The peppered tree frog (''Ranoidea piperata'') is a species of frog in the subfamily

Pelodryadinae Pelodryadinae, also known as Australian treefrogs (although not all members are arboreal), is a subfamily of frogs found in the region of Australia and New Guinea, and have also been introduced to New Caledonia, Guam, New Zealand, and Vanuatu. ...

. It has a green back speckled with black, a cream-coloured belly and a dark stripe running from the shoulder. 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 a very small area of the

Northern Tablelands The Northern Tablelands, also known as the New England Tableland, is a plateau and a region of the Great Dividing Range in northern New South Wales, Australia. It includes the New England Range, the narrow highlands area of the New England reg ...

of New South Wales, Australia where it is known from five stream systems. It has not been observed in the wild since the 1970s, but a frog of very similar appearance has been observed in an area slightly further north, and it is not clear whether these are examples of the peppered tree frog or an outlying population of Pearson's green tree frog. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natur ...

has assessed the peppered tree frog's conservation status as being "

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessarily ...

Distribution

This species was formerly known from five streams at elevations of 800–1120 m draining east in the

of NSW from Gibraltar Range in the north to

Armidale Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands, New South ...

in the south. After searches in these streams and adjacent areas, this species has not been located in the wild since 1973. In 1999, though, frogs similar in appearance to this species were discovered in streams north of their known range. The frogs had calls similar to Pearson's green tree frog, and

genetic testing Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

is required to determine if this population is the peppered tree frog or a disjunct population of Pearson's green tree frog.

Description

This is a small species of frog reaching 30 mm (1.2 in) in length. It is olive-grey to slate above, with many scattered black dots and tubercles across the back, flanks, and legs, giving the dorsal surface a "peppered" appearance, which gives this species its name. The tympanum is distinct. It has some green colouration on the side of the head. The toes discs are large, and toes are webbed. The belly is cream. An indistinct dark stripe runs from the shoulder, which is shared with other species in the leaf green tree frog complex, of which this species is a member. However, due to a lack of information on this species, it has been omitted from the complex key on that page.

Behaviour and ecology

This species is associated with flowing, rocky creeks in highland areas of northern New South Wales. The call of this species has not been recorded but is likely to be similar to other species in the ''R. phyllochroa'' complex. Males are likely to call during spring and summer from vegetation and rocks bordering streams and creeks. This species and the yellow-spotted bell frog, two species of frogs in the northern tablelands, suffered severe population declines in the 1980s. The cause of these declines is not fully understood, partly because it was too swift to document.

Chytrid Chytridiomycota are a division of zoosporic organisms in the kingdom Fungi, informally known as chytrids. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek ('), meaning "little pot", describing the structure containing unreleased zoöspores. Chytri ...

fungus is believed to have been a significant factor.

References

DEH Species Profile

Frogs Australia Network
image of this species
DEC Threatened Species Profile

Red List
* Robinson, M. 2002. A Field Guide to Frogs of Australia. Australian Museum/Reed New Holland: Sydney. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2276918 Ranoidea (genus) Amphibians of New South Wales Critically endangered fauna of Australia Amphibians described in 1985 Frogs of Australia