Blue Mountains Tree Frog

Fascinating facts about the Blue Mountains Tree Frog

• A 60 mm (2.4 in) adult is a moderate-sized frog; the Australian copperhead preys on it.
• When a summer storm hits, the male launches a two-part call: a deep “warrrrrk” followed by a rapid series of “golf-ball-in-the-hole” notes. The sound can be heard echoing off the wet rocks, drawing females from the surrounding vegetation. This acoustic duet proves that even a simple frog can turn a rain-sodden afternoon into a full-blown concert hall.
• The frog’s back may be brown, and its armpit, thigh, groin, and inner foot are bright red-orange; the amount of green on the body can range from almost none to an all-green morph, sometimes aqua-green.
• It is endemic to southeastern Australia and lives beside flowing rocky streams in wet or dry sclerophyll forest, especially in the Blue Mountains.
• In captivity the frog can be kept with a permit, and its menu expands to gut-loaded crickets, guppies, spiders, worms, and even its own tadpoles. This flexible diet shows how the species can adapt to human-provided foods while still needing the wild’s insect bounty, highlighting the delicate balance between pet care and conservation.

At a glance

About the Blue Mountains Tree Frog

The Blue Mountains tree frog (Dryopsophus citropa) is a moderate-sized amphibian, reaching roughly 60 mm (2.4 in) from snout to vent. Its dorsal canvas is a muted brown speckled with darker flecks, bisected by a striking dark stripe that runs from the nostril, arches over the tympanum, and continues to the groin. Adjacent to this line a lighter golden stripe glints, while the head, limbs, and flanks flash a spectrum of green, from barely a hint to a full, sometimes aqua-green, morph. Bright red-orange accents blaze in the armpit, thigh, groin, and inner foot, contrasting with a pristine white belly. This vivid palette is set against the cool, flowing rocky streams of southeastern Australia’s wet and dry sclerophyll forests, especially the highlands of the Blue Mountains where the frog makes its home. Males announce the breeding season from spring to summer with a two-part call: a resonant “warrrrrk” followed by a series of rapid, golf-ball-like notes, typically after heavy rain, perched on streamside vegetation or stones. Their diet mirrors that of most tree frogs, primarily insects, yet in captivity they readily accept gut-loaded crickets, tadpoles, guppies, spiders, and worms, showcasing a flexible predatory instinct. A surprising trait is their role as hosts for the bacteria Chlamydophila pneumoniae and the parasite Mesocoelium, linking them to a hidden microbial world while also placing them on the menu of the Australian copperhead, which preys upon them.

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