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Kroombit Stream Frog (Dryopsophus kroombitensis)

The Kroombit Stream Frog is a tree frog associated with forested streams and other wet areas on Kroombit Tops in Queensland. It is listed as Critically Endangered under the EPBC Act, so clearing, stream works and disturbance around suitable wet habitat require targeted ecological assessment and careful controls.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Critically endangered.

Breeding season

Kroombit Stream Frogs call and breed from spring through summer, with calling peaks recorded in September to February and no calling recorded from March to August. Plan clearing and dewatering to avoid September to February where possible, and protect stream pools, slow-flowing water, submerged vegetation and nearby forest cover.

Reproductive mode: Egg laying in stream pools and slow-flowing water.

Clutch size: 100 to 300 eggs.

Incubation: Not recorded.

Size at hatching or birth: Not recorded. Tadpoles can reach up to 3.5 cm.

Age at maturity: Not recorded.

Nest or egg sites: Egg clusters are attached to vegetation at the bottom of stream pools, or wrapped around submerged twigs in still or slow-flowing water.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Confirm timing locally before works, particularly after rainfall or when temperature conditions trigger calling, breeding or movement.

  • Calling: Calling is recorded as a peak in January, February and September to December. No calling is recorded from March to August.
  • Egg laying: The species breeds during spring to summer, so egg laying is shown for September to February. Eggs are laid in clusters on vegetation at the bottom of stream pools and around submerged twigs in still or slow-flowing water.
  • Tadpoles: Tadpoles remain in water and are shown as likely to overlap the September to February breeding period. The time from hatching to metamorphosis is unknown, so this is not a confirmed tadpole duration.
  • Active period: Calling records show activity during January, February and September to December. The species activity season outside calling periods is not recorded, so these months should not be treated as a complete activity window.
  • Winter inactivity: No brumation, hibernation or other winter inactivity is recorded. March to August is shown only as a lower-detection period because no calling is recorded then, not as confirmed inactivity.
  • Highest clearing risk: The highest risk is September to February, when eggs and tadpoles may occur in stream pools and nearby adults may be using forest, trees and streamside cover. Risk remains possible outside these months because sheltering adults and unknown froglet timing are not documented by month.

Identification

The supplied documents provide the species name, broad habitat association and life cycle, but do not provide a diagnostic field description, measurements, weight, call description or reliable field-sign information. Identification during project surveys should therefore be confirmed by an appropriately experienced amphibian surveyor and supported by validated records.

The species is described as a tree frog associated with trees, streams and ponds. General tree-frog features mentioned in the supplied material include climbing ability and adhesive toe pads, but these features are not sufficient on their own to separate this species from other Australian tree frogs.

Identification: Size and sex

No body-size range, weight, sexual dimorphism or sex-specific field characters are provided in the supplied documents.

  • Do not assign a field record to this species from size or sex alone unless the identification has been checked against an authoritative species account or voucher-quality evidence.

Identification: Similar species and field signs

The supplied taxonomy lists other leaf-green and mountain stream tree frogs among related or comparable taxa, but it does not give distinguishing characters for those species. The documents also provide no species-specific description of calls, eggs, tadpoles, nests, tracks, scats, sloughs or eyeshine.

  • Treat an unconfirmed visual or acoustic record as a frog detection requiring expert verification.
  • Record the exact location, date, time, habitat, photographs and audio where practical, particularly for records made during clearing or construction surveys.

Distribution: Known range

The supplied material identifies Kroombit Tops as the species' known home and describes it as restricted to Australia. It does not provide a verified national distribution map, Queensland bioregion, population estimate, subpopulation count or population trend.

Kroombit Tops is the only specific locality identified in the supplied documents. The site is described as being in Queensland, at approximately 500 to 900 metres elevation.

  • For project assessment, treat suitable forested stream and pond habitat within the Kroombit Tops area as potentially relevant until a qualified ecologist confirms otherwise.
  • Do not rely on the supplied statement that the species occurs in New South Wales, because no New South Wales locality or supporting distribution detail is provided.

