These amphibians vary greatly in colour and pattern but are typically olive to bright emerald green, with irregular gold, brown, black or bronze spotting with a pale green stripe down the centre of their back.
Where is the southern bell frog found?
Once abundant along the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers and their tributaries, from the Southern Tablelands to the South Australian border, the southern bell frog is now only found in scattered locations throughout its former NSW range. Currently, the species is known to exist only in isolated populations in the Coleambally Irrigation Area, the Lowbidgee floodplain and around Lake Victoria. It is also found in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.
In NSW, the southern bell frog is usually found in or around permanent or impermanent swamps dominated by black box-lignum-nitre goosefoot, lignum-typha and river red gums or in billabongs along floodplains. They are also found in irrigated rice crops, particularly where there is no available natural habitat.
What does this frog need to thrive?
The southern bell frog is highly sensitive to changes to water flows, flooding regimes and soil moisture. It prefers seasonally flooded waterbodies which retain pooled water for at least five months, and does not generally tolerate extended drying. It is active only in spring and summer and therefore does not benefit from winter flooding unless the water remains pooled through spring and summer. It can breed successfully in permanent water bodies as long as carp are absent or in low numbers.
The southern bell frog breeds during the warmer (September to April) months, with breeding triggered by flooding or a significant rise in water levels. Tadpoles require standing water for at least four months for development and metamorphosis to occur but can take up to 12 months to develop in cooler regions. Metamorphs emerge from waterbodies in summer and autumn months when they are around 25-34 mm in length. After metamorphosis young southern bell frogs can remain around the same waterbody for several weeks until they gain sufficient body condition to be able to move to new habitats.
The southern bell frog eats a variety of prey including tadpoles, other frogs (including members of the same and other species), small fish, water snails, and a range of insects including flies, beetles, beetle larvae and grasshoppers.