Corroboree frog
Corroboree frog life cycle in eight stages.
There are actually two species of corroboree frog—the Southern Corroboree Frog (Pseudophryne corroboree) and the Northern Corrobroree Frog (Pseudophryne pengilleyi), which differ in their appearance (colouration and patterning), distribution and physiology.
Both species of corroboree frog are listed as Critically Endangered nationally and in NSW. The Northern Corroboree Frog is also listed as Critically Endangered in the ACT. The Southern Corroboree Frog is listed as Critically Endangered—and the Northern Corroboree Frog as Endangered—on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. These iconic Australian Alps species are under threat due to habitat loss, destruction and degradation, climate change and disease caused by amphibian chytrid fungus.
This work-in-progress is a personal project re-vamp for a series of illustrations I did years ago for Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. I've based these new illustrations on the original line drawings but have updated the style.
Line drawings: pen on paper; final illustrations and layout: digital 'watercolour' and 'pen'.
Male in nest stage: the male stays in the nest he built with the eggs after they have been fertilised.
Hatching: Tadpoles hatch once the nest floods after rains in autumn or winter.
Adult frogs: corroboree frogs may not breed until up to four years after metamorphosing into adults.
Life cycle in eight stages (incomplete): line drawings in place of completed illustrations (to come).