Fauna Spotters logo

Dainty Nursery Frog (Cophixalus exiguus)

The Dainty Nursery Frog is a very small microhylid frog restricted to wet tropical rainforest in north-east Queensland. It uses moist leaf litter, rocky sites and small water-holding cavities, so clearing, canopy loss, altered fire and disturbance to temporary breeding sites can affect it on development projects.

Conservation status

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

The Dainty Nursery Frog is a terrestrial direct developer. It breeds after rain in spring and summer, with males of Wet Tropics microhylids generally calling during the summer wet season. Clearing risk is highest during the wet season, when breeding, nesting and surface activity increase.

Reproductive mode: Terrestrial direct development. Eggs are laid on land and tadpoles develop inside the eggs before little frogs hatch.

Clutch size: A small cluster of eggs. No species-specific number is recorded.

Incubation or gestation: Not recorded.

Size at hatching or birth: Not recorded for this species. Froglets of Wet Tropics microhylids are generally about 4 mm.

Age at maturity: Not recorded.

Nest or egg sites: Under vegetation, in a small terrestrial cluster joined by a thin jelly string. General microhylid nesting sites also include leaf litter, logs, rocks and palm axils.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Confirm timing locally before works, particularly after rainfall, because calling and breeding are rain triggered and the species-specific incubation and froglet emergence periods are unknown.

  • Calling: Species-specific calling months are not stated. Wet Tropics microhylids generally call from October to March in response to rain, and Australian Cophixalus generally call from about September to February.
  • Egg laying: Eggs are laid on land under vegetation as a small cluster after rain during spring to summer. The species-specific source does not give calendar months, so September to February represents the spring to summer breeding window.
  • Eggs in nest: Eggs remain in a terrestrial nest while development occurs entirely inside the egg. Incubation length is unknown, so the nesting period cannot be assigned more precisely than the breeding window.
  • Froglets: Little frogs hatch directly from the eggs and leave the nest area shortly after hatching. Emergence months are not recorded, so this bar uses the breeding and wet-season window rather than a measured hatching period.
  • Active period: Species-specific activity months are not stated. Wet Tropics microhylids are generally encountered when males call in the summer wet season, from October to March, and Australian Cophixalus generally emerge and call during the wetter part of the year.
  • Dry season aestivation: Dry-season sheltering is not documented for this species. Australian Cophixalus associated with boulder habitat shelter deep in rock piles during the dry season, supporting a general expectation that frogs may remain in moist leaf litter, logs, cavities or rock cracks during drier months.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest from September to March, when rain can trigger calling, breeding, egg laying and surface activity. Clearing, trampling, drainage and dewatering can also harm adults sheltering in moist ground refuges outside this period.

Identification

This is a very small, cryptic rainforest frog. Identification should combine body size, finger shape, colour and call with the known distribution, because Australian microhylid frogs are difficult to separate by appearance alone.

Adults are small, with a rounded body, short limbs and a blunt snout. Dorsal colour is reported as pale brown to reddish-brown, often with darker mottling that blends with leaf litter and mossy ground cover.

Snout to vent length: Male greater than 14 mm and less than 17 mm in the key

Weight: Not reported

Typical colour: Pale brown to reddish-brown, with darker mottling reported

  • Look for a first finger that is well formed and about half the length of the second finger.
  • Check that the male is greater than 14 mm but less than 17 mm snout to vent length when using the published key.
  • Record the call and location together, rather than relying on colour alone.

Identification: Call and field signs

The male call is described as a medium-paced tapping sound. Calling males are the most readily located individuals during field surveys, and the species may call from the ground or close to the ground in rainforest habitat.

  • Listen during wet-season conditions and after rain, when calling activity is reported to increase.
  • Use a recording or expert confirmation where possible, because several north-east Queensland microhylids have similar body forms and calls.
  • Search damp leaf litter, rocky features and small water-holding cavities rather than assuming that a calling frog is arboreal.

Identification: Similar microhylids

Cophixalus exiguus is separated in the published key from the larger C. aenigma by its smaller male size and medium-paced tapping call. It is also separated from C. bombiens and C. hosmeri by the form of the first finger and by flank patterning and call.

  • C. aenigma: generally greater than 17 mm, with a slow or medium-paced tapping call, and recorded from higher sites on the Carbine and Thornton uplands and Mount Finnigan.
  • C. bombiens: has a short first-finger nubbin and prominent black dashes or blotches from behind the eye down the flank.
  • C. hosmeri: has a short first-finger nubbin, less prominent flank markings and is recorded above 800 m on the Carbine Tableland.

