Red-crowned toadlet fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are red-crowned toadlets?

Red-crowned toadlets are tiny ground-dwelling frogs found in sandstone bushland around the Sydney Basin. Their scientific name is Pseudophryne australis.

They are dark brown or black with a bright red T-shaped mark on the head and another red patch near the rump. Their belly is strongly marbled black and white. These colours help students identify them, although they are rarely seen because they hide in leaf litter, under rocks and in sandstone cracks.

Red-crowned toadlets are often noticed by their short “ark” or squelching call after rain. They are specially adapted to damp sandstone habitats because they lay eggs on land, and their tadpoles finish developing when rain washes them into shallow pools.

A red-crowned toadlet.

Bright red markings warn predators that red-crowned toadlets are toxic.

Where do red-crowned toadlets live?

Red-crowned toadlets live in damp places in sandstone forest, woodland and heathland. They are strongly connected to temporary creeks, soaks, gutters, seepages and shallow pools that form after rain.

They shelter under leaf litter, rocks, logs and in small sandstone crevices. These damp microhabitats help stop their skin from drying out and provide hiding places from predators.

In Sydney, red-crowned toadlets are associated with sandstone bushland such as Lane Cove National Park and other protected bushland reserves. Students are more likely to hear red-crowned toadlets than see them, especially after rain, but should avoid touching frogs because handling can spread disease or damage their sensitive skin.

Red-crowned toadlets live in damp sandstone forest with leaf litter, rocks and temporary pools.

What do red-crowned toadlets eat?

Red-crowned toadlets are carnivores. They feed on tiny invertebrates found in damp leaf litter, including termites, ants, thrips and springtails.

By eating small invertebrates, they help transfer energy through the food web. They are also prey for some animals, including snakes and bandicoots, although their toxic skin and red warning colours help protect them from many predators.

Termites are one food source for red-crowned toadlets.

What do red-crowned toadlets sound like?

Male red-crowned toadlets make a short “ark” or squelching call. Their call can be heard throughout the year when conditions are damp, especially after rain.

The call is useful for surveys because red-crowned toadlets are cryptic animals. This means they are difficult to see because they stay hidden in leaf litter, vegetation and sandstone cracks.

What is the life cycle of red-crowned toadlets?

Red-crowned toadlets usually breed in spring and summer after rain. Unlike many frogs, they lay their eggs on land instead of directly in water.

Females lay small clutches of jelly-like eggs in damp leaf litter, soil hollows or small spaces under logs near places that may flood after rain. The tadpoles begin developing inside the eggs.

When heavy rain fills nearby pools or drainage lines, the tadpoles are washed into the water. They continue growing, develop legs and lungs, lose their tails and change into young frogs. This change is called metamorphosis.

Red-crowned toadlet eggs are laid in damp places on land.

A red-crowned toadlet tadpole.

What adaptations do red-crowned toadlets have to help them survive?

Red-crowned toadlets have dark bodies that help them blend into shadows, damp soil and leaf litter. Their bright red markings are warning colours that signal to predators that the frog is toxic.

They spend much of their time hidden under leaf litter, rocks, logs and sandstone crevices. During dry periods they can dig down into moist soil using their strong hind feet.

Their life cycle is also an important adaptation. By laying eggs on damp land, red-crowned toadlets can breed in places without permanent water. The tadpoles stay protected inside the eggs until rain creates temporary pools.

Camouflage helps red-crowned toadlets hide among damp leaves and sandstone.

Why are red-crowned toadlets important?

Red-crowned toadlets are part of healthy sandstone bushland food webs. They eat small invertebrates and provide food for some larger animals.

They also remind us that small, hidden animals can depend on very specific habitats. Protecting sandstone gullies, leaf litter, temporary pools and clean waterways helps protect many other plants and animals that share the same environment.

Because red-crowned toadlets are vulnerable in NSW, their presence can help show where important damp sandstone habitat still remains.

Healthy sandstone bushland protects red-crowned toadlets and many other small animals.

How can you help red-crowned toadlets?

You can help red-crowned toadlets by protecting bushland, leaf litter, rocks, logs and damp places near creeks and temporary pools.

Stay on tracks in bushland and avoid disturbing rocks, logs or leaf litter. Do not collect bush rock, ride bikes through sensitive creek lines or touch frogs. Keeping pollutants, garden chemicals and rubbish out of drains and waterways also helps protect frog habitat.

Students can also listen for frog calls after rain and learn how citizen science tools such as FrogID help scientists understand where frogs are living.

Staying on tracks helps protect fragile frog habitat.

Related fact sheets

More amphibian fact sheets

• Amphibians fact sheet – overview of frogs and other amphibians.
• Common eastern froglet fact sheet – another small ground-dwelling frog.
• Striped marsh frog fact sheet – another frog with a distinctive call.

Habitats and ecosystems

• Leaf litter habitats fact sheet – explains why fallen leaves provide shelter for small animals.
• Rock and log habitats fact sheet – explores shelters used by small animals.
• Water habitats fact sheet – shows why clean water is important for frog life cycles.
• Eucalypt forest fact sheet – explores forest habitats with leaf litter, logs and shelter.
• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – explores local bushland habitats near Field of Mars EEC.

Animals that share this habitat

• Red-bellied black snake fact sheet – a predator that may live near wetland and bushland habitats.

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