Ranoidea barringtonensis (Copland, 1957)

Common Name and Size

Ranoidea barringtonensis, commonly called the mountain stream tree frog, is a relatively small tree frog that reaches a maximum length of 45 mm.

Dorsal Coloration

Its dorsal back surface ranges from light green to dark or olive green, and brown color morphs are occasionally found. Random black dots are scattered across the dorsal surface.

Ventral and Limb Coloration

It has mango-yellow colored thighs and an off-white belly.

Facial Stripe

A pale brown stripe that is almost light yellow runs from the nostril, across the eye, over the tympanum, and down to the shoulder, where the stripe widens before fading away.

Metamorph Appearance

Recently metamorphosed frogs closely resemble adult mountain stream tree frogs, though they are mostly brown in color.

Tadpole Similarity in Species Complex

Tadpoles of all species in the R. phyllochroa complex—including the leaf green tree frog R. phyllochroa, Pearson's green tree frog R. pearsoniana, southern leaf green tree frog R. nudidigitus, and the mountain stream tree frog R. barringtonensis—are extremely similar in appearance and very difficult to distinguish.

Species Identification Method

Geographic range is the most reliable characteristic to tell these species apart.

Habitat

As its common name suggests, this species lives in flowing creeks located in mountainous regions, within rainforests and adjacent wet sclerophyll forests.

Breeding Call

During spring and summer, males produce calls from vegetation growing alongside streams; the species' call is similar to the call of the leaf green tree frog.

Taxonomy and Field Guide Coverage

This species is rarely covered in field guides, because it strongly resembles Pearson's green tree frog and its taxonomy is currently under review.