due to their small range, decreasing quality of their habitat, and decreasing population size. Between the 70’s to 90’s, the frog experienced population declines due to Chytrid Fungus, a deadly fungal disease. Additionally, some of their habitat was cleared or logged in the past. Luckily, their habitat is now protected. Invasive species are also a serious threat. Feral pigs trample the nesting sites of the frog. The Cane Toad (Rhinella marina) is expanding into the range where they consume the Fleay’s Barred Frog as well as out compete them for food. Additionally, invasive weeds are changing their habitat.