''Geocrinia laevis'', the smooth frog, southern smooth froglet, smooth froglet, or Tasmanian smooth frog, is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...

in the family

Myobatrachidae Myobatrachidae, commonly known as Australian ground frogs or Australian water frogs, is a family of frogs found in Australia and New Guinea. Members of this family vary greatly in size, from species less than long, to the second-largest frog ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to Australia and found in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, southwestern

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

(including the

Grampians The Grampian Mountains (''Am Monadh'' in Gaelic) is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. The Grampian r ...

), and the extreme southeast of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

Description

These frogs measure about in snout–vent length. They are grey or brown above, with scattered, small reddish spots with black edges, sometimes also with irregular, darker markings. The underside is white or light grey and has darker brown or grey flecks or mottling. Males have a bright yellow throat. The skin is smooth or with scattered low warts above, and smooth below.

Habitat and conservation

''Geocrinia laevis'' live in dry

sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or oblique to direct ...

and pine forests at low altitudes. They often occur in damp locations and areas flooded after rain. The larvae develop in egg capsules until the breeding site is flooded, after which they hatch and continue development as aquatic

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found ...

s. The tadpole phase takes about six months. This species is threatened by habitat clearing for agriculture and grazing, as well as logging in Tasmania. However, the overall population is considered stable, and the species occurs in several protected areas.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1614225 Geocrinia Amphibians of South Australia Amphibians of Victoria (Australia) Amphibians of Tasmania Amphibians described in 1864 Taxa named by Albert Günther Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Frogs of Australia