Distribution: National range

The species is endemic to north-east Queensland. The supplied records place it in the northern Wet Tropics, particularly around the Big Tableland, Mount Hartley and lower-altitude areas around Mount Finnigan.

The species is known from Queensland and is not reported from another Australian state or territory in the supplied documents. The broader Australian microhylid fauna is concentrated in north-east Queensland, with most species restricted to the Wet Tropics between Townsville and Cooktown.

States and territories: Queensland only in the supplied records

Bioregional setting: Wet Tropics of north-east Queensland

Documented localities: Big Tableland, Mount Hartley, surrounding lower altitudes and lower slopes of Mount Finnigan

  • Treat records from the Wet Tropics as potentially important because many Cophixalus species have small distributions.
  • Confirm records against the published call, morphology and location before assigning a frog to this species.

Distribution: Strongholds and population status

The supplied key identifies the Big Tableland, Mount Hartley and surrounding lower altitudes, including lower slopes of Mount Finnigan, as the known range for Cophixalus exiguus. No population estimate, density estimate or population trend is provided.

Population size: Not reported

Population trend: Not reported

Known subpopulations: Not quantified; named locations are Big Tableland, Mount Hartley and Mount Finnigan lower slopes

  • Map all records by elevation, vegetation condition, call confirmation and breeding-site features.
  • Do not infer absence from a failed search, because the species is small, cryptic and difficult to identify.

Habitat: Rainforest setting

The Dainty Nursery Frog is associated with moist rainforest environments and the ground layer. It requires persistent humidity and small water-holding features that remain suitable during development.

Australian microhylid frogs are mainly restricted to rainforest in north-east Queensland. Cophixalus exiguus is identified from the Wet Tropics, including lower-altitude rainforest around the Big Tableland, Mount Hartley and Mount Finnigan.

  • Retain intact rainforest canopy and moist ground cover wherever the species may occur.
  • Give particular attention to sites with seepage, rocky outcrops, fallen palms, hollow logs and damp leaf litter.
  • Record whether proposed works connect or isolate suitable rainforest patches.

Habitat: Structural features and climate

The species occupies the leaf-litter layer and lower vegetation. It is associated with high-rainfall tropical conditions, high humidity and small temporary water sources. Canopy cover can reduce evaporation and water temperature at breeding sites.

Elevation: The species is associated with lower-altitude sites around the Big Tableland, Mount Hartley and lower slopes of Mount Finnigan; a precise elevation range is not provided.

Climate: High-rainfall, humid Wet Tropics conditions

Key ground features: Leaf litter, rocky outcrops, seepage zones, fallen palms, hollow logs and small water-holding cavities

  • Inspect ground-level habitat after rain, especially around rocky outcrops, seepage zones and the bases of fallen palms.
  • Avoid assuming that a dry cavity is unused, because water availability changes with rainfall.
  • Record canopy cover and the condition of leaf litter around any detection or calling site.

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding method

The frog feeds on small invertebrates in moist leaf litter and uses a sit-and-wait strategy. The supplied documents do not give a measured foraging range.

Adults eat small arthropods found in the moist forest floor, including ants, small beetles, mites and other invertebrates. The frog remains motionless until prey comes within striking distance.

Diet: Ants, small beetles, mites and other small arthropods

Foraging method: Sit and wait

Foraging range: Not reported

  • Maintain damp leaf litter and low ground vegetation around rainforest edges and work areas.
  • Avoid unnecessary removal or compaction of the litter layer, logs and other ground cover used by prey and frogs.
  • Inspect retained habitat at night or after rain when the species is reported to be active.

Foraging habitat: Tadpole feeding

Tadpoles, where present, feed within the nursery water body on algae, detritus and microscopic organisms. Water quality and competing invertebrates can affect tadpole growth and survival.

  • Prevent sediment, pollutants and spoil from entering small water-holding cavities.
  • Do not fill, drain, relocate or disturb potential nursery cavities without ecological advice and any required approvals.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding is linked to rainfall and depends on small, still water-filled cavities near the forest floor. The supplied account describes parental care by the female, but the published identification paper excerpt does not provide species-specific breeding measurements.

Males call in or near water-filled cavities during the wet season. The supplied account reports that females lay eggs in small temporary water bodies and remain near the clutch, guarding it and helping maintain suitable water conditions.

