Two 'very loud' screaming frogs discovered in Australia

Two new screaming frog species have been discovered by researchers in eastern Australia.

The Slender Bleating Tree Frog is found in Queensland, while the Screaming Tree Frog ranges from Taree in New South Wales to just over the border in Victoria.

Information about the new species have been published today in journal Zootaxa.

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Australian Museum herpetologist and lead scientist on the FrogID project, Dr Jodi Rowley, said that the Bleating Tree Frog is well known to residents along the east coast of Australia for its extremely loud, piercing, almost painful call.

"These noisy frog bachelors are super loud when they are trying to woo their mates," Dr Rowley said.

The scientists analysed many calls submitted to the FrogID project from across Queensland and NSW to differentiate between the calls.

"Our examination revealed that their calls differ slightly in how long, how high-pitched and how rapid-fire they are. The Slender Bleating Tree Frog has the shortest, most rapid-fire and highest pitched calls," Dr Rowley explained.

Chief Research Scientist of Evolutionary Biology, South Australian Museum, Professor Steven Donnellan said that genetic work was the first clue that there are actually three species.

"Although similar in appearance, and in their piercing calls, the frogs are genetically very different. I'm still amazed that it's taken us so long to discover that the loudest frog in Australia is not one but three species," Professor Donnellan said.