Distribution: Population information

No population size, density, number of subpopulations or trend is provided in the supplied documents. The EPBC Act listing is Critically Endangered.

Population size: Not provided

Population trend: Not provided

Known strongholds: Kroombit Tops is the only locality identified

Queensland bioregion: Not provided

Habitat: Overall habitat

The species is associated with wet, elevated habitat on Kroombit Tops. The supplied material describes forests and streams, with tree frogs using areas near streams or ponds, but does not identify vegetation communities or fine-scale habitat thresholds.

The described habitat is a forested mountain setting with streams and ponds or other water bodies. The reported elevation is 500 to 900 metres above sea level.

  • Prioritise assessment of forested drainage lines, stream margins, ponds and other wet areas within the species' known area.
  • Retain connections between wet breeding sites and adjacent forest because the supplied material describes a life cycle that changes from aquatic tadpoles to froglets and adults living on land and in trees.

Habitat: Structural features

The documents do not specify canopy cover, stream width, flow, bank condition, ground-cover depth, vegetation community, water quality or required tree sizes. They do indicate that trees, water and wet breeding sites are relevant.

  • Map streams, pools, ponds, dense vegetation and trees around proposed works rather than assessing only the construction footprint.
  • Avoid assuming that dry ground away from an open stream is unsuitable, because adults are described as using land and trees after metamorphosis.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding sites

The supplied material describes the species as a carnivorous tree frog that feeds on insects. It does not provide species-specific prey records, feeding heights, activity periods or foraging distances.

Reported food items for tree frogs include flies, mosquitoes and beetles. The material describes prey capture with a long, sticky tongue.

  • Inspect vegetation, stream margins, pond margins and other damp areas where insects and frogs may occur before clearing or night works.
  • Keep lighting, dust, sediment and chemical use controlled around wet habitat because these activities can alter insect availability and water quality, although species-specific effects are not quantified in the supplied documents.

Foraging habitat: Foraging range

No foraging range, home range, feeding height or distance from breeding water is provided.

  • Use the full area of connected forest and wet habitat around a detection as the initial survey area, rather than applying an unverified fixed buffer.

Breeding habitat: Breeding sites

Breeding requires water because the supplied life-cycle account describes eggs and tadpoles developing in ponds or slow-moving streams. The documents do not provide a species-specific breeding season or reproductive measurements.

The species is described as laying eggs in a pond or slow-moving stream. Tadpoles remain in water and later metamorphose into froglets.

  • Survey ponds, slow-moving stream sections, shallow pools and vegetated margins within or near proposed works.
  • Prevent sediment, fuel, concrete washout and other pollutants from entering potential breeding water.
  • Maintain suitable passage between breeding water and nearby forest where adults and post-metamorphic frogs may occur.

Breeding habitat: Breeding facts

The supplied documents do not provide species-specific reproductive measurements or timing.

Breeding season: Not provided

Clutch size: Not provided

Egg incubation period: Not provided

Gestation: Not applicable to this egg-laying amphibian

Age at maturity: Not provided

Lifespan: Not provided

Tadpole habitat: Ponds or slow-moving streams

Sheltering habitat: Likely refuge types

The documents do not identify species-specific shelters or refuge dimensions. They indicate that the frog uses trees and vegetation and that adults occupy land and trees after the aquatic tadpole stage.

The supplied material supports the use of trees, branches and leaves by tree frogs, and identifies forest near streams or ponds as relevant habitat. It does not confirm particular hollows, burrows, rock crevices, leaf litter depths or refuge sizes for this species.

  • Check dense vegetation, tree bases, streamside cover and damp ground refuges before vegetation removal.
  • Use staged clearing and hand searches around wet habitat where frogs may be sheltering, with methods set by the project ecologist and relevant permit conditions.

Sheltering habitat: Refuge information gaps

No measurements are provided for tree diameter, hollow entrance, crevice size, shelter distance from water or ground-cover requirements.

  • Do not clear or remove apparently minor shelter features solely because no frog is visible during a daytime inspection.
  • Record refuge features associated with any detection so they can be retained or managed during subsequent works.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The supplied documents establish a Critically Endangered listing and a restricted known area, but do not provide a species-specific threat assessment. The controls below are therefore practical risk controls for a critically endangered stream-associated frog during development works, not quantified threat statements.

