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Beautiful Nursery Frog (Cophixalus concinnus)

The Beautiful Nursery Frog is a small, terrestrial microhylid frog known from the Wet Tropics of north east Queensland, including the top of Thornton Peak. It is easily overlooked during clearing and construction because it shelters in ground cover and breeds on land. The species is listed as Critically Endangered under Commonwealth and Queensland legislation, so potential habitat and breeding places require careful assessment and protection.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Critically endangered.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Critically endangered.

Breeding season

The Beautiful Nursery Frog is poorly known, but related nursery frogs are most likely to call and breed during the summer wet season, from October to March, particularly after rain. For this Critically Endangered species, schedule targeted searches during wet-season conditions and treat damp leaf litter, logs, rocks and other sheltered ground sites as potential breeding habitat.

Breeding mode: Terrestrial breeding with direct development. Fully formed froglets emerge from the eggs, with no free-swimming tadpole stage. This pattern is documented for nursery frogs generally.

Breeding sites: Sheltered sites may include damp soil, leaf litter, logs, rocks and palm axils. Species-specific site selection is poorly known.

Eggs and clutches: Eggs are generally 3 to 5 mm, unpigmented and joined in a string by a mucilaginous cord. Clutch size is not recorded for the Beautiful Nursery Frog.

Incubation: Not recorded.

Parental care: Clutches are generally attended by an adult male. A male may attend up to three clutches at one time.

Froglet development: Froglets are generally about 4 mm at emergence and leave the nest area shortly after hatching. Fledging and weaning do not apply.

Age at maturity and breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Timing may shift between years and locations with rainfall, and the Beautiful Nursery Frog has a very restricted distribution on Thornton Peak, so local wet-season observations should guide survey timing and work controls.

  • Calling and breeding activity: Males of nursery frogs generally call and breed from October to March in response to rain, but a species-specific peak is not established.
  • Terrestrial eggs and developing froglets: Egg laying and direct development are expected during the wet-season breeding period, based on the general pattern for nursery frogs.
  • Adult male attendance of clutches: Adult males generally attend clutches, so inspect sheltered ground sites carefully during wet-season works and surveys.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing and construction are most likely to harm calling adults, eggs, froglets and occupied shelter sites from October to March, especially after rain.

Identification: Appearance and size

The Beautiful Nursery Frog is a small, cryptic frog of the Wet Tropics. Site teams should not rely on a quick visual search, as individuals can be concealed in leaf litter, logs, rocks and low vegetation.

It is a small to very small frog. Species specific adult measurements should not be assumed from the size recorded for other Wet Tropics microhylid frogs.

Use photographs, a suitably qualified ecologist, and expert confirmation where a frog cannot be identified confidently in the field.

Body form: Small terrestrial frog. Detailed field marks for this species are not established in the available profile.

  • Search low to the ground, especially through damp leaf litter and around rocks, logs and dense low vegetation.
  • Avoid handling frogs unless this is necessary for lawful identification, health screening or relocation by an appropriately authorised person.

Identification: Calls and similar species

Males of nursery frog species are generally located by their calls during the summer wet season, from October to March, in response to rain.

The Beautiful Nursery Frog was separated from the Common nursery frog in genetic work published in 2004. Call, locality and expert verification may be needed to distinguish them.

  • Treat an unfamiliar call from suitable Wet Tropics upland habitat as a potential threatened frog record.
  • Record the date, time, weather, recent rainfall, exact location and a sound recording where this can be done without disturbing the animal.

Identification: Field signs

There are no reliable species specific signs such as droppings, whitewash, odour or stains. Nests are also unlikely to be obvious during routine clearing inspections.

A calling male, a frog found in damp ground cover, or a suspected egg clutch in a sheltered terrestrial site should be treated as a potential record until checked.

  • Look for small frogs beneath or beside leaf litter, logs and rocks.
  • Inspect proposed work areas before clearing and again after rain, when calling activity and surface activity may increase.

Distribution: Range in Australia

The Beautiful Nursery Frog is endemic to the Wet Tropics region of north east Queensland. It has no recorded overseas range and is not mapped outside Queensland.

The species is recorded in Queensland. It is associated with the Wet Tropics of north east Queensland, and the Queensland Museum identifies the top of Thornton Peak as its habitat and distribution location.

