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| Moss Froglet The latest 'addition' to the Tasmanian frog fauna came in 1992, when a new species, the moss froglet (Bryobatrachus nimbus) was discovered in the Hartz Mountains by David Ziegeler. To date, this species is only known from the south of south-western Tasmania.
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The call of the species has been likened to a ping pong ball being dropped on wood, 'took--tok-tok-tok-tok-tok'
Indeed, it was the frog's call that first alerted its discoverer to the existence of the species.
It is believed that the species calls from spring to early summer.
The moss froglet grows to 30mm and is found in subalpine moorland, and rainforest. A most unusual frog in that tadpoles develop on land. Four to 16 large eggs are laid in clumps of sphagnum or lichen. After hatching the tadpoles do not feed, but spend the following 9-10 months of development within a fluid derived from the broken-down egg capsules (a gelatinous mass). This species is endemic to Tasmania and is restricted to the southern part of the Tamanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Contact: Wildlife Management BranchWildlife Management Branch
Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment
134 Macquarie Street, GPO Box 44
Hobart TAS 7001
Phone: 03 6233 6556
Fax: 03 6233 3477
Email: wildlife.enq@dpipwe.tas.gov.au
Mitchell, N. J. 2002. Low tolerance of embryonic desiccation in the terrestrial nesting frog Bryobatrachus nimbus (Anura: Myobatrachinae). Copeia:364-373.
Littlejohn, M. (2003). Frogs of Tasmania. Fauna of Tasmania Handbook no. 6 (2nd ed). University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Frogs of Tasmania Poster. Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania.
Mitchell, N. J. 2002. Nest-site selection in a terrestrially breeding frog with protracted development. Australian Journal of Zoology 50:225-235.
Mitchell, N. J., and R. S. Seymour. 2000. Effects of temperature on energy cost and timing of embryonic and larval development of the terrestrially breeding moss frog, Bryobatrachus nimbus. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 73:829-840.
Mitchell, N. J., and R. S. Seymour. 2002. The Effects of Nest Temperature, Nest Substrate and Clutch Size on the Oxygenation of Embryos and Larvae of the Australian Moss Frog, Bryobatrachus nimbus. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 75:(in press).
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