Archey's Frog

Pepeketua, Archey’s frog, is New Zealand’s smallest native frog and the only terrestrial native frog surviving on the mainland. Red, green and brown mottling camouflages it among wet forest litter. The tiny rounded frog has individually distinctive mottled skin and no external eardrum. Hochstetter’s frog is more aquatic and is found beside rocky streams rather than roaming damp forest floor.

It survives in three mainland areas, including the Coromandel ranges and western Waikato/King Country. Most habitat is damp forest above 400 m, though Coromandel frogs occur as low as 100–200 m. Archey’s frogs are nocturnal and shelter by day under vegetation, logs or rocks. The male guards eggs and newly hatched froglets climb onto his back rather than passing through a free-swimming tadpole stage.

Archey’s frog is At Risk — Declining (NZ Threat Classification). Disease, introduced predators and damage or drying of its cool forest habitat threaten the small isolated populations. Wild sites are sensitive and the frogs are very difficult to find; visitors should not search under cover or handle animals. DOC monitoring uses each frog’s unique skin pattern for identification.