The species is highly range restricted. Do not assume that an absence from one survey location means it is absent from nearby suitable upland habitat.

State: Queensland.

Region: Wet Tropics of north east Queensland.

Known locality described in the profile: Top of Thornton Peak.

  • Give particular attention to upland rainforest and adjacent wet sclerophyll forest in the Wet Tropics.
  • Check current fauna mapping and government species records before planning clearing or construction.

Distribution: Local distribution and connectivity

Wet Tropics microhylid frogs often have very small distributions centred on one or a few neighbouring mountaintops. This pattern should be considered when assessing a site near an upland refuge.

Maintain links between suitable patches where practicable. Avoid treating small areas of rainforest, boulder habitat or wet low vegetation as expendable because they may form part of a restricted local population.

  • Map all suitable habitat within and beside the work footprint.
  • Include access tracks, laydown areas, drainage works and temporary clearing in the habitat assessment.
  • Escalate any record or suspected breeding place to the project ecologist and relevant approval authority.

Habitat: Vegetation and landforms

Look for the Beautiful Nursery Frog in cool, moist upland environments. The species is associated with rainforest, neighbouring wet sclerophyll forest and boulder fields, with the most specific locality information relating to the top of Thornton Peak.

Suitable areas may include upland rainforest with a moist ground layer, adjacent wet sclerophyll forest, and boulder fields. Retain natural ground cover and shaded, damp conditions wherever possible.

The species is poorly known at the site scale. Use the broader habitat setting, elevation and moisture regime rather than a single vegetation feature when screening a work area.

  • Rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest.
  • Moist leaf litter and low vegetation.
  • Boulder fields and rocky ground.
  • Sheltered ground features that remain damp after rain.

Habitat: Features to inspect on a work site

Inspect the full disturbance footprint, not just intact forest. Temporary works can remove the leaf litter, logs, rocks and low vegetation used by cryptic terrestrial frogs.

Pay particular attention to shaded ground that is protected from drying and to habitat on or near mountaintops and upland slopes.

  • Proposed clearing and access routes.
  • Construction compounds, stockpile areas and drainage lines that may alter moisture conditions.
  • Edges between rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest and boulder habitat.
  • Areas where machinery or materials could cover or crush ground shelter.

Habitat: Habitat assessment approach

A habitat assessment should be completed before finalising the work footprint. Combine daytime searches of ground features with wet season listening, because males are generally detected by calling after rain.

Where suitable habitat is present, use a suitably experienced amphibian ecologist to determine whether targeted surveys and additional approvals are required.

  • Mark habitat boundaries and likely sheltering features on site plans.
  • Keep machinery and personnel out of retained habitat wherever practicable.
  • Document weather, recent rainfall, ground moisture and the condition of leaf litter and low vegetation during each inspection.

Foraging habitat: Likely foraging environment

The Beautiful Nursery Frog's diet and species specific foraging areas are not well documented. Manage its likely foraging environment as part of the moist terrestrial ground layer rather than clearing only the places where frogs are found.

Microhylid frogs are cryptic and use leaf litter, logs, rocks and low vegetation. These features are likely to provide both prey opportunities and cover, although a species specific diet should not be assumed.

Keep the ground layer intact in retained habitat. Avoid unnecessary removal of litter, logs, rocks, moss and low plants.

  • Damp leaf litter beneath rainforest and wet sclerophyll vegetation.
  • Edges and crevices around logs and rocks.
  • Low vegetation and sheltered ground beside boulder fields.
  • Moist areas that are not exposed to prolonged drying.

Foraging habitat: Works site risks to foraging habitat

Clearing, repeated vehicle movements, soil disturbance and stockpiling can remove or compact the ground layer. Changes to drainage can also dry suitable habitat or concentrate runoff into it.

Do not use fire, broadscale slashing or chemical treatment in retained potential habitat without a project specific ecological assessment and approval.

  • Delineate no go areas before machinery arrives.
  • Keep spoil, mulch and construction materials away from retained ground cover.
  • Prevent sediment, pollutants and concrete washout from entering moist forest floor habitat.
  • Restore disturbed ground with locally appropriate native vegetation and natural ground cover where required by the project ecologist.

Breeding habitat: Breeding places

Nursery frogs breed on land and develop directly inside their eggs. Suitable breeding places can be small and concealed, so clearing inspections must include ground features rather than focusing only on waterbodies.

