Uperoleia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Uperoleia |
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| Tyler's toadlet, Uperoleia tyleri | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Myobatrachidae |
| Genus: | Uperoleia Gray, 1841 |
| Species | |
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See text. |
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| Synonyms | |
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Hyperolia — unjustified emendation |
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Uperoleia is a group of small frogs that live in northern and eastern Australia, and in the southern parts of New Guinea. These frogs belong to the family Myobatrachidae. They are often called "toadlets" because they look a bit like tiny toads.
These toadlets have bumpy, rough skin. They also have special glands on their skin, often behind their eyes or on their sides. These glands make them look even more like small toads. In some parts of Queensland, people call them "gungans."
Contents
How to Identify Uperoleia Frogs
It can be tricky to tell different Uperoleia species apart because they look very similar. Their body shapes and colors are often quite alike. The best way to identify them is by listening to their calls.
Clicking and Squelching Calls
Uperoleia frogs make two main types of sounds:
- Some species make a "click" sound.
- Others make a "squelch" sound.
The type of sound they make is linked to special glands on their backs.
- "Clicking" Uperoleia usually have long, thin glands that run along their backs.
- "Squelching" Uperoleia have round glands that are only on the back half of their bodies.
It's rare to find more than one "clicking" species or more than one "squelching" species living in the same place. However, it's quite common to find one "clicking" species and one "squelching" species together in northern Australia.
Examples of Calls
Some of the "clicking" Uperoleia species include U. glandulosa, U. aspera, and U. minima. Some of the "squelching" Uperoleia species include U. russelli, U. saxatilis, and U. talpa. Other "squelching" species found in eastern Australia are U. laevigata, U. fusca, U. tyleri, and U. martini. There are also a few unique species like U. mjobergi, U. micromeles, U. micra, and U. daviesae that don't fit neatly into these two groups.
All the Uperoleia Species
According to the Amphibian Species of the World list, there are 28 known species of Uperoleia:
| Common name | Binomial name |
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| Montane toadlet | Uperoleia altissima Davies, Watson, McDonald, Trenerry & Werren, 1993 |
| Jabiru toadlet | Uperoleia arenicola Tyler, Davies & Martin, 1981 |
| Derby toadlet | Uperoleia aspera (Tyler, Davies & Martin, 1981 |
| Northern toadlet | Uperoleia borealis Tyler, Davies & Martin, 1981 |
| Fat toadlet | Uperoleia crassa Tyler, Davies & Martin, 1981 |
| Darwin Sandsheet Frog | Uperoleia daviesae Young, Tyler & Kent, 2005 |
| Dusky toadlet | Uperoleia fusca Davies, McDonald & Corben, 1986 |
| Glandular toadlet | Uperoleia glandulosa Davies, Mahony & Roberts, 1985 |
| Flood plain toadlet | Uperoleia inundata Tyler, Davies & Martin, 1981 |
| Smooth toadlet | Uperoleia laevigata Keferstein, 1867 |
| Stonemason's toadlet | Uperoleia lithomoda Tyler, Davies & Martin, 1981 |
| Littlejohn's toadlet | Uperoleia littlejohni Davies, McDonald & Corben, 1986 |
| Mahony's toadlet | Uperoleia mahonyi Clulow, Anstis, Keogh, and Catullo, 2016 |
| Marbled toadlet, yellow-spotted toadlet | Uperoleia marmorata Gray, 1841 |
| Martin's toadlet | Uperoleia martini Davies & Littlejohn, 1986 |
| Tiny toadlet | Uperoleia micra Doughty and Roberts, 2008 |
| Tanami toadlet | Uperoleia micromeles Tyler, Davies & Martin, 1981 |
| Mimic toadlet | Uperoleia mimula Davies, McDonald & Corben, 1986 |
| Small toadlet | Uperoleia minima Tyler, Davies & Martin, 1981 |
| Mjoberg's toadlet | Uperoleia mjobergi (Andersson, 1913) |
| Alexandria toadlet | Uperoleia orientalis (Parker, 1940) |
| Wrinkled toadlet, red-groined toadlet | Uperoleia rugosa (Andersson, 1916) |
| Russell's toadlet | Uperoleia russelli (Loveridge, 1933) |
| Pilbara toadlet | Uperoleia saxatilis Catullo et al., 2011 |
| Ratcheting toadlet | Uperoleia stridera Catullo, Doughty, and Keogh, 2014 |
| Mole toadlet | Uperoleia talpa Tyler, Davies & Martin, 1981 |
| Blacksoil toadlet | Uperoleia trachyderma Tyler, Davies & Martin, 1981 |
| Tyler’s toadlet | Uperoleia tyleri Davies & Littlejohn, 1986) |
It's worth noting that another group, AmphibiaWeb, recognizes the small-headed toadlet (Uperoleia capitulata). However, the Amphibian Species of the World list considers this species to be the same as the wrinkled toadlet (Uperoleia rugosa).
See also
In Spanish: Uperoleia para niños
