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Project Noah Nature School
Litoria aurea
A brilliant green Bell frog with cream, gold and black markings. Distinguished from similar Southern Bell frog by lack of mid dorsal green stripe. Often appears 'en masse' after a late summer rain event. In this case, climbing up the walls of my house!
Introduced from Australia in the 1860's. Is now widespread in the upper North Island and is spreading south. It breeds in fresh water and the adults live in close proximity to the breeding site. It is semi aquatic and active both day and night.
Although another introduced species for NZ, this particular frog appears to be critically endangered in its home country but is thriving here.
Spotted on Mar 22, 2015
Submitted on Apr 3, 2015
1 Comment
Hi Polilla. Females typically grow to a range of 60-70 mm and males slightly smaller at 50-60mm but odd individuals can grow larger than this. This length is a snout to vent measure or SVL and doesnt include the leg length. From memory, I think tadpoles get to about 60-90mm in total length and sometimes even bigger. I know they are quite a mouthful for my resident kingfishers.