General nursery frog biology indicates that eggs are laid in sheltered places on land, including leaf litter, logs, rocks and palm axils. These features should be treated as potential breeding places where they occur in suitable habitat.

Eggs are about 3 to 5 mm, unpigmented and joined in a string by a strong mucilaginous cord. Egg clutches are usually attended by an adult male.

Development: Direct development, with fully formed froglets emerging from the eggs.

Tadpole stage: There is no free swimming tadpole stage.

Parental attendance: An adult male may attend up to three clutches at one time, based on general nursery frog biology.

  • Search beneath and within damp leaf litter.
  • Check sheltered surfaces and cavities associated with logs and rocks.
  • Inspect suitable palm axils where these occur.
  • Do not move natural cover during a search unless this is authorised and carried out by a trained person.

Breeding habitat: Breeding timing and survey response

Nursery frogs generally call during the summer wet season, October to March, in response to rain. Species specific breeding months for the Beautiful Nursery Frog are not established, so suitable habitat should be assessed whenever works may affect it.

If calling frogs or an egg clutch is found, stop the immediate disturbance and contact the project ecologist. Do not relocate eggs or frogs without the required authority and a species specific plan.

  • Record the exact location and photograph the site without disturbing the clutch or attending male.
  • Establish a temporary exclusion area around the breeding place as directed by the ecologist.
  • Review whether the activity is tampering with a breeding place or otherwise requires approval under Queensland requirements.
  • Schedule high risk ground disturbance to avoid periods of greatest detection and breeding risk where practicable.

Breeding habitat: Protection during clearing

Retain leaf litter, logs, rocks, palm axils and other natural shelter in potential breeding habitat. Use staged clearing and fauna spotter catcher supervision where approved procedures require it.

A breeding place must be managed under the applicable Queensland species management and approval requirements. Conditions should be confirmed before work starts.

  • Brief all operators on the species, its likely breeding places and stop work triggers.
  • Keep retained breeding habitat outside the clearing envelope and protect it from machinery, spoil and altered drainage.
  • Report all confirmed records through the project fauna reporting process.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter features

The Beautiful Nursery Frog is a cryptic terrestrial species. It is likely to shelter within damp ground cover and small natural structures, particularly in cool upland habitat that remains moist.

General microhylid information identifies leaf litter, logs, rocks and low vegetation as sheltering habitat. These features can conceal frogs during both day and night.

Boulder fields may contain shaded cracks, cavities and damp edges that are difficult to inspect from the surface.

  • Deep or continuous leaf litter.
  • Logs and accumulated woody debris.
  • Rocks, boulders and shaded crevices.
  • Low vegetation close to the ground.
  • Moist ground beside rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest.

Sheltering habitat: Inspection and handling

Search carefully and minimise disturbance. Replace leaf litter, logs and rocks exactly as found after an authorised inspection, unless the ecologist directs otherwise.

Fauna spotter catchers should use clean equipment and appropriate amphibian hygiene procedures between sites, as directed by the project ecologist or regulator.

  • Check shelter before vegetation or ground disturbance begins.
  • Use hand searches and listening surveys suited to sensitive upland habitat.
  • Keep frogs moist, shaded and secure if handling is authorised.
  • Record the microhabitat where each animal is found.

Sheltering habitat: Site controls

Protect retained shelter from crushing, drying and contamination. Even temporary access or storage can remove the small ground features used by these frogs.

Where avoidance is not possible, obtain project specific ecological advice before disturbance. Relocation should not be treated as a routine substitute for habitat retention.

  • Fence or clearly mark retained habitat before mobilisation.
  • Prevent vehicles from crossing boulder fields and damp ground cover.
  • Control runoff, sediment and pollutants near retained habitat.
  • Remove temporary materials and rehabilitate disturbed ground promptly.

Threats: Climate change and loss of cool upland habitat

The main documented threat to the Beautiful Nursery Frog is climate change. On works sites, habitat loss, drying and disturbance can add pressure to a species already restricted to small upland areas.

The species depends on cool, moist upland environments. Climate change is expected to make these mountaintop habitats warmer and drier, reducing the area available to frogs with nowhere higher or cooler to move.

Retain existing rainforest, wet sclerophyll margins, boulder fields and moist ground cover. Avoid actions that increase exposure, drying or fragmentation.

