Neglected Frog (Cophixalus neglectus)

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Critically endangered.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Critically endangered.

Breeding season

The Neglected Frog is a terrestrial breeder that may breed without surface water. No reliable month-specific breeding pattern is documented, so high-altitude rainforest sites should be treated as potentially active year-round, particularly when soil and litter are moist.

Breeding mode: Terrestrial breeding with direct development. Tadpoles develop inside the egg, and froglets hatch fully formed.

Clutch size: 10 to 19 eggs.

Egg and nest sites: Eggs are laid in very moist soil or vegetation and covered by 2 to 5 cm of humus.

Parental care: One parent, usually the male, generally attends the eggs until hatching.

Incubation period: Not recorded.

Age at maturity: Not recorded.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Activity and breeding may vary between years and between Mt Bartle Frere and Mt Bellenden Ker, so site checks should be guided by recent rainfall, moisture conditions and detected calling activity.

• Breeding and egg laying: Treat suitable high-altitude rainforest as potentially breeding habitat in every month because seasonal timing is not established.
• Egg attendance and development: Eggs may be attended by a male and develop in moist soil or vegetation beneath humus at any time of year.
• Calling and surface activity: Calling males have been recorded at high elevations, but no monthly activity peak is established.
• Fully formed froglets: Froglets hatch after completing metamorphosis, with no month-specific hatching period recorded.
• Highest clearing risk: Plan for year-round risk to eggs, attending adults and developing froglets in moist soil, vegetation and humus, with particular care during wet conditions.

Identification: Appearance and size

The Neglected Frog is a squat, short limbed frog with a smooth brown or orange brown back. It is most readily detected and identified by the short buzzing call of males, supported by close examination of body shape, finger discs and colour pattern.

The upper body is usually smooth and brown or orange brown, sometimes with darker flecks or brown smudging. A narrow black bar occurs below a faint supratympanic fold, and a narrow pale line may occur along the back.

The underside is smooth and pale, with brown flecking. The toe discs are poorly developed and are only slightly wider than the toe phalanges. The first finger is short and less than half the length of the second finger.

Body form: Squat and short limbed

Finger discs: Not obviously expanded

Toe webbing: Australian Cophixalus generally lack webbing between the toes

• Males grow to 23 mm snout to vent length.
• Females grow to 29 mm snout to vent length.
• The species is one of the larger Cophixalus frogs, but remains very small in the field.

Identification: Calls and similar species

Males give a short buzz or squelch, with an average call duration of about half a second. Calls can vary between individuals, so identification should not rely on a recording alone.

Cophixalus mcdonaldi has a prominent black dorsolateral dash above the forelimb, longer fingers and a short trill or creak. It occurs on Mt Elliot, rather than the known Neglected Frog sites on Mt Bartle Frere and Mt Bellenden Ker.

Best field combination: Call, short fingers, subdued brown pattern and known mountain location

Call identification caution: Call variation occurs within the species

• Listen during suitable night surveys in high altitude rainforest.
• Record the call location, elevation and habitat when a calling frog is detected.
• Use a hand lens, callipers or a ruler, and photographs where possible. Measure snout to vent length with the frog held flat.

Identification: Field signs and handling

Calling males are the most likely individuals to be encountered. A small chorus has been recorded calling from a deep rock pile, including at an elevation below the usual recent survey records.

No distinctive droppings, nest stains, odour or other easily recognised site sign is known for this frog. Treat a short buzz, a small frog in wet high altitude litter, or an occupied rock pile as a potential detection.

Recorded calling feature: Deep rock piles

Likely detection method: Listening for calling males, then confirming the frog visually

• Do not move rocks, strip humus or collect frogs during clearing checks unless the work is covered by the relevant approval and a suitably qualified person is directing the activity.
• Use clean, disinfected equipment and change or disinfect gloves between sites to reduce the risk of spreading amphibian disease.
• Photograph frogs in place where possible and minimise handling.

Distribution: Queensland range

In Australia, the Neglected Frog is restricted to the Wet Tropics of northern Queensland. The current known range consists of two separated mountain-top populations, with no overseas range known.