Breeding season: Wet season, with no calendar months specified in the supplied documents

Clutch size: Typically 10 to 30 eggs in the supplied account

Incubation or larval period: Not reported

Development: The supplied account reports tadpole development in some populations and direct development in others

Age at maturity: Not reported

Lifespan: Not reported

  • Search potential breeding cavities during wet-season calling surveys.
  • Treat a guarding female, eggs or tadpoles as a breeding-site indicator and establish a no-disturbance area based on site conditions and expert advice.
  • Confirm unusual observations with a qualified herpetologist because the supplied account reports variation in larval development between populations.

Breeding habitat: Breeding features

Potential breeding sites include rain-filled depressions, tree hollows, hollow logs, rocky depressions and abandoned burrows. Suitable cavities hold still water long enough for development and are often shaded by canopy cover.

Water body: Small, still and temporary, with sufficient water for development

Egg placement: A loose cluster attached to submerged vegetation or cavity walls in the supplied account

Parental care: Female guarding is reported

  • Retain canopy cover over and around small water-holding cavities.
  • Protect seepage areas, rocky depressions, hollow logs and other features that can collect rainwater.
  • Prevent rapid drying, contamination and physical disturbance of nursery water bodies.

Sheltering habitat: Ground refuges

The species shelters close to the moist forest floor. Specific refuge dimensions are not reported, but the documented habitat includes leaf litter, lower vegetation, rocky features and cavities near ground level.

The frog is described as ground dwelling and associated with leaf litter, lower vegetation, rocky outcrops, seepage zones and the bases of fallen palms. Hollow logs and abandoned burrows may also provide water-holding or sheltered sites.

Refuge size: Not reported

Documented refuge features: Leaf litter, lower vegetation, rocky outcrops, seepage zones, fallen palms, hollow logs and abandoned burrows

Arboreal use: The species is ground dwelling, although tree hollows may be used as breeding sites

  • Retain deep, moist leaf litter, fallen logs, fallen palm bases and low vegetation within retained rainforest.
  • Avoid stockpiling machinery, spoil or materials over rocky outcrops, seepage zones and damp ground cover.
  • Inspect cavities and logs before moving them during clearing.

Sheltering habitat: Site protection

The small cavities used by this frog can be easily altered by clearing, trampling, drainage or removal of canopy. A site may remain suitable only while humidity and water retention are maintained.

  • Fence or otherwise exclude machinery from confirmed breeding features and adjacent moist ground habitat.
  • Keep drainage, dewatering and water-quality controls away from small nursery cavities.
  • Use a spotter catcher or herpetologist to check retained microhabitats before ground disturbance.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The main documented risks are loss and degradation of rainforest habitat, drying of small breeding cavities, altered fire and invasive species. The species' small range and dependence on moist microhabitats increase the effect of local disturbance.

Logging and agricultural expansion can remove rainforest, leaf litter, canopy cover and the small water-holding features used for breeding. Physical disturbance or contamination of nursery cavities can directly reduce reproductive success.

  • Avoid clearing intact rainforest and damp ground habitat within the known Wet Tropics range.
  • Mark and protect rocky depressions, hollow logs, seepage zones and other potential nursery sites before works begin.
  • Prevent sediment, chemicals, concrete washout and spoil from entering small water bodies.
  • Limit night lighting, vehicle movement and trampling around confirmed calling and breeding sites.

Threats: Fire, drying and hydrology

Altered fire regimes can reduce the habitat features needed by the species. Drought and climate change may dry small water bodies before development is complete, while drainage or dewatering can further reduce water retention.

  • Keep canopy cover over retained breeding habitat where practicable.
  • Do not drain or fill temporary water-holding cavities without ecological assessment.
  • Manage fire so that moist rainforest ground cover, leaf litter and shelter features are retained.
  • Monitor water levels and habitat condition during prolonged dry periods and construction dewatering.

Threats: Predators and disease

Cane toads are identified as a threat through competition for resources and the introduction of toxins that affect predators. The supplied documents do not report a named disease affecting Cophixalus exiguus.

  • Keep construction compounds free of cane toads and other introduced amphibians where practicable.
  • Use clean equipment between wetland and rainforest sites to reduce the risk of transferring amphibian pathogens, following project hygiene procedures.
  • Report sick or dead frogs through the relevant Queensland wildlife authority or project fauna management process.

Threats: Fragmentation and roads

The supplied documents identify habitat loss and disturbance but do not provide species-specific measurements for road mortality, fragmentation thresholds or crossing structures. Fragmentation should still be considered where works remove canopy or separate moist rainforest patches.