  • Protect shaded canopy and understorey.
  • Maintain natural drainage and moisture patterns.
  • Limit edge creation and unnecessary vegetation removal.
  • Consider climate refuges when designing the permanent footprint.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The species has a restricted distribution and may depend on habitat on one or a few nearby mountaintops. Small areas of clearing can remove shelter and breeding places or divide suitable habitat.

Keep the work footprint as small as practicable and place infrastructure in already disturbed areas where this avoids suitable habitat.

  • Avoid clearing rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest and boulder habitat.
  • Retain continuous ground cover between habitat patches.
  • Include temporary works in the alternatives assessment.
  • Prevent unauthorised widening of access tracks and work areas.

Threats: Ground disturbance and breeding place damage

Excavation, grading, machinery, stockpiling and removal of logs or rocks can crush frogs, eggs and sheltering habitat. Because breeding occurs on land, the absence of water does not mean that a site is unsuitable.

Use preclearance inspections and clear stop work procedures for frogs, calls and suspected egg clutches.

  • Stop work around a suspected breeding place until the ecologist provides direction.
  • Do not remove natural cover casually during clearing.
  • Keep spoil, machinery and materials outside retained habitat.
  • Follow all Commonwealth and Queensland approval conditions.

Threats: Detection and disease risks

The species is small and cryptic, and may be detected only when males call after rain. Poor timing or a brief daytime inspection can miss it.

Use wet season listening and targeted searches where the habitat assessment identifies a plausible risk. Apply amphibian hygiene controls to reduce the spread of pathogens between sites.

  • Use experienced amphibian surveyors for high risk habitat.
  • Record negative results with the survey conditions and effort used.
  • Clean and disinfect footwear, equipment and holding containers between sites.
  • Escalate unusual mortality, sick frogs or repeated calls to the project ecologist and relevant authority.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

The Beautiful Nursery Frog is a Critically Endangered, poorly known Wet Tropics frog with a very restricted distribution. Use targeted wet season surveys and treat every credible record as significant.

Confirm whether the site is on, or connected to, high elevation rainforest habitat associated with the species. The species is recorded from the top of Thornton Peak, and the broader Wet Tropics microhylid group uses rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest, boulder fields, leaf litter, logs, rocks and low vegetation.

Check current Commonwealth and Queensland threatened species mapping, recent records, land tenure, access constraints and proposed disturbance footprints. Include indirect impacts such as changes to drainage, humidity, canopy cover, fire exposure, lighting and construction access.

Assume that small habitat features may be important. Review leaf litter, logs, rocks, palm axils and other sheltered places that could support terrestrial eggs or froglets.

Known calling period: Summer wet season, October to March, generally in response to rain

Broad habitat setting: High elevation Wet Tropics habitat, including rainforest and associated wet forest and boulder areas

Conservation status: Critically Endangered under Commonwealth and Queensland listings

  • Engage a suitably experienced amphibian ecologist before finalising the survey design.
  • Map all proposed clearing, access, stockpile, drainage, lighting and laydown areas.
  • Identify habitat that can be retained and protected from edge effects and construction runoff.

Survey methodology: 2. Targeted field detection

Survey at night during the summer wet season, especially after suitable rain when males are calling. Listen carefully in leaf litter, around logs and rocks, in low vegetation and around other sheltered ground features.

Use quiet, slow searches by experienced amphibian surveyors. Combine call searches with visual searches and inspection of likely egg sites. Do not disturb shelters unnecessarily.

The species has a cryptic lifestyle and may be difficult to detect. A single negative survey does not demonstrate absence, particularly when weather is dry, cold, windy or unusually quiet.

Breeding mode: Terrestrial breeding with direct development, with no free swimming tadpole stage

Egg setting: Sheltered sites on land, including leaf litter, logs, rocks and palm axils, based on the broader nursery frog group

Egg and froglet size: Eggs are about 3 to 5 mm and froglets are about 4 mm, based on broader Wet Tropics microhylid information

  • Record air temperature, recent rainfall, cloud, wind, ground moisture, survey start and finish times, and the location of each observer.
  • Use biosecurity measures between sites, including clean and disinfected footwear and equipment, to reduce the risk of spreading amphibian disease.
  • Use species appropriate call recordings only where approved and where playback will not disrupt calling or breeding behaviour.

Survey methodology: 3. Records and verification

Photograph animals only when this can be done without handling or prolonged disturbance. Record a clear call description and preserve a short audio recording where practical.

