Family: Microhylidae - Narrow-mouthed Frogs
Order: Anura - Frogs and Toads
Phylum: Chordata - Vertebrates
Red List status: Least Concern
Patchily-distributed among the eastern slopes of the Atherton Tableland and the Kirrama Range, Queensland, Australia.
Adult: Physically highly variable, easy to confuse with other Cophixalus species without a call recording. Base colour brown with darker markings, typically including a faint 'W' on the upper back. The side of the head is darker. The belly is lightly mottled. The digits are unwebbed and toe discs are slightly expanded.
Eggs: Large, pale eggs laid in a terrestrial clutch beneath leaf litter or vegetation.
Call recording © Jean-Marc Hero
Similar species: Other species of Cophixalus, most of which only occur at higher altitudes with the exception of the ornate nursery frog (C. ornatus), At higher elevations, there may be some overlap with Hosmer's frog (C. hosmeri). C. infacetus can most reliably be distinguished by its distinctive call. In addition, C. ornatus has fully expanded toe discs while C. hosmeri lacks toe discs altogether. Other small Australian ground frogs within this range may be distinguished by more robust bodies or webbing between the digits.
Fully terrestrial in rainforest, exhibiting a preference for rocky substrates against which it can be very difficult to detect.
Elevation: 0-900 m
Reproductive behaviour: Courtship in this species has never been observed, though is presumed to be similar to that recorded for the ornate nursery frog. Males are known to attend clutches, and one instance has been recorded of a single male guarding two clutches simultaneously.
Breeding biology: In common with other members of the genus, C. infacetus lays small clutches of terrestrial eggs which are guarded by an adult attendant and which undergo direct development. Four clutches have been recorded for this species, each containing between 6 and 14 eggs.
The creaking frog is listed as nationally Rare in Australia due to its restricted distribution. It is uncommon in most areas where it occurs, and apparently confined to areas with suitable rocky substrates. There is no evidence of decline, and populations of this species occur within protected areas of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
Cuningham, M., Hoskin, C. and McDonald, K. 2004 Cophixalus infacetus
In: IUCN 2008 2008 Red
List of Threatened Species
Hoskin, C. (2004) Australian microhylid frogs (Cophixalus and Austrochaperina): phylogeny, taxonomy, calls, distributions and breeding biology, Australian Journal of Zoology 52: 237-269
Cophixalus infacetus. Carbine Tableland, Queensland, Australia. Note the expanded toe discs.