The species was formerly reported from rainforest between Cairns and Innisfail, from about 900 to 1500 m elevation. Recent records are concentrated on the two highest mountain tops in North Queensland, Mt Bartle Frere and Mt Bellenden Ker.

Extent of occurrence: 86 km²

Area of occupancy: 20 km²

Populations: Two identified populations, one on each mountain

• State: Queensland only.
• Region: Wet Tropics, north Queensland.
• Known mountains: Mt Bartle Frere and Mt Bellenden Ker.
• Current records are generally above 1200 m elevation.

Distribution: Elevation and site checks

Most recent surveys did not find the species below 1150 m, and later work did not find it below 1200 m. However, a male chorus was recorded at 975 m on Mt Bartle Frere, so lower elevation rainforest should not be dismissed without assessment.

Historical altitude range: 900 to 1500 m

Lower elevation record noted in field work: 975 m on Mt Bartle Frere

• Check project maps against both mountain populations, including access tracks, construction areas, helipads and temporary work sites.
• Consider records from deep rock piles and other moist, sheltered features below the usual elevation range.
• Seek current database and expert advice before works near either mountain population.

Distribution: Movement and connectivity

The two populations are disjunct. Lower elevation rainforest between them may limit dispersal, so disturbance on either mountain can affect a small and isolated part of the species range.

Known overseas range: None known

Range status: Restricted to two mountain-top populations in Queensland

• Retain intact high altitude rainforest and moist ground cover around known or potential habitat.
• Avoid creating new breaks through rainforest refugia.
• Treat any new record as significant and report it through the project environmental management process.

Habitat: Rainforest setting

The Neglected Frog is a high altitude rainforest specialist associated with cool, very wet rainforest refugia. On a work site, focus on intact rainforest, wet soil and litter, shallow humus, deep rock piles and other places that remain moist during dry periods.

Look for dense high altitude rainforest on Mt Bartle Frere and Mt Bellenden Ker. The species occurs in rainforest refugia regarded as relatively stable rainforest areas over geological time.

Typical temperature range: 16 to 20 degrees Celsius

Annual precipitation associated with habitat: 3500 to 8000 mm

Proportion of the Wet Tropics geographic space used: Approximately 0.2 percent

• Intact rainforest above 1200 m.
• Cool, shaded rainforest with high humidity.
• Undisturbed forest floor with continuous litter and humus.
• Moist gullies, sheltered slopes and other areas where drying is limited.

Habitat: Ground features

Breeding sites are covered by only 2 to 5 cm of humus, so shallow ground disturbance can affect habitat even where there are no large trees. Deep rock piles can also provide calling locations and should be treated as potential habitat.

Humus cover at breeding sites: 2 to 5 cm

Known calling feature: Deep rock pile

• Shallow humus over moist soil.
• Deep rock piles and boulder fields.
• Moist fallen vegetation and litter.
• Small sheltered pockets that retain soil and litter moisture.

Habitat: Site assessment

The species has a very restricted distribution and is poorly known in some aspects of its ecology. A habitat assessment should therefore consider the full moist rainforest floor, not just sites where frogs or calls have already been recorded.

Survey priority: High, because the species is Critically Endangered and highly restricted

• Map all proposed clearing, excavation, drainage, access and laydown areas within the two mountain populations.
• Inspect both the footprint and nearby areas that could be affected by runoff, drying, vibration or increased access.
• Use a suitably qualified amphibian ecologist for targeted assessment in potential habitat.

Foraging habitat: Features to retain

The diet and precise foraging locations of the Neglected Frog are not well established. For site planning, retain the moist rainforest floor, litter, shallow humus and ground vegetation that are likely to support small invertebrate prey and provide cover.

Focus on areas with persistent soil and litter moisture beneath high altitude rainforest. Avoid treating the ground layer as cleared or low value simply because it contains no large plants.

Diet: Not established

Foraging habitat: Not precisely defined, but moist rainforest floor and litter should be retained

• Continuous leaf litter and humus.
• Moist soil and low ground vegetation.
• Shaded rainforest floor protected from direct sun and wind.
• Rock piles and sheltered ground features.