Have unusual records checked by a qualified amphibian ecologist. Closely related nursery frogs have a history of taxonomic separation, so identification should not rely on location alone.

Report observations promptly through the project fauna reporting system and relevant threatened species databases or authorities.

  • Record date, time, precise location, elevation where available, habitat, weather, behaviour, call description, photographs and audio files.
  • Record whether an animal was calling, sheltering, moving, associated with eggs, or associated with a possible breeding place.
  • Map the full area searched, not just positive locations, and retain the original field data.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Approvals and threatened species assessment

Plan the work around avoidance first. Because the species is Critically Endangered and may occur in very small, isolated areas, obtain approvals before any clearing or disturbance begins.

Assess the proposal under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Refer the action to the Commonwealth where the proposed action may have a significant impact on this Critically Endangered species.

Confirm Queensland requirements before work starts. Obtain any required authority to take or interfere with protected wildlife, and any relevant fauna collection, handling or relocation permits.

If the activity may tamper with a breeding place, obtain and comply with a Queensland species management program where required. Do not assume a general fauna permit covers interference with a breeding place.

Listings: Critically Endangered under Commonwealth and Queensland listings

Queensland breeding place requirement: Tampering with the breeding place of protected wildlife may require a species management program

  • Document the approval pathway, conditions, responsible officers and stop work triggers.
  • Use current Commonwealth and Queensland agency advice because listing, mapping and permit requirements can change.
  • Include the species in the construction environmental management plan and the fauna spotter catcher briefing.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Avoidance and work design

Redesign the footprint to retain known and potential habitat, especially high elevation rainforest, wet forest, boulder areas, deep leaf litter, logs, rocks, low vegetation and damp ground features.

Keep construction traffic, storage, spoil, drainage works and lighting out of retained habitat. Prevent sediment, pollutants and altered runoff from entering damp ground habitat.

Use clearly marked exclusion areas. The exclusion area should cover the animal record, any breeding place, and the surrounding habitat needed to maintain shelter, moisture and access. Set the boundary with the project ecologist and approval conditions rather than applying an arbitrary distance.

  • Fence and sign no-go areas before machinery arrives.
  • Avoid unnecessary removal of logs, rocks, leaf litter and low vegetation.
  • Design drainage so that water is not concentrated into, or diverted away from, retained habitat.
  • Keep temporary access tracks and laydown areas outside retained habitat.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Pre-clearance survey and timing

Complete a targeted pre-clearance survey in suitable wet season conditions, with priority given to October to March and periods following rain. Survey the entire disturbance footprint and inspect likely terrestrial breeding sites.

There is no documented migration period to schedule around. Use the known calling and breeding period as the main timing consideration, and avoid clearing when calling, breeding or egg attendance is detected.

A pre-clearance survey is not a licence to clear. If conditions are unsuitable or the species cannot be confidently assessed, obtain advice from the project ecologist before proceeding.

Target survey season: October to March

Breeding strategy: Eggs develop on land and hatch as fully formed froglets

  • Search leaf litter, logs, rocks, palm axils, low vegetation and other damp sheltered places.
  • Mark all records, suspected breeding places and high quality habitat before mobilisation.
  • Repeat or extend the survey when rain, ground moisture or access conditions differ materially from the original survey.

Before habitat disturbance: 4. Induction and fauna controls

Give all workers a short site induction before they enter the work area. Show photographs or approved identification material, describe the call and explain the stop work process.

Nominate the fauna spotter catcher or ecologist who has authority to stop work. Make that authority clear to supervisors, machine operators and subcontractors.

Only people authorised under the relevant approval and permit may capture, handle or relocate the species.

  • Explain the exclusion fencing, access routes and reporting chain.
  • Prohibit workers from collecting, moving, photographing closely or handling frogs and eggs.
  • Keep a clean, disinfected set of amphibian equipment available for authorised fauna personnel.
  • Include hygiene controls to reduce disease transmission between water and forest sites.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Sequential clearing

Clear in a controlled sequence and keep the fauna spotter catcher involved throughout the work. Stop immediately when a frog, egg clutch or possible breeding place is found.

Use staged clearing under direct observation by the fauna spotter catcher. Start with the least disturbing vegetation and retain habitat islands and escape routes wherever the approved method allows.