  • Retain connected rainforest and avoid creating isolated strips of damp ground habitat.
  • Keep access tracks and laydown areas out of known calling and breeding locations.
  • Record all frog observations during clearing supervision, including the location, call, habitat and weather.

Survey methodology: 1. Wet-season acoustic survey

Survey this species in wet tropical rainforest habitat, especially where leaf litter, seepage, rocky features and small water-holding cavities are present. The species is difficult to distinguish from other small microhylid frogs, so use habitat, call, morphology and distribution together, and obtain expert confirmation where needed.

Survey during the wet season, when calling males are most active and the species is more likely to be detected after rain.

Conduct searches at night with a flashlight, listening from the leaf-litter layer and near small, water-filled cavities, rocky outcrops, seepage areas, fallen palms and hollow logs.

The male call is described as a medium-paced tapping. Record calls where possible, because acoustic identification assists separation from other small Cophixalus species.

The supplied documents do not specify a defensible number of nights, hours, transect length or survey area for this species. Set effort through the project fauna survey plan and document the dates, duration, weather, rainfall, locations and observers.

Adult male size used in the identification key: More than 14 mm snout to vent length

Call: Medium-paced tapping

Known distribution in the key: Big Tableland, Mount Hartley and surrounding lower altitudes, including lower slopes of Mount Finnigan

  • Do not treat one quiet night as evidence that the species is absent.
  • Repeat surveys after suitable rainfall where access, safety and approvals allow.
  • Use a regional herpetologist or wildlife authority to confirm uncertain calls and records.

Survey methodology: 2. Targeted microhabitat searches

Search the leaf litter and lower vegetation for small frogs, particularly around wet rainforest features that retain moisture.

Inspect small, still-water cavities such as rain-filled depressions, tree hollows, hollow logs and water-holding rocky features without draining, moving or damaging them.

Look for females guarding eggs or remaining near a small water body, as guarding behaviour may identify a breeding site.

Record each potential breeding feature with a location, photograph and description, and mark it for avoidance if it may be affected by works.

  • Search after rain and at night when the species is reported to be active near breeding sites.
  • Use a careful visual search and avoid trampling leaf litter, seepage zones and cavity entrances.
  • Use a hand lens, ruler or callipers and a camera where an individual must be examined for identification, following permit and animal-welfare requirements.

Survey methodology: 3. Identification and verification

Treat identification as provisional unless size, morphology, call and distribution are consistent with the Queensland Museum key.

The Australian microhylids are small, cryptic and morphologically similar, so identification may require a ruler or callipers, magnification and a recording of the call.

Distinguish Cophixalus exiguus from nearby microhylids using its size, medium-paced tapping call and the distribution information in the key.

  • Photograph the frog in place before considering any handling.
  • Record snout to vent length, finger shape, colour and pattern, call characteristics, habitat and exact location.
  • Submit uncertain records to a suitably experienced herpetologist or the relevant Queensland wildlife authority before relying on them for impact assessment.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use the project survey plan to specify the number of wet-season nights, search hours, transect or search area and weather conditions, because the supplied documents do not prescribe minimum effort for this species.
  • Report all detections and non-detections with date, time, coordinates, observer, method, effort, weather, rainfall, photographs or call recordings and habitat description.
  • Map and report breeding cavities, seepage zones, rocky water-holding features and other occupied or potentially occupied microhabitats.
  • Submit confirmed records to the relevant Queensland wildlife database and provide records required by project approvals and the relevant wildlife authority.
  • Retain evidence supporting identification, including photographs, measurements and sound files.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Plan the work around the species' wet rainforest habitat and small breeding cavities. The main pre-clearance objective is to retain moist ground cover, canopy protection and water-holding features wherever practicable.

Retain intact rainforest, leaf litter, lower vegetation, seepage areas, rocky outcrops, fallen palms and hollow logs within the work area where practicable.

Avoid removing or filling small, still-water cavities that could support eggs or tadpoles, including rain-filled depressions, tree hollows and water-holding logs.

Maintain canopy cover over retained breeding features because canopy reduces water temperature and evaporation.

Keep retained habitat connected to surrounding rainforest rather than isolating small patches.

  • Locate access tracks, laydown areas and stockpiles outside wet rainforest microhabitats wherever practicable.
  • Do not place spoil, sediment, fuels or wash water near cavities, seepage zones or leaf-litter habitat.
  • Use the smallest practicable disturbance footprint and clearly mark no-go habitat before machinery arrives.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Confirm the species' legal status and all required state permits, wildlife licences and approval conditions before survey, handling, clearing or relocation.