Foraging habitat: Construction controls

Clearing, grading, vehicle access and stockpiling can remove or dry the ground layer. Keep machinery and materials out of potential habitat wherever practicable, and prevent sediment, spoil and contaminated water from entering retained rainforest.

Main site risk: Loss or drying of moist ground layer

Management approach: Avoid, retain and protect habitat before considering any relocation

• Clearly mark no go areas before work begins.
• Avoid unnecessary removal of humus, litter, rocks and fallen vegetation.
• Keep drainage changes away from retained moist habitat.
• Inspect disturbed edges for frogs before resuming work after a stop work event.

Foraging habitat: Survey approach

Targeted night searches should combine listening for short buzzing calls with careful visual searches of wet litter, shallow humus and rock piles. Search effort should be designed by an experienced amphibian ecologist because detection can vary with weather, elevation and calling activity.

Most detectable life stage: Calling adult males

Survey focus: Moist high altitude rainforest floor and deep rock piles

• Survey both the proposed footprint and adjacent potential habitat.
• Record call locations, elevation, weather, habitat and photographs where possible.
• Use amphibian hygiene procedures between sites and equipment items.

Breeding habitat: Nest and eggs

The Neglected Frog breeds on land and does not need surface water for breeding. Eggs are laid in very moist soil or vegetation, under a shallow layer of humus, so small scale ground disturbance can damage breeding sites.

Clutches contain 10 to 19 eggs. The eggs are laid in very moist soil or vegetation and are covered by about 2 to 5 cm of humus.

Clutch size: 10 to 19 eggs

Breeding substrate: Very moist soil or vegetation

Cover over breeding sites: 2 to 5 cm of humus

• Search for moist pockets in rainforest litter and shallow humus.
• Treat undisturbed soil beneath litter and vegetation as potential breeding habitat.
• Do not rake, strip, compact or stockpile material over these areas.

Breeding habitat: Development and parental care

Tadpole development occurs inside the egg. Froglets hatch fully formed after completing metamorphosis, and one parent, usually the male, generally attends the eggs until hatching.

Breeding type: Terrestrial, direct development

Parent attendance: Usually one parent, generally the male

Generation length: Estimated at 10 years

• Avoid disturbing calling males, moist nest sites and nearby humus during clearing or construction.
• If a frog or possible nest is found, stop work in the immediate area and obtain direction from the project ecologist and relevant approval holder.
• Do not relocate eggs or frogs without the approvals and specialist advice required for the project.

Breeding habitat: Breeding place protection

In Queensland, the species is protected wildlife and interference with its breeding place requires an appropriate species management program. Work planning should avoid breeding habitat first, then use approved controls where impacts cannot be avoided.

Protection status: Critically Endangered in Queensland and under the Commonwealth listing

Works implication: Breeding places must not be disturbed without appropriate approval and management

• Complete threatened species checks before clearing, excavation or rock removal.
• Include wet ground, shallow humus, vegetation pockets and deep rock piles in the breeding habitat assessment.
• Keep records of inspections, detections, stop work events and any approved management actions.

Sheltering habitat: Likely shelter features

A single shelter type has not been established for the Neglected Frog. The species is closely associated with moist high altitude rainforest, and deep rock piles are known calling locations, so these features should be retained and inspected carefully during works.

Maintain shaded, humid ground conditions around wet litter, shallow humus, low vegetation and rocks. These features can provide cover from drying and temperature changes even when frogs are not visible.

Specific shelter type: Not established

Known occupied feature: Deep rock pile used by calling males

• Moist leaf litter and humus.
• Sheltered rainforest floor beneath vegetation.
• Deep rock piles and gaps between rocks.
• Cool, shaded sites protected from wind and direct sun.

Sheltering habitat: Clearing and access controls

Rock removal, trampling, vehicle movement and temporary stockpiles can remove shelter and compact the forest floor. Keep access routes outside potential habitat and retain natural ground features.

Primary shelter risk: Loss of moist ground cover and disturbance of rock piles

Preferred control: Avoid disturbance and retain natural shelter features in place

• Fence or flag retained habitat before mobilisation.
• Do not use rock piles or wet rainforest floor for access, storage or spoil placement.
• Use designated walkways and minimise repeated foot traffic.
• Repair accidental disturbance promptly under ecological direction.