Work slowly around logs, rocks, leaf litter, palm axils, damp ground and other potential breeding places. Do not rake, roll, crush or remove these features ahead of inspection.

Keep machinery outside exclusion areas until the fauna spotter catcher confirms that the area is clear or the approved fauna procedure has been completed.

  • Clear small areas progressively rather than opening the whole footprint at once.
  • Pause between stages to allow inspection of newly exposed ground and shelters.
  • Prevent spoil, sediment, fuel and concrete washout from entering retained habitat.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Animal, eggs or breeding place found

Stop work and protect the location if a Beautiful Nursery Frog, egg clutch, froglet or suspected breeding place is found. Keep people, machinery and vehicles clear.

The fauna spotter catcher must assess the find and contact the project ecologist or approval holder. Do not move eggs, logs, rocks or leaf litter unless the approved method and an authorised person allow it.

Treat an adult attending eggs as an active breeding place. Nursery frog egg clutches are commonly attended by an adult male, and an adult may attend more than one clutch.

Egg attendance: Egg clutches are commonly attended by an adult male in the broader Wet Tropics microhylid group

Possible clutch attendance: An adult male may attend up to three clutches at one time in the broader group

  • Mark and map the location without entering the shelter unnecessarily.
  • Maintain the exclusion area until the responsible ecologist and relevant approval conditions allow work to resume.
  • Record the animal or breeding place, habitat, photographs, action taken and names of authorised personnel.
  • Review the clearing sequence if more than one animal or breeding place is found.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Handling and relocation

Do not handle the species unless handling is necessary, authorised and covered by the relevant permit or species management program. Capture and relocation should be directed by an experienced amphibian ecologist.

Use the approved release site and method if relocation is authorised. The release site should provide suitable damp shelter and be close enough to retain the local ecological context, subject to approval conditions.

Never place a frog in a container, vehicle or artificial shelter for convenience. Minimise holding time, heat, drying, handling and exposure to contaminants.

  • Use clean, disinfected gloves and equipment as directed by the amphibian ecologist.
  • Keep individual animals separate where the approved method requires it.
  • Record capture, release, condition, exact locations, times, weather and personnel.
  • Do not relocate eggs or froglets without specific expert direction and authorisation.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Injured or dead animal pathway

Stop nearby work and protect an injured frog from people, machinery, heat and drying. Contact the project fauna supervisor and a qualified wildlife carer or veterinarian through the approved project pathway.

Only an authorised and trained person should collect the animal. Do not apply treatments, offer food or release an injured animal without veterinary or ecologist advice.

Record any death, injury or suspected disease event as an environmental incident.

  • Use a clean, damp, secure container only when collection is authorised.
  • Keep the container cool, shaded and quiet, without standing water or loose substrate that could injure the frog.
  • Notify the project manager and approval holder promptly.
  • Follow any required Queensland reporting conditions.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Post-clearance checks

Finish each work area with a formal fauna sign-off, not just a machinery sign-off. Retain all records because isolated observations can be important for this Critically Endangered species.

Have the fauna spotter catcher inspect the cleared area, retained habitat edges, stockpiles and machinery routes before the area is released to construction.

Check for exposed frogs, froglets, egg clutches, damaged shelters, trapped animals and sediment or runoff impacts. Recheck areas where logs, rocks or leaf litter were disturbed.

Do not declare an area clear if visibility, weather or access prevented a reasonable inspection. Escalate the issue to the project ecologist.

  • Complete a written clearance record for each work stage.
  • Photograph exclusion fencing, retained habitat and any breeding place controls.
  • Keep machinery out of any unresolved exclusion area.
  • Repair damaged exclusion fencing immediately.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Reporting and compliance

Submit records required by the Commonwealth approval, Queensland authority, species management program and project environmental management plan. Report new records, injuries, deaths, breeding places, permit breaches and unauthorised disturbance through the required channels.

Maintain a spatial register of all observations and cleared areas. Share verified records with the project ecologist and relevant government authority where required.

Treat any new record as a trigger to review the remaining footprint and controls.

  • Record survey effort, weather, observers, detections, negative results, handling, relocation and incidents.
  • Keep photographs, sound files, permits, approvals, inductions and daily fauna logs together.
  • Document corrective actions, responsible people and completion dates.
  • Update mapping and risk assessments after each confirmed record.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Monitoring and incident review

Monitor retained habitat and any approved release areas using the same experienced observers and comparable wet season conditions where practical. Focus on calling males, sheltering frogs, egg attendance and changes to damp ground habitat.

