Archey’s frogs

Archey's frog
An exquisite jewel of a frog.
Archey's frog
A stunning Archey’s frog, active at night on a liverwort covered log.

Archey’s frogs Leiopelma archeyi are the smallest of New Zealand’s endemic frogs. Like our other endemic frogs they appear to have changed little for 200 million years. Unlike the frogs introduced to New Zealand from Australia, Archey’s frogs are terrestrial, living in rainforest well away from open water. They lay their eggs in damp spots under logs and stones, and from these tailed froglets hatch which are carried on the males back until they have grown into tiny frogs. They are not only one of our most unique animals, they also must surely be one of our most attractive. Their colours and patterns are highly variable, ranging from plain shades of brown, to vivid splashes of green and flashes of pink and red. Their unique patterns make them superbly camouflaged when they emerge from cover, and also allows researchers to identify individual animals.

Archey's frog
Close-up of an Archey’s frog, beautifully patterned in green and orange.

I’ve now added dozens of photos of Archey’s frogs to my gallery. These photos hopefully give some idea of the variation and beauty of this now very rare species. With these latest shots I’ve now loaded over 2000 photos to the site.

Archey's frog
Archey’s frogs often climb trees and other low vegetation, like this individual perched on a tree fern.