Limnodynastes dumerilii is a frog species from the family Limnodynastidae. The informal names for the species and its subspecies include eastern or southern banjo frog, and bull frog. The frog is also called the pobblebonk after its distinctive "bonk" call, which is likened to a banjo string being plucked. There are five subspecies of L. dumerilii, each with different skin coloration. The species is native to eastern Australia. There has been one occurrence in New Zealand, when tadpoles of the species were found in 1999 and destroyed.
Adults are roughly seven to eight centimetres long with dark warty backs, a prominent tibial gland, fleshy metatarsal tubercules and a smooth white or mottled belly. The tadpole stage is relatively long, lasting up to fifteen months. The species is common.The five subspecies of Limnodynastes dumerilii are:
Limnodynastes dumerilii is a burrowing frog. During dry times, and often just during the day, they will burrow underground. They will often be seen in large numbers after rain, and under the right conditions mass spawning can occur over just a few days. They have been known to call while underground, and can do so at any time of the year after rain. The Eastern banjo frog was the first of the species to have its reference genome sequenced, finding a compact (for an amphibian) 2.38 Gb genome and 24,548 protein-coding genes.