Check whether the project requires an EPBC Act referral and confirm the Queensland approval pathway before works commence.

Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies survey methods, stop-work triggers, authorised personnel, handling procedures, relocation sites, injury response and reporting.

Schedule clearing and ground disturbance to avoid the wet-season breeding period where practicable, recognising that the supplied material links breeding and calling activity to seasonal rainfall.

  • Consult the relevant Queensland wildlife authority where the species is suspected or confirmed.
  • Include an escalation pathway for uncertain identification and breeding-site discoveries.
  • Stage clearing so retained habitat and suitable wet refuges remain available while each work area is checked.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete a targeted pre-clearance survey of all rainforest habitat and potential water-holding features within and beside the disturbance footprint.

Mark occupied or potentially occupied cavities, seepage zones, rocky features, hollow logs and leaf-litter habitat for avoidance or fauna spotter catcher inspection.

Install exclusion fencing where it can protect retained wet habitat without blocking frog movement between connected areas.

Brief machinery operators on the species' small size, ground-dwelling habits and sensitivity to disturbance of breeding cavities.

  • Check marked habitat immediately before clearing because water levels and frog locations can change after rain.
  • Keep a clean, low-disturbance access route to any retained habitat that may be used for relocation.
  • Ensure the fauna spotter catcher has the required authority, equipment and contact details for an authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian.

During habitat disturbance: Daily clearing controls

Use a fauna spotter catcher and progressive clearing controls to prevent crushing, habitat damage and loss of small breeding sites. Stop work when a frog, breeding cavity or unexpected wet microhabitat is found in the disturbance area.

Inspect the work area before machinery starts, especially after rain and around leaf litter, seepage zones, rocky outcrops, hollow logs, fallen palms and small water-filled cavities.

Keep exclusion fencing and no-go markers in place and repair them if they are damaged.

Prevent sediment, chemicals, concrete wash water and fuel from entering small water bodies or wet leaf-litter habitat.

Clear progressively in short sections so the fauna spotter catcher can inspect each section before machinery enters.

  • Use low-disturbance access routes and avoid unnecessary movement through retained rainforest.
  • Do not move logs, rocks, tree hollows or other potential nursery features unless the approved fauna procedure specifically allows it.
  • Suspend work during unsafe conditions or when the spotter catcher cannot maintain a clear view of the work area.

During habitat disturbance: Fauna spotter catcher and machinery interface

The fauna spotter catcher must inspect the next clearing section before machinery enters and remain able to communicate directly with the operator.

The operator must stop immediately on the spotter catcher's instruction and must not resume until the animal, breeding feature or hazard has been assessed.

Use hand tools for careful inspection around leaf litter, cavities and other small wet features before mechanical clearing.

Keep machinery clear of marked breeding sites and retained habitat unless the approved environmental plan authorises disturbance.

  • Do not rely on machinery operators to identify this small and cryptic frog.
  • Record the location and habitat feature whenever work is stopped for this species.
  • Escalate repeated detections, guarding females or eggs to the project ecologist and relevant wildlife authority.

During habitat disturbance: Animal finds, handling and relocation

If a frog is found, stop work, keep people and machinery back, photograph it in place and contact the authorised fauna spotter catcher or project ecologist.

Only authorised and appropriately permitted personnel should handle or relocate the frog.

Relocate an animal only to nearby retained rainforest habitat that provides moist leaf litter, canopy cover and suitable water-holding features, and only under the approved fauna management procedure.

Do not move eggs, tadpoles or a guarding female unless the relevant authority and approved procedure specifically allow it, because the species depends on small nursery water bodies and parental care is reported.

  • Minimise handling time and avoid unnecessary disturbance of the animal or its breeding cavity.
  • Do not release the frog into open, dry or exposed ground, or into a water body selected without regard to its microhabitat requirements.
  • Send an injured animal promptly to a veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer and record the transfer.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

Stop work in the affected section if a Dainty Nursery Frog is found, a female is guarding eggs, eggs or tadpoles are detected, or an unmarked breeding cavity is exposed.

Stop work if sediment, fuel, concrete wash water or other contaminants enter a nursery feature or retained wet habitat.

Resume only after the fauna spotter catcher and project ecologist have inspected the site and recorded the control or relocation decision.