Review the work method after every detection, injury, death, breeding place encounter or near miss. A pattern of detections should lead to stronger avoidance and revised survey effort.

Because the species is poorly known, use monitoring results to improve future survey design and construction controls.

  • Schedule monitoring in the October to March calling period and after suitable rain where access and approvals allow.
  • Compare results with baseline records and document changes in habitat condition.
  • Inspect for drying, erosion, weeds, altered drainage, lighting and loss of ground cover.
  • Escalate unexpected declines or repeated incidents to the project ecologist and relevant authority.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore ground habitat

Rehabilitation should rebuild cool, moist, connected ground habitat rather than simply replace cleared vegetation. Set objectives with an amphibian ecologist and use local Wet Tropics species and materials wherever possible.

Retain and return natural leaf litter, logs and rocks where they are clean, stable and suitable. Recreate shaded, damp ground structure without burying or compacting potential breeding places.

Replant cleared edges with locally appropriate native rainforest or wet forest plants. Restore low vegetation and canopy cover progressively to reduce heat, drying and wind exposure.

Protect rehabilitated areas from vehicles, trampling, fire, grazing, stockpiles and further soil disturbance.

  • Use local provenance plant material where available and appropriate.
  • Stabilise bare soil without creating smooth, exposed surfaces that shed water rapidly.
  • Reconnect retained habitat patches where the project footprint allows.
  • Keep rehabilitation areas free of construction waste and washout.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Breeding and shelter features

The species uses terrestrial breeding sites, so retain natural leaf litter, logs, rocks and other damp shelters as the first option. Do not install nest boxes, bat boxes, artificial roosts or other structures designed for unrelated fauna.

Artificial nest sites or replacement shelters should be considered only if a qualified amphibian ecologist confirms that they suit this species, the local habitat and the approval conditions. Any trial should be documented, inspected and monitored.

Do not move natural breeding features into rehabilitation areas without authorisation and an approved method.

Known breeding setting: Sheltered places on land, including leaf litter, logs, rocks and palm axils, based on the broader nursery frog group

Development: Fully formed froglets emerge from eggs, with no free swimming tadpole stage

  • Prioritise natural habitat restoration over manufactured structures.
  • Use only clean, non toxic materials that will not dry out, heat excessively or trap animals, if an artificial shelter is approved.
  • Record the location, design, installation date and maintenance requirements of any approved artificial feature.
  • Remove failed or hazardous structures under ecological supervision.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Weeds, water and lighting

Control weeds by hand or with methods approved for sensitive amphibian habitat. Prevent herbicide, fertiliser, sediment and contaminated runoff from entering damp ground or retained shelter.

Maintain natural drainage and soil moisture patterns. Do not pond water in areas that should remain terrestrial, and do not drain or divert water away from suitable damp habitat.

Keep lighting away from retained and rehabilitated habitat. Where lighting is necessary, use the lowest practical intensity, shield fittings and avoid directing light into forest floor habitat.

  • Inspect rehabilitation after heavy rain and during dry periods for erosion, drying or concentrated runoff.
  • Use sediment and erosion controls until ground cover is established.
  • Store chemicals and fuels outside retained and rehabilitated habitat.
  • Remove weeds before they form dense, drying mats or alter ground structure.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Long term monitoring

Monitor rehabilitation through suitable wet seasons, with targeted night searches and call surveys after rain where approved. Record habitat condition as well as frog detections, because absence of detections does not confirm that habitat is unused.

Use consistent locations, observers, timing and weather records so results can be compared over time. Adjust weed, drainage, lighting and ground habitat measures when monitoring identifies a problem.

Keep rehabilitation commitments active for the period required by approvals and the project management plan.

Preferred detection period: October to March, particularly after rain

Monitoring focus: Calling males, terrestrial breeding sites, shelter condition and maintenance of cool, moist ground habitat

  • Map rehabilitated areas and permanent monitoring points.
  • Record calling activity, animals, egg clutches, froglets, shelter condition, ground moisture, canopy recovery and weed cover.
  • Report confirmed records and significant habitat deterioration to the project ecologist and relevant authority.
  • Review whether artificial structures are being used before retaining them as permanent measures.

Sources