Verreaux's Tree Frog

Fascinating facts about the Verreaux's Tree Frog

• Even though it’s called a “tree frog,” the whistling tree frog can be heard crooning from pond-side reeds or even from the ground, and it does so all year long, with a surge of calls after rain in autumn and spring – a reminder that amphibian choruses aren’t limited to the canopy.
• The alpine subspecies, Rawlinsonia verreauxii alpina, lives only in the southern alps of New South Wales and Victoria, and its tiny range has shrunk so dramatically that it’s now listed as endangered, highlighting how a single mountain chain can become a refuge or a trap for a species.
• Both subspecies grow to a maximum length of about 35 mm (1.4 in), and the males can produce a clear whistling note.
• The alpine form’s dorsal coat is mainly green with two parallel brown stripes that start at the eye.
• Chytrid fungus is thought to be a key factor behind the sharp decline of the alpine subspecies, underscoring how a microscopic pathogen can tip the balance for a population already confined to a narrow ecological niche.

At a glance

About the Verreaux's Tree Frog

Verreaux's tree frog (Rawlinsonia verreauxii) has two subspecies. The nominate R. v. verreauxii is light-brown to red-brown dorsally with a broad, often faint, darker patch that begins between the eyes and continues over the back, a dark band from the nostril across the eye to the shoulder underlined by a white line from the mouth, and red thighs and backs of the legs speckled with small black dots and occasional larger spots. R. v. alpina is mostly green on the dorsal surface with two parallel brown bands that start at the eyes and are separated by a narrow green band; its thighs and backs of the legs have the same red-spotted pattern, and both subspecies have a white belly. Both reach a maximum size of about 35 mm (1.4 in). They inhabit swamps, dam impoundments, creeks, woodland, farmland, forest and cleared land, with males calling from pond-side vegetation or the ground throughout the year, intensifying in autumn, spring and after rain. The alpine subspecies is restricted to the southern alps of New South Wales and Victoria, where it lives in alpine ponds and creek pools in moorland and alpine forest and calls from beside breeding sites during spring and summer. The alpine subspecies has a very restricted range and is listed as endangered.

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