The streambank froglet or Flinders Ranges froglet (''Crinia riparia'') is a small, locally common, Australian ground-dwelling

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 ...

, of the family Myobatrachidae.

Description

The streambank froglet is a small frog (2.5 centimetres measured from

snout A snout is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw. In many animals, the structure is called a muzzle, rostrum, or proboscis. The wet furless surface around the nostrils of the nose of many mammals is ...

posterior Posterior may refer to: * Posterior (anatomy), the end of an organism opposite to its head ** Buttocks, as a euphemism * Posterior horn (disambiguation) * Posterior probability, the conditional probability that is assigned when the relevant evidenc ...

). The colouring can be red, brown, tan, to drab olive green colour with many shades in between. Like its relatives '' Crinia signifera'', this frog is of extremely variable markings, with great variety usually found within confined populations. The

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal co ...

and

ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

surfaces are very variable. The dorsal surface may be smooth or warty. The tympanum of this frog is not visible. The colour under the throat is pale grey, the

surface backwards from the front legs is white with

granular Granularity (also called graininess), the condition of existing in granules or grains, refers to the extent to which a material or system is composed of distinguishable pieces. It can either refer to the extent to which a larger entity is sub ...

, mottled black.

Distribution

The streambank froglet is found only in the area around the

Flinders Ranges The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about north of Adelaide. The ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna. The Adnyamathanha people are the Aboriginal group who have inhabit ...

and

Gammon Ranges Gammon may refer to: People * Archer T. Gammon (1918–1945), United States Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient * James Gammon (1940–2010), American actor * James Gammon (engraver) (), English engraver * Kendall Gammon (born 1968), Amer ...

National Parks of central

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 ...

. It is found most often under rocks in springfed waterholes or cobbled pools in intermittently flowing streambeds.

Ecology and behaviour

Because of the seasonality of the rain, and periodic flooding, the tadpoles of these frogs have sucker mouthparts and a streamlined, flattened profile adapted to hold on to the rocks even in canyons where water can be funneled into flowing very rapidly. The call of the male is a barely audible 'creeeak-crek' described as sounding like a creaking hinge. The diet of the species consists of small insects, much smaller in comparison to their size to most frogs.

References

* Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is of least concern *Cogger, H.G. 1979. ''Reptiles & Amphibians of Australia''. A. H. & A. W. REED PTY LTD. *Tyler, M.J. 1994. ''Australian Frogs A Natural History''. Reed Books
Department of Environment SA > EPA Frog Census > Crinia ripariaFrogsAustralia > Australian Frog Database > Crinia riparia
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2277178 Crinia Amphibians of South Australia Amphibians described in 1965 Frogs of Australia