Sheltering habitat: Frog hygiene and encounters

Amphibian chytrid fungus is a recognised threat. Field staff should use clean equipment and suitable hygiene procedures when moving between sites, and should report live frogs, sick frogs or dead frogs to the project ecologist.

Disease risk: Amphibian chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

Handling principle: Minimise handling and prevent movement between sites

• Use dedicated or disinfected footwear and equipment between sites.
• Do not move frogs between mountains or work areas.
• Keep handling to the minimum needed for identification and approved management.
• Record the location and condition of every detection.

Threats: Clearing, construction and trampling

The Neglected Frog is Critically Endangered because its entire known range is concentrated on two high mountain tops. Development and land management should be planned around avoidance of habitat loss, ground disturbance, altered moisture conditions, invasive species and disease spread.

Clearing, excavation, rock removal, vehicle access and repeated foot traffic can remove shallow humus, compact soil and damage moist rainforest floor habitat. Even small work areas may matter where habitat is confined to mountain-top refugia.

Development risk: Loss, compaction and drying of shallow ground habitat

Management priority: Avoid impacts before considering mitigation

• Avoid new clearing in known or potential habitat.
• Keep machinery, spoil, materials and temporary facilities out of moist rainforest and rock piles.
• Mark exclusion areas before works start.
• Use a stop work procedure for any suspected detection or breeding place.

Threats: Hydrology and climate exposure

The species already occurs near the upper limits of its potential elevation range. Temperature increases, drought, extreme weather and altered hydrology can reduce suitable cool, moist habitat and may increase disease susceptibility.

Modelled climate sensitivity: A 1 degree Celsius increase is associated with more than 50 percent loss of core habitat for five Cophixalus species, including the Neglected Frog

Future climate risk: A 3 to 5 degree Celsius increase is predicted to be more likely over the next 50 years

• Avoid drainage changes, diversion of runoff and discharge into retained habitat.
• Prevent erosion and sediment movement into moist rainforest floor areas.
• Maintain shade, canopy cover and natural water movement.
• Consider cumulative effects from access tracks, utilities and other nearby projects.

Threats: Invasive animals and ants

Feral pigs can disturb soil, litter and breeding sites. Yellow Crazy Ants can affect rainforest fauna and may alter conditions around occupied habitat.

Relevant invasive threats: Feral pigs and Yellow Crazy Ants, Anoplolepis gracilipes

Main impact pathway: Ground disturbance, habitat degradation and pressure on frogs

• Do not introduce food, waste or materials that attract feral animals.
• Report pig damage, rooting or Yellow Crazy Ant activity near retained habitat.
• Coordinate control programs with land managers and threatened species specialists.
• Avoid spreading soil, vegetation or contaminated equipment between sites.

Threats: Chytrid fungus and project controls

Chytrid fungus is a recognised threat to the species. Construction crews, fauna handlers and ecologists should apply amphibian hygiene procedures throughout survey, clearing and rehabilitation activities.

Disease: Amphibian chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

Conservation status: Critically Endangered under Commonwealth and Queensland listings

• Use clean, disinfected equipment between locations.
• Do not transfer frogs, water, soil or wet organic material between populations.
• Separate clean and dirty equipment and keep hygiene records where required by the project plan.
• Escalate unusual mortality, sick frogs or new records to the project ecologist and relevant authorities.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

The Neglected Frog is a high altitude rainforest specialist known from Mt Bartle Frere and Mt Bellenden Ker. Surveys should focus on calling males, moist rainforest refugia and potential breeding sites, including deep rock piles and areas above 1200 m, while also checking lower elevations where suitable habitat remains.

Map all rainforest, rock piles, moist litter and humus layers within and near the work area. Include habitat above 1200 m and review historical records because the species has occasionally been recorded below recent survey limits.

Treat the two known mountain populations as separate management areas. Check whether the proposal could affect connectivity, hydrology, disease risk or habitat on either mountain.

