Finally got around to posting some pictures

[jedi_339]

Alright, finally getting around to posting some pictures in my own herping thread, been out a few times lately just been lazy with photos, unfortunately the days I've been able to go out happen to have been a little colder then the days either side of my herping trips :lol: such is life.

Mostly frogs for this thread, first trip out was relatively monospecific, lot of Wilcoxii in the area I visit.

Without further adieu, here we go.

Creek out the back of the gold coast, nice little spot (I was going to insert them all inline with captions but it got too difficult and I thought bugger it so you get what you're given.

some of the pics are of in no particular order

Litoria Wilcoxii, colour variation between males, Litoria latopalmata, Litoria Wilcoxii in amplexus, I think there might be possibly a litoria Lesueurii in there also. An underwater picture of an eel tailed catfish and a picture of a spider as the main reason my girlfriend no longer accompanies me

Enjoy, I'll post another one shortly

 

[GeckPhotographer]

There is no leseurii in there, they only occur in south Sydney and further south. Nice pics, what's the tree frog on the branch?

Scrap that, it's Litoria pearsoniana

 

[jedi_339]

Cheers, I was unsure about the split in the lesueurii complex and the actual differences, I don't even think my frogs of australia has the wilcoxii listed.

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Leseur's are Sydney and South, Wilcox's starts where they stop and goes north to Cairns ish, Jungey (sp?) overlaps with Wilcox's at Cairns and goes further North. There are groin colour differences between Leseur's and Wilcox's not sure about morphology between Jungey and Wilcox. By the way that latopalmata is freycenetii (Asked my dad on that one.).

 

[MathewB]

Where on the Coast was this?

 

[jedi_339]

Leseur's are Sydney and South, Wilcox's starts where they stop and goes north to Cairns ish, Jungey (sp?) overlaps with Wilcox's at Cairns and goes further North. There are groin colour differences between Leseur's and Wilcox's not sure about morphology between Jungey and Wilcox. By the way that latopalmata is freycenetii (Asked my dad on that one.).

You think Freycenetii? I don't know if it has enough skin folds and warts to be a Freycenetts Frog, unfortunately I only got two pictures, both of them fairly poor quality, last time I saw a Freycenettii it looked much more distinctive and a lot different to that little guy, but I'm always open for suggestions.

Where on the Coast was this?

It was out towards Numinbah Valley

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Well I don't think it looks much like latopalmata. I asked my dad and he said freycenettii.

 

[jedi_339]

I sent the photo off to Marc Hero today and he's I.Ded the picture in question as a Latopalmata, apparently many of them do have darker mottling on their backs.

He also pointed out, although previously un thought of by me, was the habitat I found him in, dry schlerophyl forest, many kilometres from any wallum habitat.

It's always good to have discussion and ideas, starts the brain moving again, I can guarantee next time I'll be thinking of habitat as one of the first factors during I.D.

And Geckphotographer, glad to have your I.D. on the pearsoniana, I'd glanced over the photos as Litoria fallax and hadn't even given that little guy a second look

I'll try to swing up my work photos from Roma tonight

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Well ok. L.latopalmata can be variable, still looks like a weird one to me, the darker mottling is pretty common, I don't work in that part of the world and my dad hasn't for over 20 years.

 

[jedi_339]

could just be my dodgy photo skills, or maybe I've just found a new species a hybrid, I think I'll call it a latocenetii

I'll try to find my picture of the last time I found a freycenetti, was a while ago with my older slightly dodgier camera.

What did your dad used to do up this way? I'm originally from mid-north coast myself, but been here for some years now.

 

[GeckPhotographer]

My dad worked on frogs up there, still does just only as far as the Qld border these days and almost exclusively in rainforest (Although the rainforest part was back then too). I like the name but I think chances are just not looking at a photograph long enough and going off superficiality with a variable species.

I'd love to see some freycenetii pics, I've only ever seen one of them near here and hoping to get some pics this season.

 

[jedi_339]

I saw one when they cleared the corridor for the oxley highway upgrade at Port Macquarie, probably 2 years ago, it was in some wet schlerophyl right in the middle of the corridor, back then I didn't realise the significance of the species and I'm pretty sure it wasn't on the EVR list for the project, but it was a few years ago and you learn as you go along in life.

I imagine your dad would know marc hero then, I studied a few subjects beneath him through uni although I never got a chance to volunteer with any of the surveys and other field related work that used to be undertaken involving amphibians.

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Nice. I know a spot for them a couple hours drive in some NP, but I have only been there at night once. In day time it is great for finding Helioporous australiacus tadpoles.

I daresay he would, but then again frogs aren't a big field all the professors and such know each other by now I dare say, at least by name if not personally.

 

[jedi_339]

I always find it a little saddening to think of all the species I've seen over the years, but I have relatively few photos from the early days to show for it.

I am hoping to find some Notaden bennetti later this year on a job site, I know they're out there, however the couple of days I went out there conditions were favourable, but unfortunately didn't find any, but work colleagues have found them before so fingers crossed.

At the moment I've not really spent a great deal of time or effort with my herping, I'm hoping to change that this season and head to some National Parks and find some of the more interesting species, fleayii and iteratus for sure, but I'd like to try for some assa darlingtoni and even Lechriodus fletcheri.

 

[GeckPhotographer]

I always find it a little saddening to think of all the species I've seen over the years, but I have relatively few photos from the early days to show for it.

I know what you mean, I've seen over a hundred frog species and photographed closer too 20.

I am hoping to find some Notaden bennetti later this year on a job site, I know they're out there, however the couple of days I went out there conditions were favourable, but unfortunately didn't find any, but work colleagues have found them before so fingers crossed.

Good luck, really awesome species.

fleayii and iteratus for sure

Hoping myself to get good pics of these species this season.

assa darlingtoni and even Lechriodus fletcheri.

I think you have that the wrong way round, Lechriodus are as common as dirt and as easy to find, Assa can be common where they are found but are pretty hard to find, they do look a bit like dirt though.

 

[froggyboy86]

Nice finds. Definitely a L. latopalmata and not a freycineti.

Aaron

 

[Smithers]

Nice images indeed,..#8 my fave pic

 

[jedi_339]

Nice images indeed,..#8 my fave pic

It was the only decent one I got of him, he was calling non stop till I got closer, then he just didn't want to call and give me the shot I wanted, sad to say he won in the battle of wits, I gave up, walked a few steps away and he started again oh well, such is life

 

[Angil]

Love all the frogs there, they are such a beautiful species, I hate the thought of so many of them dying out.

Gotta say, that spider is HUGE!