Mahony's Toadlet

Fascinating facts about the Mahony's Toadlet

• At about 35 mm long, this tiny amphibian has bright orange thigh patches.
• Each female attaches a single egg to submerged vegetation in ponds and swamps.
• Its home is restricted to the white-sand heath and acidic paperbark swamps of New South Wales' Central Coast, a patch of landscape so specific that any change there could erase the entire known population.
• Classified as endangered in March 2021 under Australia's EPBC Act, this frog’s precarious status underscores how quickly a once-unknown species can become a conservation priority once scientists shine a light on it.

At a glance

About the Mahony's Toadlet

Mahony's toadlet (Uperoleia mahonyi) is a small Australian frog that grows to about 35 mm in length. Its upper body is brown to dark brown, sometimes patched with grey, pale pink or orange-brown, and often has a triangular brown patch on the head. The tops of the arms can be yellow, the belly is marbled black and bluish-white, the backs of the thighs and groin are bright orange, and the fingers and toes are unwebbed. Breeding occurs in spring and summer; eggs are attached singly to submerged vegetation in ponds and swamps. The species is found in coastal swamps, occasionally in dams, and in heath or wallum habitats on white-sand soils and acidic paperbark swamps on the Central Coast of New South Wales.

More other animals to discover

Browse Feravox