Clearing forest, streamside vegetation or wet areas can remove the trees, cover and breeding water described for the species. Fragmentation may separate aquatic breeding sites from forest used by froglets and adults.

  • Avoid clearing forested streams, ponds, slow-moving stream sections and their connected vegetation where practicable.
  • Keep retained wet habitat connected to surrounding forest and clearly mark no-go areas before works begin.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher during clearing where required by permits or the project environmental management plan.

Threats: Water and hydrology

The species' eggs and tadpoles depend on water, and the supplied material identifies ponds and slow-moving streams as breeding settings. Changes to flow, drainage, sediment loads or water quality may affect those settings.

  • Prevent sediment and contaminated water from entering streams, pools and ponds.
  • Avoid dewatering or redirecting potential breeding water without species-specific ecological advice and all required approvals.
  • Inspect wet areas before works and after substantial rainfall or hydrology changes.

Threats: Fire, roads, predators and disease

The supplied documents do not identify species-specific effects of fire, roads, introduced predators or disease, and do not quantify mortality or infection rates.

  • Treat road construction, vehicle movement, fire planning and access through wet forest as issues requiring site-specific assessment.
  • Apply hygiene controls between waterbodies to reduce the risk of transferring amphibian pathogens.
  • Do not move frogs, tadpoles, water, sediment or aquatic equipment between sites unless authorised and managed under the project hygiene procedure.

Survey methodology: 1. Nocturnal stream and wetland searches

Survey design should target the Kroombit Stream Frog, Dryopsophus kroombitensis, at forested streams, ponds and slow-moving watercourses. The supplied material does not provide a species-specific survey guideline or minimum effort, so the project ecologist should set effort according to site conditions, impact risk and current Queensland survey requirements.

Search suitable streams, pools, ponds and adjacent forest at night, when frogs may be active around water and vegetation.

Prioritise habitat between 500 and 900 metres above sea level where the site is within or resembles the Kroombit Tops habitat described for the species.

Record the location, date, start and finish time, weather, water conditions, observers, search route and all frogs detected.

Use a consistent transect or timed search design and record the searched length or area for every visit.

Do not enter deep or fast-flowing water unless the method has been assessed as safe and appropriate.

Survey methodology: 2. Tadpole and breeding-habitat searches

Inspect ponds, stream margins, shallow pools and slow-moving sections for eggs, tadpoles and froglets.

Search submerged vegetation, shallow margins, leaf litter and other sheltered microhabitats without disturbing the substrate more than necessary.

Record the waterbody type, approximate dimensions, flow, bank vegetation, water level and evidence of breeding.

Treat a breeding record or occupied waterbody as a high-risk fauna location until the ecologist has assessed the proposed disturbance.

Survey methodology: 3. Daytime habitat assessment

Walk the proposed disturbance footprint and adjoining retained habitat during the day to map forest, streams, ponds, seepages, wet areas and movement routes between them.

Look for moist shelter sites, dense ground cover and shaded stream margins that could be used by frogs between nocturnal activity periods.

Map habitat continuously beyond the footprint where it is needed to understand the connection between breeding water and adjacent forest.

Photograph and map all likely habitat features before machinery or access tracks are established.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use repeated nocturnal searches where the first visit is affected by unsuitable weather, low water levels, high flow, noise or poor visibility.
  • Document the survey effort needed to support a defensible impact assessment, including the number of visits, nights, observers, hours, transect length and area searched.
  • State clearly when no species was detected, because non-detection does not demonstrate that suitable stream or wetland habitat is unoccupied.
  • Have identifications checked by a suitably experienced herpetologist when calls, tadpoles or photographs are uncertain.
  • Submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database and retain the original field data, photographs, coordinates and observer details.
  • Check current Commonwealth and state survey, approval and record-submission requirements before fieldwork starts.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Plan the works around the species' association with forested streams, ponds and slow-moving water. The species is described as restricted to Kroombit Tops, with habitat at approximately 500 to 900 metres above sea level, so small areas of suitable upland stream habitat should not be treated as interchangeable.