• Obtain current records from Queensland government databases, Wet Tropics management agencies, museums and local experts.
• Map proposed clearing, access tracks, camps, drainage changes, spoil areas, lighting and machinery routes.
• Identify areas where climate, fire, weeds, feral pigs, Yellow Crazy Ants or chytrid fungus could increase risk.

Survey methodology: 2. Night call surveys

Search at night when males are calling. Use quiet, slow searches in wet, humid conditions after rain where safe access allows. Listen for the short buzzing or squelching call, which averages about half a second but can vary between individuals.

Search potential calling sites systematically, including deep rock piles, moist litter, dense rainforest and likely refugia. Do not rely only on visible frogs, as calling males are more readily detected than other life stages.

Surveyors should be familiar with local Cophixalus calls and the possibility of intraspecific variation. Confirm uncertain records using photographs, measurements and recordings.

• Record the date, start and finish time, weather, recent rainfall, temperature, observer names and survey route.
• Record every call location with a GPS position, elevation, habitat description and estimated number of calling males.
• Use a hand lens, callipers or a ruler, and a digital camera where handling is authorised and necessary.
• Record the call, or make a clear written description, for later verification.
• Search below previously reported elevation limits where suitable habitat occurs, rather than applying a fixed lower boundary.

Survey methodology: 3. Visual and habitat searches

Inspect moist soil, vegetation, humus and sheltered rock piles for frogs, adults, froglets and breeding activity. Breeding sites may be concealed beneath only 2 to 5 cm of humus, so avoid disturbing the substrate during an initial search.

Look for the species' smooth brown or orange-brown upper body, possible dark flecks, pale flecked underside, short limbs and poorly developed toe discs. The first finger is short and the fingers are not obviously expanded.

• Check for the narrow black bar below the supratympanic fold and the absence of a prominent black dorsolateral dash above the forelimb.
• Distinguish the Neglected Frog from Cophixalus mcdonaldi using distribution, short fingers, pattern and call. Seek expert confirmation for doubtful records.
• Use clean, disinfected equipment between sites and follow current amphibian disease hygiene procedures.
• Do not turn rocks, rake litter or excavate humus unless the action is covered by the survey approval and a qualified amphibian ecologist is present.

Survey methodology: 4. Survey interpretation and reporting

A failure to detect the species should not be treated as evidence of absence. The species has a restricted distribution, calling activity can vary, and weather and access can affect detection.

Use the results to define habitat, breeding places, construction constraints and disease controls. Escalate any record, breeding evidence or unusual call to the project ecologist and relevant Queensland authority.

• Map occupied sites, probable habitat and areas searched with no detection.
• Report survey conditions and effort clearly, including routes, observers, equipment, access limitations and any missed areas.
• Keep original call recordings, photographs, GPS data and field sheets with the project environmental records.
• Record whether the observation was a calling male, non-calling adult, froglet, eggs or other life stage.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Desktop approvals and referrals

Plan to avoid high altitude rainforest habitat and all known or suspected breeding places. Because the species is listed as Critically Endangered, obtain approvals early and use a precautionary approach where surveys cannot provide a reliable result.

Check whether the action is likely to have a significant impact on the Neglected Frog or its habitat under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Refer the action to the Australian Government where required, and comply with any approval conditions.

Confirm Queensland species and protected wildlife requirements before works start. If the action may tamper with a breeding place, obtain and follow the required Queensland species management program or other relevant authority.

Obtain any Queensland permits needed for catching, handling, marking, sampling, relocation or scientific work. Do not rely on a general fauna spotter catcher approval unless it covers this species and activity.

• Nominate a suitably experienced amphibian ecologist for the project.
• Include survey, hygiene, stop work, relocation, injury and reporting procedures in the construction environmental management plan.
• Confirm conditions for access, clearing, night works, lighting, drainage, rock removal and rehabilitation before mobilisation.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Avoidance and work design

Retain rainforest refugia, moist litter, humus, rock piles and natural drainage wherever practicable. Avoid fragmentation between suitable areas and do not create new barriers between the Mt Bartle Frere and Mt Bellenden Ker populations.

Set site-specific no-go areas around records, breeding places and high quality habitat. The project ecologist should define buffers from field evidence, topography, hydrology and approval conditions rather than applying an arbitrary distance.

