Carpenter Frog

Limnodynastes lignarius

A medium to large-sized stream-dwelling frog. The head and body are broad, with a very large exposed tympanum. Limbs moderate length, but with males having much larger arms. In the breeding season males have clusters of spines on the first finger and small spiked tubercles along the back. The fingers are unwebbed and the toes have only basal webbing. They have a medium to dark mottled olive colouration with a faint pattern.

Breeding

A foam nest is created in rock pools or at the base of rocky slopes.

Call

A soft hollow tap repeated slowly.

Eggs

Females lay between 300-400 eggs in a foam nest.

Tadpoles

Tadpoles are black with large sucker mouths. They reach a size of about 6 cm in length.

Other Notes

The name lignarius means "woodwooker" in Latin and refers to the sound of the call. This species has recently been transferred from its own genus Megistolotis to Limnodynastes which has mainly marsh-dwelling species. Its preference for rock-dwelling and the large eardrum previously obscured its true evolutionary relationships.