Green and golden bell frog
The green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) is a frog from Australia,[1] but it also lives in New Zealand as an invasive specie.[2][3][4]
| Green and golden bell frog | |
|---|---|
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Pelodryadidae |
| Genus: | Ranoidea |
| Species: | R. aurea
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| Binomial name | |
| Ranoidea aurea (Lesson, 1829)
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| Synonyms | |
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Body
Male adult frogs can be 5.7 to 6.9 cm long. Female adult frogs can be 6.5 to 10.8 cm long. These frogs are green with bronze spots. They have black stripes from their noses over their ears and down their bodies. Their bellies are white and parts of their legs can be bright blue. These frogs have teeth.[1][3]
Home
Green and golden bell frogs do not climb well. They like to live near permanent bodies of water and temporary bodies of water that have no fish in them. Adult frogs eat anything they can, even other green and golden bell frogs.[2][3]
This frog is an invasive specie in New Zealand. In the 1860s, the Auckland Acclimatisation Society released the frog in New Zealand on purpose. The frogs on the South Island all died because the weather was not good for them. Today, it lives on New Zealand's North Island.[4]
Young
The male frog sings for the female frogs. The female frog can tell by his voice whether he is good for mating or good for eating. The female frogs sometimes try to eat the male frogs.[5]
The female frogs lay 3000-10,000 eggs at a time. At first, the eggs float together on top of the water, but then they sink. The tadpoles eat algae, bacteria and dead things.[3]
Danger
There used to be so many green and golden bell frogs that people would catch them to feed to snakes or to use in school dissection classes. By the 1990s, there were fewer green and golden bell frogs. Scientists say this is because of habitat fragmentation, which means people building things in between places where the frogs live, and because of invasive species such as the mosquito fish that eat green and golden bell frog tadpoles.[3] These frogs also eat each other a lot.
In 2000, people building tennis courts for the 2000 Summer Olympics saw green and golden bell frogs nearby, so they stopped building.[2]
Green And Golden Bell Frog Media
Profile and dorsal views of a green and golden bell frog
Ranoidea aurea (left) was first classed as a species of the genus Rana (right). There are many physical similarities, including a pointy snout, long legs, and almost complete toe webbing. The overall body shape is similar to many Rana species.
The historic (grey) and the current (black) distribution of the green and golden bell frog
The distribution of R. aurea in New Zealand
A green and golden bell frog with a dark colouration
Green and golden bell frog demonstrating camouflage within reedy environments
Development of green and golden bell frog
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jean-Marc Hero; Graeme Gillespie; Harold Cogger; Frank Lemckert & Peter Robertson (2004). "Litoria aurea". p. e.T12143A3325402. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Green and Golden Bell Frog". Australian Museum. April 24, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 J-M Hero; W. Osborne; R. Goldingay; K. McCray; L. Shoo; M. (May 6, 1999). "Litoria aurea: Green and Golden Bell Frog". Amphibiaweb. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Introduced Frogs". NZ Frog. Archived from the original on October 29, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ↑ Joshua Rapp Learn (July 16, 2024). She Didn’t Like His Song, So She Tried to Eat Him. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/16/science/cannibal-female-frog.html?region=BELOW_MAIN_CONTENT&block=storyline_flex_guide_recirc&name=styln-animal-world&variant=show&pgtype=Article. Retrieved August 2, 2024.