• Fence and sign exclusion areas before machinery arrives.
• Keep spoil, sediment, fuel, concrete washout and chemicals away from rainforest, drainage lines, rock piles and moist litter.
• Control runoff, erosion, dust, noise and lighting that could alter the cool, wet conditions used by the species.
• Use existing tracks and previously disturbed areas for access, laydown and equipment wherever possible.
• Design works to retain canopy, shade, soil moisture and natural humus cover.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Pre-clearance survey and breeding-place check

Complete a targeted pre-clearance inspection shortly before disturbance. Search at night for calling males and inspect habitat by day for eggs, attending adults, froglets and disturbed or recently occupied breeding sites.

Treat any moist soil or vegetation nest covered by humus as a potential breeding place until assessed by the project ecologist. Breeding timing is not established, so do not assume that a site is inactive because works occur in a particular month.

• Recheck all proposed clearing, rock removal, trenching, drainage and access areas.
• Mark calling sites, nests, eggs, froglets and occupied refuges on the ground and in project mapping.
• Do not clear or relocate an animal, egg mass or nest until the relevant approval and handling procedure has been confirmed.
• Where detection conditions are poor, delay works or increase survey effort rather than relying on a single negative survey.

Before habitat disturbance: 4. Induction and exclusion controls

Induct every worker, contractor and machinery operator before entering the site. Explain the species' appearance, call, habitat, breeding places and the project's stop work process.

Use physical exclusion fencing and clear signage. Keep machinery, vehicles and workers outside marked areas unless the fauna ecologist authorises access.

• Provide photographs and a short call recording at the site induction.
• State that only authorised and trained personnel may catch, handle, examine or relocate a frog.
• Include emergency contact details for the fauna spotter catcher, project ecologist, site supervisor and wildlife veterinarian or rehabilitation provider.
• Check fencing, signs, access controls and hygiene stations at the start of each shift.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Staged clearing and active supervision

Use staged, controlled clearing with an authorised fauna spotter catcher present where required by approval or the construction environmental management plan. Any Neglected Frog, egg, froglet or suspected breeding place takes precedence over the clearing sequence.

Clear from the least suitable and most disturbed areas towards retained habitat, using small work fronts. Stop machinery before entering any marked exclusion area or when a frog, call, nest or unexpected habitat feature is found.

Inspect each stage before disturbance and maintain a spotter catcher with authority to direct operators and stop work immediately.

• Remove vegetation and surface material progressively, with the spotter catcher watching exposed litter, soil, rock piles and drainage features.
• Keep machinery idling or parked only in approved areas during fauna checks.
• Do not push, rake, crush or bury rock piles, humus or moist vegetation without a specific approval and inspection.
• Maintain amphibian hygiene between work fronts, equipment and handling events.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Finding a frog or breeding place

If a Neglected Frog is found, stop work, secure the area and prevent people or machinery from approaching. The authorised handler should assess whether the animal can remain safely in place or whether an approved relocation is required.

If eggs, froglets, an attending adult or a suspected nest is found, treat it as an active breeding place. Do not move the material or disturb the site until the project ecologist confirms the legal and ecological response.

• Mark the location and establish a temporary exclusion area.
• Notify the site supervisor, fauna spotter catcher and project ecologist immediately.
• Record the animal or breeding place with photographs, GPS position, elevation, habitat, weather and the activity underway.
• Use an approved local release site only if relocation is authorised and judged necessary by the qualified ecologist.
• Follow all approval conditions, including any required Queensland species management program conditions.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Handling and welfare

Only authorised, trained personnel may handle the species. Minimise handling time and keep the animal cool, shaded, moist and secure in a clean, suitable container.

Do not apply unapproved substances to the animal, place it in standing water, expose it to direct sun or mix individuals from different sites.

• Use clean, powder-free gloves or the handling method specified by the amphibian ecologist.
• Use a separate disinfected container for each animal or follow the approved disease-control procedure.
• Do not transport an animal away from its capture area unless the approval and relocation plan allow it.
• Release a relocated animal promptly into suitable, shaded, moist habitat selected by the ecologist.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Injured, sick or dead animals

Stop work around an injured or sick frog and contact the project ecologist. Do not release an injured animal without veterinary or wildlife rehabilitation advice.

