#606 - Heleioporus eyrei - Moaning Frog
A burrowing frog native to south-western WA, Rottnest Island and Bald Island. Rotund, with a large head and large, bulbous eyes. The dorsal surface is brown, with marbling of white, grey or yellow, and the ventral surface is white.The yellow patch above his arms there isn’t universal to the species, but is quite common.
It inhabits sandy swamps, where it burrows for protection from predators and desiccation. The males call from under the ground, and amplexus takes place in the burrow. Eighty to five hundred eggs are deposited in a foamy mass at the bottom of a burrow. The eggs undergo development within the foam, and delay from hatching until the burrows are flooded from rain. The tadpoles undergo normal aquatic development.
The arms and legs are relatively small for burrowing frogs. Unlike most frogs of the genus Heleioporus, the male Moaning Frog lacks nuptial spines on the inner surface of first finger.
Males reach a length of 6.6 centimeters (2.6 in) and females reach a length of 6.3 centimetres (2.5 in).
The WA Museum has advice regarding the species
To convince a male ‘Moaner’ to move on if the call is disturbing a good night’s sleep, locate the burrow from the sound and a torch at night. Flood the burrow gently with a bucket or hose each night until the male has moved on.
This particular individual was hiding on the sand in a garage I just sprayed - I raced him to a tap to rinse him off, but given that bifenthrin even makes my skin tingle after a few hours, I dread to think what the poor frog was going through.