  • Keep all streams, ponds, slow-moving water, wet margins and adjoining shaded forest outside the disturbance footprint wherever practicable.
  • Retain continuous connections between breeding water and adjoining forest so frogs can move between aquatic and terrestrial habitat.
  • Keep access tracks, laydown areas, stockpiles, spoil and drainage works away from water and moist streamside habitat.
  • Design erosion and sediment controls so that runoff does not enter streams, pools or ponds.
  • Do not assume that a site is unsuitable because adults are not seen during a single inspection.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

  • Confirm the current Commonwealth listing, EPBC Act requirements, state wildlife requirements and any permit conditions before work is approved.
  • Obtain any required permits for handling, capture, collection, relocation or rehabilitation of native frogs.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat, survey results, exclusion areas, stop-work triggers, authorised personnel, release sites and reporting responsibilities.
  • Schedule ground disturbance to avoid periods when the site contains active breeding water wherever the project program allows.
  • Stage clearing so that retained habitat and escape routes remain available while each work area is assessed and released.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

  • Complete a pre-clearance inspection of the entire work area and access route shortly before disturbance begins.
  • Mark streams, ponds, wet margins, retained forest and other habitat exclusions on plans and on the ground.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can prevent entry into the work area without blocking movement to retained habitat or concentrating frogs at unsafe locations.
  • Brief machinery operators and fauna spotter catchers on the species' appearance, likely stream and pond habitat, handling limits and stop-work procedures.
  • Ensure the fauna spotter catcher has suitable containers, clean gloves, headlamps, spare water, first-aid arrangements and a secure temporary holding location.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls

Use a controlled, supervised clearing process. The fauna spotter catcher should work ahead of machinery and maintain direct communication with the operator, particularly near streams, ponds, wet ground and dense forest cover.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, sediment controls, water crossings and retained habitat before machinery starts each day.
  • Walk the active work area before clearing and search shaded, damp and vegetated locations where frogs may shelter.
  • Keep machinery within the approved footprint and stop work if it approaches a mapped habitat exclusion or waterbody.
  • Prevent fuels, chemicals, concrete washout, spoil and sediment from entering streams, ponds or wet ground.
  • Suspend work during conditions that make detection unsafe or ineffective, such as heavy rain, flooding, unsafe water levels or poor visibility.

During habitat disturbance: Fauna spotter catcher and machinery

  • Position the fauna spotter catcher where the next section of ground can be inspected before machinery enters it.
  • Use agreed hand signals or radio calls so the operator can stop immediately when fauna, suitable shelter or an unexpected wet area is found.
  • Clear in small sections, allowing the spotter catcher to inspect exposed ground, vegetation, debris and wet margins before machinery proceeds.
  • Keep the spotter catcher clear of operating plant, suspended loads and unstable banks, and never require the person to enter unsafe water or machinery exclusion zones.
  • Record each cleared section, inspection result, animal encounter and pause in work.

During habitat disturbance: Animals and habitat features

  • If a frog is found, stop nearby work, keep people and machinery back, and allow the authorised fauna handler to assess it.
  • Only appropriately authorised and experienced personnel should capture, handle or relocate the frog.
  • Use clean, wet or suitably prepared equipment and minimise handling time to reduce contamination, heat and skin damage.
  • Release an uninjured frog into nearby retained habitat that is suitable, connected and outside the active work area, following the approved fauna management plan.
  • Do not move eggs or tadpoles unless the action is authorised and directed by the relevant wildlife authority or suitably qualified ecologist.
  • Send an injured frog to an approved wildlife carer or veterinarian and record the incident and destination.
  • Stop work and obtain ecological advice if a frog, eggs, tadpoles, repeated detections, breeding activity or previously unmapped suitable waterbody is found.

