Roth's tree frog (''Litoria rothii''), or the northern laughing tree frog, is a species of

tree frog A tree frog (or treefrog) is any species of frog that spends a major portion of its lifespan in trees, known as an arboreal state. Several lineages of frogs among the Neobatrachia have given rise to treefrogs, although they are not closely rela ...

native to northern Australia and southern Papua New Guinea. Roth's tree frog is a common frog, closely related to Peron's tree frog (''Litoria peronii'') and

Tyler's tree frog Tyler's tree frog or the southern laughing tree frog (''Litoria tyleri'') is an arboreal species of tree frog. It is native to eastern Australia where it occurs from south-eastern Queensland to the southern coast of New South Wales. It is genera ...

(''Litoria tyleri'').

Description

Roth's tree frog is a medium-sized frog, reaching a maximum length of . The body is elongated, with a small head and large eyes. It is an arboreal frog, and its toe pads are wider than its fingers. The dorsal surface is a dull grey to brown colour, and can be blotched with dark brown. The inner thighs and armpits are black and blotched with bright yellow or orange. The tympanum is visible, with a fold of skin covering the top portion. There are two features that distinguish it from both Peron's tree frog and

- the upper half of the iris is deep red, and it has no emerald green flecks on the dorsal surface.

Ecology and behaviour

Roth's tree frog breeds during the

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the se ...

, from November to March. The call is seven to 9 loud, chuckling or cackling sounds that resemble laughter. Eggs are laid in temporary pools of water, and the tadpoles take a maximum of 65 days to metamorphose. The colour of Roth's tree frog is extremely variable, and can change from pale grey to dark brown within hours. Typically, they are grey during the day whilst basking in the sun, and are brown at night.

References

* * Tyler, Michael J. 1992. ''Encyclopedia of Australian Animals: Frogs''. Angus & Robertson. * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2276410 Litoria Amphibians of Western Australia Amphibians of the Northern Territory Amphibians of Queensland Amphibians of Papua New Guinea Amphibians described in 1884 Frogs of Australia