Treat dead frogs as potential disease or incident evidence. Avoid unnecessary contact and preserve the carcass only as directed by the ecologist or relevant authority.

• Place an injured animal in a clean, secure, shaded container with appropriate moisture and ventilation.
• Contact an approved wildlife rehabilitator or veterinarian as soon as practicable.
• Record photographs, location, apparent injury, likely cause, handling, transport and final outcome.
• Report suspected chytrid fungus, unusual mortality or contamination through the project disease and incident pathway.

During habitat disturbance: 5. Daily records and stop work close-out

The spotter catcher and site supervisor should confirm each work area is clear only after the approved inspection and clearing sequence is complete. Keep a traceable record for every detection, handling event, stop work direction and release.

Any departure from the approved method should be reported before work resumes.

• Record date, time, location, activity, personnel, species or evidence, action taken and approval reference.
• Photograph exclusion areas, breeding places, injuries, dead animals and release sites where appropriate.
• Escalate repeated detections, failed exclusion controls, sediment impacts, disease concerns or unexpected habitat loss.
• Brief the next shift before handing over the work area.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Post-clearance inspection

Post-clearance checks should confirm that no animals, eggs or breeding places were overlooked and that retained habitat has not been damaged. Monitoring should be scaled to the risk, with higher attention on occupied habitat, breeding places, hydrology changes and Critically Endangered populations.

Inspect the completed work front, retained edges, exposed soil, rock piles, drainage features and nearby moist rainforest after each clearing stage. Search for live or dead frogs, froglets, eggs, desiccated nests, sediment impacts and damaged exclusion fencing.

Repair controls promptly and keep the area closed if an animal or breeding place is found.

• Complete a final walkover before removing exclusion fencing or releasing the work area.
• Check that humus, shade, leaf litter, drainage and rock features retained for habitat remain intact.
• Record all findings, including no detections, with locations and photographs where useful.
• Have the fauna ecologist sign off the area before general construction proceeds.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Monitoring retained habitat

Monitor retained and restored habitat where the project may affect moisture, temperature, drainage, disease exposure or connectivity. Use repeat night call surveys and habitat inspections designed by the project ecologist.

Compare results with the pre-work baseline and interpret non-detections in light of weather, calling conditions and access.

• Repeat surveys under suitable wet and humid conditions and use the same routes and methods where possible.
• Track calling males, non-calling observations, froglets, breeding evidence, habitat condition and threats.
• Inspect after major rainfall, drainage changes, extreme weather or reports of mortality where safe.
• Continue monitoring for the period required by approval conditions or the project monitoring plan.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Relocated animals and release sites

Check approved release sites after relocation for animal welfare, habitat damage, invasive species and evidence of return or mortality. Do not move animals again unless directed by the project ecologist and authorised under the relevant approval.

Keep release records linked to the original capture location and individual or batch record where identification is possible.

• Record release date, time, location, habitat, weather, handler and animal condition.
• Inspect the release site for moisture, shelter, humus and disease-control risks.
• Report injured, dead or missing relocated animals through the project incident pathway.
• Use the monitoring results to assess whether relocation should continue, change or stop.

After habitat disturbance: 4. Reporting and incident review

Provide required records to the approval holder, Queensland authorities and the Australian Government where conditions require it. Report any suspected offence, unapproved disturbance, breeding-place damage or significant impact through the appropriate regulatory pathway.

Review incidents with the construction team and update controls before similar work continues.

• Prepare a close-out report covering survey effort, detections, breeding places, handling, relocation, injuries, deaths, stop work events and rehabilitation actions.
• Map final cleared areas, retained habitat, exclusion zones and release sites.
• Investigate causes of any mortality, sediment release, hydrology change, disease event or repeated exclusion failure.
• Update inductions, work methods, buffers and monitoring in response to the review.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore rainforest structure and moisture

Rehabilitation should rebuild cool, wet rainforest habitat and protect the soil and litter conditions used for shelter and terrestrial breeding. Use local ecological advice because the species is poorly known and artificial breeding structures are not established as a standard replacement for natural habitat.

