Assa darlingtoni - Australian Marsupial Frog

Click on thumb nail for larger image. 79 K

Identification: Length 25 mm. Grey to reddish-brown back with two darker, inverted "V" shaped markings, one starting between eyes extending towards the shoulders and one starting over the middle of the back extending towards the groin; black triangular patch below eye; dark stripe from eye and above shoulder often breaking up into spots from above arms; sides warty, dark grey to black; male with two pouches with slit like openings on hips; underside smooth and white, but throat mottled brown; fingers and toes short.

Habitat and Range: Known in region only from Mt. Glorious area. Inhabits leaf litter of forest floor. Coastal south eastern Qld and northern NSW.

Mating Call: High pitched rapidly repeated series of "eh..eh..eh"

Spawn: Few, 8 - 18, large eggs, 2.2 - 2.6 mm, deposited in moist soil and guarded by the male. After about 11 days the eggs hatch and about half of the tadpoles make it to the hip pouches of the male and emerge as baby frogs 48 - 69 days later, Ehmann and Swan (1985).

Tadpoles: Finless white tadpoles are carried in hip pouches on male after they hatch until metamorphosis is complete