Pseudophryne bibronii

Not sure why you think it is dendyi, it certainly would be a bibronii based on what I can see and the locality unless you have any other supporting evidence.

Wombey please advise what gives you certainty from what you can see.

I must confess that the issue of whether they are dendyi or bibronii I my opinion is a moot point. In the past bibronii was extremely common here around Canberra, one under every log and I would have always called them bibronii. Dendyi is supposed to be restricted to Victoria and the extreme SE of NSW and I would expect to see more yellow, for example at least perhaps some on the head, of course not always present. I'm not as familiar with dendyi so am prepared to stand corrected if someone puts up a convincing case but in any case I have always considered them colour variations of the same species, something Ken Slater used to call a ring species.

I reckon this is a P. bibronii. I've never found one in the ACT, however I've found quite a few at other places in NSW and SEQ and they've generally looked just like this one. The only P. dendyi I've ever found had a distinct yellow bar across the forehead, it was calling after summer rain from a roadside drain between Bemboka and Black Mountain. Great find Ty.

Hi Rob, I went back tonight and I think I agree with you (and John) on P. bibronii!

Wow great record!

Hi all - I can add a bit more to the bibroni / dendyi discussion. Both species occur in the ACT (and in KNP) . Dendyi is found in the higher ranges and bibroni is restricted to the tablelands. Many years ago I had an honours student (Michael Lau) look into the distribution and morphology of the bibroni / dendyi complex in the southern tablelands region through to the south coast. A number of earlier researchers (particularly Ross Pengilley and David Woodruff) had reported that there was a zone of hybridization between the two species and Michael followed this up for his research (unfortunately not published). Ross Pengilley had suggested that there was a hybrid zone near Canberra that occurred along the footslopes of the Brindabella Range (some of the individuals at Tidbinbilla and Uriarra have features of both of these taxa). There has also been some minor discussion in the literature as to whether they are in fact separate species. I am very experienced with these two frogs and have found that they are generally easy enough to id in the field except when an individual exhibits traits from both species (as the individual here perhaps shows). In the ACT region (and in Victoria) P. bibroni has a series of bumps above the shoulder forming a boomerang-shaped ridge on either side of the body and it lacks the bright yellow markings on the forearms (like this individual has) - instead it has a small pale yellow or white patch on the arm and near the cloaca. By comparison dendyi also typically has a bright yellow bar running along the back of the thighs and over the cloacal region. Dendyi is usually darker (grey or black) compared to this brownish-looking individual. However this individual lacks the boomerang-shaped ridge. It seems to have hybrid characteristics. If it can be confirmed that it has bright yellow on the cloacal region and back of legs i would suggest calling it P. dendyi. Is there another photograph showing the frog from behind? I hope this helps. Will.

Will thanks for the detailed input! I've added a second photo showing more of the rear end and possibly also the boomerang shaped ridges you refer to.

That additional photo is really helpful Tyrie - yes I can now see the boomerang shaped ridges and the generally brown colour of the frog. It does have a bit more yellow than is seen in bibroni (it almost certainly is a hybrid) but the other features (back colour) and ridges would make it closer to bibroni. As Michael mentioned, this is a great record as bibroni is now exceptionally rare in the ACT.