Adults. Males to 42 mm, females to 45 mm. Back is leaf-green or olive-green and finely granular (grainy). Belly and sides are yellow and coarsely granular. Fingers and toes, including webbing, are bright yellow. A lighter yellow-green stripe or ‘eyebrow’ runs along the skin fold above the obvious tympanum (eardrum), over the eye, to the tip of the snout. Pupils are horizontal and iris is orange-gold, sometimes with blue around the outer edges of the eye. Legs are long and slender and the backs of the thighs are purple-brown or reddish-brown. Fingers are three-quarters webbed, toes are fully webbed, both with large pads.

Larvae. Tadpoles can reach a length of up to 45 mm. Body is oval-shaped and dark brown in colour with a clear yellow tinge. Iris is a light copper-gold. Tail is same height or slightly taller than body, tapering to a rounded or narrowly rounded tip. Fins are mostly clear with darker flecks and muscle is dark brown with lighter patches. Similar in appearance to Red-eyed Tree Frog (Litoria chloris). Tadpoles metamorphose from January-March, two to three months after hatching.¹

Eggs. Brown eggs are laid in a clear jelly cluster near the surface of the water, attached to vegetation in semi-permanent swamps, flooded grasslands, and ponds. Hatching begins between one and four days after eggs are laid.¹

Habitat. Inhabits moist forest or woodlands, but also common in disturbed habitats, such as fruit plantations and suburban gardens.

Seasonally Flooded Grassy Area

Tamborine Mountain, QLD

Diet. Feeds on insects and other invertebrates. The species has been observed lying in wait for insects, especially moths, attracted to flowers of the macadamia nut tree.⁷

Predation & Defence. Likely predators include reptiles, birds, and mammals. Known predators include the Brown Huntsman spider (Heteropoda sp.)⁶ and Striped Raspy Cricket (Paragryllacris combusta)⁴.

The skin glands of this species contain at least 16 peptides (like small proteins), called caerins, which have a variety of anti-predator and antibiotic properties.⁵

Call is a long, low-pitched growling ‘waaaa.’ Males descend from high in the trees to form noisy choruses following heavy rain, calling from vegetation overhanging flooded grasslands and small ponds. Breeding season is November-February, peaking in January and February, following rainfall.

Least Concern (IUCN Red List 2004)

Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.³

Not Listed nationally (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999)

Least Concern in Queensland (Nature Conservation Act 1992)

1. Anstis, M. (2017). Tadpoles and Frogs of Australia. Second Edition. New Holland Publishers, Sydney.
2. Cogger, H.G. (2018). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. Updated 7th Edition. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
3. Hero, J.-M., Meyer, E. & Clarke, J. (2004). Litoria gracilenta. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2004: e.T41093A10388151. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T41093A10388151.en. Downloaded on 18 April 2020.
4. Coleman, N. (1996). That’s not cricket. Wildlife Australia 1995-96 Summer: 20-21.
5. Maclean, M.J., Brinkworth, C.S., Bilusich, D., Bowie, J.H., Doyle, J.R., Llewellyn, L.E. & Tyler, M.J. (2006). New caerin antibiotic peptides from the skin secretion of the Dainty Green Tree Frog Litoria gracilenta. Identification using positive and negative ion electrospray mass spectrometry. Toxicon 47: 664-675.
6. Turner, G.S. (2010). Some predator-prey interactions involving reptiles and frogs from the Wet Tropics Region, North Queensland. Queensland Naturalist 48(4-6): 78-84.
7. Turner, G.S. (2019). Dainty Green Tree Frogs (Litoria gracilenta) lying in wait for invertebrates attracted to Macadamia inflorescences. Queensland Naturalist 57(1-3): 14-20.
8. Atlas of Living Australia occurrence download at https://doi.org/10.26197/5e9a2fc401f43 accessed on Sat Apr 18 08:37:47 AEST 2020.