biology

Tusked frog

Tusked frog is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tusked frog rather than just read about it. In short: The tusked frog (Adelotus brevis) is a species of ground-dwelling frog native to eastern Australia from Eungella National Park, Queensland south to Ourimbah, New South Wales. It is the only species in the genus Adelotus - adelotus meaning "unseen" and brevis meaning "short".

Key takeaways

Tusked frog belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tusked frog to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tusked frog from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The tusked frog (Adelotus brevis) is a species of ground-dwelling frog native to eastern Australia from Eungella National Park, Queensland south to Ourimbah, New South Wales. It is the only species in the genus Adelotus - adelotus meaning "unseen" and brevis meaning "short".

Description The tusked frog is a unique frog within Australia, as it is the only species where the female is smaller than male. Males can reach a maximum length of about 5 centimetres (2.0 in), while females reach 4 centimetres (1.6 in). The common name of "tusked frog" derives from the small protrusions on the lower jaw, similar in position to tusks, which can reach about 5 millimetres (0.20 in) in length in males (only visible when the mouth is open). The pair of bony tusks are modified teeth that protrude from the middle of the lower jaw and fit into special grooves on the upper jaw when the mouth is closed. They are slightly curved and sharply pointed, and are present in both males and females, although they are larger in males. Males have been observed 'locking jaws' with each other, in a similar way to male deer locking antlers in the struggle to exert dominance over each other. Male tusked frogs have a disproportionally large-sized head, compared to the body, and females have a smaller proportioned sized head than males. The males have been known to fight, biting each other under the head, and around the neck. This behaviour has presumably led to the sexual dimorphism of larger heads, body size and tusks to increase success of fights (Katsirakos & Shine 1997). The dorsal surface of the frog is normally brown, but can be olive to black, with low ridges, warts and irregular darker markings. There is usually a butterfly shaped marking between the eyes. The [ventral] surface of this species is more striking - being marbled black and white with flashes of red on the groin and hind legs. Males and females have different belly patterns. Fingers and toes are cylindrical and are not webbed.

Ecology and behaviour A. brevis is associated with dams, ditches, flooded grassland and creeks in rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest and woodland. It is known from coastal and highland areas, however it has suffered declines in many highland areas, particularly the New England Tablelands of New South Wales. Males create hidden nest sites in leaf litter and vegetation in streams and the edges of dams. This species has a call like "tok-tok", males call from the nest site and can be difficult to find. Breeding takes place in spring and summer and eggs are laid as a foamy mass in the nest, hidden from sunlight. The eggs are white in colour and lack pigment. In the breeding season (October - December), males build nests out of foam hidden from direct sunlight in ponds and swamps. Over 600 eggs may be laid in each floating mass of foam, and are guarded by the male until they hatch into tadpoles. The tadpoles grow over a period of two to three months to around 3 to 3.5 cm, when they undergo metamorphosis into 'mini adult' froglets.

Conservation status and threats The IUCN has listed the tusked frog in the near threatened category of the Red List of Threatened Species, and notes that it is probably in significant decline due to chytridiomycosis. The Southern Tablelands population has been listed as an endangered population under the Threatened Species Conservation Act, following the disappearance of the species from the rest of its former Tablelands range. Urban and agricultural development are thought to be the primary threats to this species, causing the degradation and loss of its habitat. Introduced species are causing further decline, such as the predatory eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), and weed species which outcompete the tusked frog's natural vegetation.

Gallery

References

Anstis, M. (2002): Tadpoles of South-eastern Australia. Reed New Holland, Sydney. Katsirakos & Shine (1997): Sexual dimorphism in the tusked frog, Adelotus brevis (Anura: Myobatrachidae): the roles of natural and sexual selection. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 60 (1): 39–51. HTML abstract Robinson, M. (2002): A Field Guide to Frogs of Australia. Australian Museum/Reed New Holland, Sydney.

External links

Frog Australia Network: Tusked frog call.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tusked frog

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tusked frog claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tusked frog before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tusked frog ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tusked frog

In research: Tusked frog appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tusked frog in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tusked frog is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Amphibians described in 1863, Amphibians of New South Wales, Amphibians of Queensland, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tusked frog outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tusked frog in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tusked frog means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tusked frog out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tusked frog in simple terms?

Why does Tusked frog matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tusked frog?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tusked frog.