During habitat disturbance: Records and stop-work triggers

  • Record species, life stage, number, precise location, time, habitat, photographs, handling, release location and condition for every encounter.
  • Keep a daily register of inspections, work areas released, exclusions maintained, fauna incidents, injuries, relocations and complaints or non-compliances.
  • Use the approved stop-work trigger for any confirmed detection within the disturbance area, active breeding evidence, unexpected water connection, pollution event or failure of exclusion controls.
  • Notify the project ecologist and environmental officer immediately when a stop-work trigger occurs.
  • Do not recommence work until the responsible ecologist has inspected the location and documented the required control.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work should confirm that the approved footprint was respected and that retained stream, pond and forest habitat remains functional. Follow-up effort should reflect the level of disturbance and any detections made during construction.

  • Inspect the cleared footprint and adjoining retained habitat for stranded, injured or overlooked frogs, tadpoles and eggs before the area is handed over.
  • Check that exclusion fencing, sediment controls, drainage controls and waterbody buffers remain intact after rain and construction changes.
  • Remove temporary materials, waste and spoil that could block movement between retained forest and water.
  • Repair any damage to retained stream banks, pond margins, vegetation or wet ground caused by the works.
  • Document the final cleared area, retained habitat, incidents, relocations and any departures from the approved method.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained streams, ponds and adjoining forest where the project has altered drainage, vegetation, access or water quality.
  • Use the same locations and methods where possible so that post-work observations can be compared with pre-work records.
  • Report confirmed detections, breeding evidence, injuries, mortalities, relocations, control failures and rehabilitation actions to the project ecologist and relevant authorities where required.
  • Update the fauna management plan when monitoring identifies an unforeseen risk or a control that is not working.
  • Submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database and retain all monitoring data with the project environmental records.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

  • Assess whether residual impacts remain after avoidance, minimisation and rehabilitation measures are applied.
  • Obtain advice on any Commonwealth or state offset requirement before relying on an offset to address habitat loss.
  • Do not use an offset as a substitute for retaining occupied streams, ponds, wet margins and connected forest habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Reinstate stream and wetland habitat

Rehabilitation should recreate the shaded, connected relationship between upland forest and water that is described for the species. The supplied documents do not identify plant species, nest-box requirements, stocking densities or rehabilitation success thresholds, so those details must be set by the project ecologist from local reference sites and approval conditions.

  • Reinstate natural drainage and avoid creating concentrated flows, erosion or sediment entry to streams and ponds.
  • Restore shaded stream margins and wet ground with locally appropriate native vegetation selected from nearby intact reference habitat.
  • Re-form shallow margins and slow-water areas where construction has altered ponds or streams, subject to design approval and erosion controls.
  • Maintain a connected path between restored water and retained forest rather than isolating the wet area with roads, fencing or cleared strips.
  • Do not fill, drain or permanently light restored habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Ground cover and shelter

  • Retain or replace leaf litter, fallen timber, rocks and low vegetation in suitable terrestrial habitat, provided these materials do not obstruct water flow or create a safety hazard.
  • Use locally sourced, disease-free materials and clean equipment to reduce the risk of spreading amphibian pathogens.
  • Do not install hollows or nest boxes as a substitute for stream, pond or moist forest habitat unless monitoring demonstrates that they serve a defined local purpose.
  • Control weeds so that native streamside and ground-layer vegetation can re-establish.

Rehabilitation actions: Predators, fire and site maintenance

  • Prevent domestic animals and unnecessary human access from entering restored stream and pond habitat.
  • Develop fire-management actions with the land manager so that fire protection works do not remove shaded wet margins or sever habitat connections.
  • Avoid broad-spectrum chemicals near water and use only products and application methods approved for the site.
  • Maintain erosion, weed and access controls until vegetation and waterbody condition are stable.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

  • Set measurable rehabilitation targets for water permanence, bank stability, shade, native vegetation cover, ground shelter, weed cover and connectivity before works begin.
  • Inspect restored habitat after rainfall and during the species' likely nocturnal activity period, using the same search locations and recording method over time.
  • Treat detection of frogs, tadpoles or breeding activity as useful evidence, but assess it alongside habitat condition and water quality.
  • Continue corrective work when erosion, weeds, altered drainage, pollution or loss of cover is detected.
  • Submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database and report rehabilitation results against the approved project conditions.

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