Tapping Nursery-frog  |  

Cophixalus aenigma (Tapping Nursery Frog) is a moderately small (snout-to-vent length 16.8– 22.6 mm) frog, belonging to the family Microhylidae. The dorsal pattern and colour of the Tapping nursery frog is highly variable, ranging from even grey, brown or sand, to mottled brown or orange, to dark brown or pale with dark flecking, to grey or dark with a gold ‘cap’ and golden ankles and elbows. Some individuals have a thin pale vertebral stripe while others have a broad dark mid-dorsal area and paler flanks. The ventral surfaces are evenly pale, grey or flushed with orange, especially in the axilla and groin. The last digits of the fingers and toes are pale and the discs are often orange or red. The pupil is bordered by a thin red line and the iris is dark but Cophixalus aenigma (Tapping Nursery Frog) Conservation Advice Page 2 of 9 heavily flecked with grey or lime green in the lower and, particularly, upper sections. The Tapping Nursery Frog can be distinguished from other Cophixalus species by a combination of the following characters: moderate size, eye to naris distance less than distance between the nares, short hind legs (tibia length/snout-to-vent length ratio is 0.36–0.44), and the tip of the first finger is disc-like though not expanded. The male call is a slow to medium-paced tapping, said to be reminiscent of a marble dropping on a tile. There is no evident sexual dimorphism. The eggs are relatively large compared to other frog species and are laid in very moist soil. The tadpole develops inside the egg and when it has completed metamorphosis it hatches from the egg as a fully formed froglet. Clutch sizes average 15 (8-21) and the eggs are laid linked in a ”rosary chain” by a thin, gelatinous cord. Newly hatched froglets average 5.0 mm and are light brown with darker brown patches over the shoulders and lower back.