  • Record the date, time, coordinates, observer, identification evidence, habitat feature, work location, action taken and outcome for every detection.
  • Photograph the frog and habitat where this can be done without causing additional disturbance.
  • Report incidents, injuries, breeding-site disturbance and any permit non-compliance through the project's environmental reporting system and to the relevant authority where required.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance inspection

Post-clearance work must confirm that no frogs or breeding features were missed and that retained habitat remains suitable. Records should support approval compliance and future surveys.

Inspect cleared edges, retained rainforest, access routes and disturbed ground for frogs, guarding females, eggs, tadpoles and damaged nursery features.

Pay particular attention to small cavities, hollow logs, rocky depressions, seepage zones and leaf-litter refuges that may have been exposed or altered during clearing.

Repair exclusion fencing and reinstate no-go markers where follow-up works remain.

  • Complete the inspection before demobilising from each staged clearing area.
  • Record habitat damage, water loss, sediment entry and any animal observations.
  • Refer uncertain frogs or unusual breeding observations for expert verification.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained habitat during suitable wet-season conditions using repeat night searches and acoustic checks, with effort and conditions recorded consistently.

Compare records by location, call, habitat feature and survey effort rather than treating changes in raw observation numbers as population change.

Report confirmed records, incidents, controls, relocations and monitoring results to the relevant Queensland wildlife database, approval agency and project environmental register.

  • Retain photographs, call recordings, measurements, maps and field sheets with the project records.
  • Report any ongoing drying, contamination, weed invasion or loss of canopy around retained breeding features.
  • Review controls after each monitoring event and amend the fauna management plan if the species or its nursery features are repeatedly detected.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and compliance close-out

Assess any unavoidable loss of suitable rainforest habitat or breeding features against the project approval conditions and the applicable Queensland requirements.

Apply any required offset, rehabilitation or compensatory measures only after confirming the relevant authority's requirements.

Include the area cleared, habitat retained, breeding features protected, fauna incidents, relocations and follow-up monitoring in the project close-out report.

  • Keep evidence that the approved clearing footprint and fauna controls were followed.
  • Do not describe a relocated frog as evidence of successful mitigation until follow-up monitoring supports that conclusion.
  • Escalate unresolved impacts or repeated detections to the approval holder and relevant wildlife authority.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore rainforest microhabitat

Rehabilitation should recreate the moist rainforest floor and small, shaded water-holding features used by this species. The supplied documents do not identify particular plant species or prescribe rehabilitation densities, so use locally appropriate rainforest species and measurable project-specific targets approved by the relevant ecologist and authority.

Re-establish locally appropriate wet-tropics rainforest vegetation to rebuild canopy cover, lower vegetation and leaf-litter habitat.

Retain or reinstate clean leaf litter, fallen palms, hollow logs and suitable rocks where they are locally sourced and approved for use.

Recreate small, shaded, still-water features that hold water long enough for breeding without creating unnecessary permanent open water.

Shape and stabilise drainage so runoff, sediment and contaminants do not enter nursery cavities or seepage habitat.

  • Do not use imported logs, rocks, soil or plant material that could introduce weeds, pathogens or incompatible fauna without hygiene and biosecurity checks.
  • Avoid designs that expose breeding features to full sun or rapid drying.
  • Keep rehabilitated patches connected to retained rainforest wherever practicable.

Rehabilitation actions: Weeds, predators and fire

Control weeds so native leaf litter, lower vegetation and rainforest canopy can recover around retained and restored wet features.

Prevent cane toads and other invasive species from being introduced or encouraged around rehabilitation areas, because the supplied material identifies cane toads as a threat to native amphibians.

Manage fire so rainforest ground cover, canopy and small water-holding features are not damaged by altered fire regimes.

  • Inspect rehabilitation areas after rain and during routine weed control for drying, erosion, contamination and invasive fauna.
  • Use methods that do not contaminate nursery water or disturb occupied cavities.
  • Escalate evidence of cane toads, other invasive species or fire damage to the project ecologist and relevant authority.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

Monitor vegetation cover, leaf-litter development, canopy protection, water retention and the condition of logs, rocks and other microhabitat features.

Undertake repeat wet-season night searches and acoustic surveys using the same documented effort where practicable.

Use confirmed frog detections, suitable breeding features and stable wet microhabitat as project success indicators, rather than relying on vegetation survival alone.

  • Record the number and location of restored water-holding features and whether they retain water after rainfall.
  • Record frog calls, photographs, measurements and breeding observations without disturbing the animals or cavities.
  • Continue monitoring until the approval holder and relevant authority accept that the rehabilitation targets have been met.

Sources