Reinstate rainforest vegetation using locally appropriate species and approved seed or plant material. Reconnect retained habitat where practicable and avoid creating exposed, dry edges.

Replace topsoil, leaf litter and humus carefully so natural moisture and cover are retained. Do not compact or unnecessarily disturb the breeding substrate.

• Stabilise eroding ground and keep sediment out of rainforest and drainage features.
• Restore shade, canopy cover, understorey, leaf litter and fallen woody material suited to the site.
• Retain or reinstate natural drainage without creating ponding, rapid drying or altered flow through breeding areas.
• Keep rehabilitation free from machinery, vehicles, fire and unnecessary night lighting.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Rock piles and natural refuges

Retain natural rock piles and other sheltered features where they occur. If construction has removed a potential refuge, replacement should be designed by an amphibian ecologist and located within suitable retained habitat.

Do not assume that a general rock pile or artificial shelter will replace a breeding place. Confirm its design, location and approval requirements before installation.

• Use local, clean materials and avoid creating unstable piles that could collapse onto animals or nests.
• Place refuges in shaded, moist locations connected to suitable rainforest.
• Inspect replacement features for erosion, drying, weeds, feral pig damage and human disturbance.
• Record the design, location and maintenance requirements in the rehabilitation plan.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Artificial breeding structures

Nest boxes, bat boxes, artificial nest sites and roost structures are not standard replacements for this terrestrial-breeding frog. The species lays eggs in very moist soil or vegetation, with development completed inside the egg, so generic boxes or bat roosts are unlikely to be suitable.

Only install an artificial nest or breeding structure if a qualified amphibian ecologist develops and tests a species-specific design, and the relevant authority approves it.

• Prioritise protection and restoration of natural moist soil, vegetation, humus and shelter.
• Do not install nest boxes, bat boxes or roost structures as a substitute for avoiding a known breeding place.
• Monitor any approved artificial structure for use, drying, predators, disease and unintended impacts.
• Remove or modify unsuccessful structures under ecological supervision.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Weeds, pests and disease

Control weeds without damaging retained rainforest, moist litter or breeding substrate. Manage feral pigs and Yellow Crazy Ants where they threaten habitat, breeding places or rehabilitation areas.

Apply amphibian disease hygiene to workers, footwear, tools, vehicles, containers and monitoring equipment.

• Use a weed control method approved for rainforest and keep chemicals away from moist breeding habitat and drainage.
• Inspect for pig rooting, ant incursions, sediment, rubbish and unauthorised access.
• Clean and disinfect equipment between sites according to current Queensland amphibian hygiene procedures.
• Do not move soil, litter, rocks, plants or water between the two mountain populations without ecological and regulatory approval.

Rehabilitation actions: 5. Lighting and long-term monitoring

Keep rehabilitation areas dark, cool and humid. Design construction and security lighting so it does not shine into retained rainforest, calling sites or breeding habitat.

Monitor vegetation establishment, soil moisture, humus, drainage, refuges, threats and frog detections over the period specified by the project approvals.

• Use shielded, downward-facing lights with the lowest practical intensity and avoid unnecessary overnight lighting.
• Inspect rehabilitation after drought, cyclones, intense rainfall, fire or other extreme weather.
• Repeat night call surveys and habitat checks using consistent methods and suitable conditions.
• Set measurable triggers for additional weed control, erosion repair, disease response, pest control or ecological review.
• Keep monitoring records with maps, photographs, weather, effort and all frog observations.

Sources

• 1792 - conservation advice - Cophixalus neglectus, Australian Government DCCEEW: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/1792-conservation-advice-04072019.pdf
• [PDF] Key to the microhylid frogs of Australia, and new distributional data, Queensland Government: https://www.museum.qld.gov.au/assets/media/project/qm/qm-website/collections-and-research/memoirs/nature-memoirs/nature-volume-52/mqm-n52-2-18-hoskin.pdf
• Listings since commencement of EPBC Act, Australian Government DCCEEW: http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-tmp/publiclistchanges.65976216a4ae6116073f.html
• Occurrence records for the distribution map, Atlas of Living Australia: https://biocache.ala.org.au/