The common froglet lives up to its name when autumn rains add water to wetlands that have dried over summer, but calling can be heard in any month, particularly in winter and spring.
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The common froglet (sometimes called the common eastern froglet) is usually a mottled dark colour, as in the accompanying photo.
A feature of the species is the two raised ridges of skin along its back. Some individuals are paler, plainer, or without the back ridges.
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It is a small frog, being fully grown at about 25 millimetres. Underneath it is mottled black and white.
The common froglet is often found under damp rocks or wood, sometimes a few at a time.
Its call is a clicking "crick, crick, crick," repeated three to five times. Even a cautious approach can cause it to stop calling.
Many thousands of common froglets combined to make an unforgettable frog chorus when Lake Wendouree started to re-fill in 2010.
Eggs are laid singly, with tadpoles appearing in spring.
While many frog species have been seriously affected by a fungal disease (chytrid fungus) in the past few decades, the common froglet is coping better than many, remaining common here in the Ballarat district.
- Got a question for Roger? Use the form below, or send your question to rthomas@vic.australis.com.au, or send to Roger Thomas at The Courier, PO Box 21, Ballarat, 3353.
