Northern Nursery Frog (Cophixalus crepitans)

Conservation status

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

The Northern Nursery Frog is poorly known, and species specific timing is not documented. As a working guide for northern Queensland, expect calling, breeding and surface activity to increase during the wetter months, with local timing varying after rainfall. The species is listed as Vulnerable in Queensland, so plan targeted surveys and manage potential breeding places before clearing.

Breeding mode: Direct development is typical of Cophixalus, with eggs laid on land and young hatching as froglets. Confirm species specific details during project surveys.

Clutch size: Not recorded.

Incubation period: Not recorded.

Fledging or weaning: Not applicable to this direct developing frog. The time from egg laying to hatching is not recorded.

Age at maturity: Not recorded.

Nest or breeding site: Not recorded for the Northern Nursery Frog. Search moist terrestrial shelter sites and other suitable ground refuges where adults are calling or frogs are detected.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded. Breeding may be repeated when suitable wet conditions occur.

Timing may vary between years and locations, so use rainfall, local records and pre-clearing surveys to adjust the working window.

• Breeding and calling activity: Use November to April as a preliminary wet-season window, with calling and breeding likely to follow substantial rain.
• Eggs and developing young on land: Terrestrial eggs and recently hatched froglets may be present during and shortly after local breeding events.
• Adult surface activity: Adults are most likely to be detected at the surface during warm, wet conditions, especially after rain.
• Dry-season sheltering: During drier periods, frogs may remain concealed in moist ground refuges and detection rates may fall.
• Highest clearing risk: Treat November to April as the highest working risk period for eggs, froglets and breeding adults, while retaining habitat protections year round because local rainfall can shift activity.

Identification: Appearance

The Northern Nursery Frog is a small, ground-dwelling frog that can be difficult to find during daylight searches. Species-specific identification information and call descriptions are limited, so photographs, call recordings and expert confirmation are useful.

Expect a compact frog associated with damp ground cover. Do not rely on colour alone, as lighting, moisture and substrate can change its appearance.

Handle frogs only when necessary, using clean, powder-free gloves. Keep handling time short and release animals at the point of capture.

Body size: Not well documented for field use

Echolocation: Not applicable. This is a frog, not a bat.

• Take clear photographs of the back, side, head, hands and feet where safe to do so.
• Record the exact location, date, weather, substrate and nearby vegetation.
• Use an experienced amphibian ecologist for confirmation where identification is uncertain.

Identification: Calls and similar species

The species call is not described in the available assessment information. During suitable weather, listen for calling frogs around wet ground, leaf litter and dense ground cover, and record calls rather than relying on memory.

Other small microhylid and rainforest frogs may occur in the same broad habitat. A call or photograph should be checked against current Queensland frog references and, where needed, by a frog specialist.

Useful confirmation: Photographs, call recordings and habitat notes

• Avoid playing calls back during survey work unless this is covered by the survey design and approval conditions.
• Record the time, temperature, rainfall, wind and water conditions with any call observation.

Identification: Field signs

Frogs generally leave few reliable signs after moving through a site. Droppings, nests, whitewash, stains and odour are not useful search signs for this species.

The most useful field indication is a live frog or a verified call. Damp leaf litter, movement under cover and repeated observations after rain can help focus searches, but are not proof of presence.

• Check under natural cover only where this can be done without damaging habitat.
• Replace logs, rocks and leaf litter in their original position and orientation.
• Do not create artificial cover piles in a proposed clearing area unless this is part of an approved survey method.

Distribution: Australian range

The Northern Nursery Frog is mapped in Queensland. The available conservation assessment does not specify the detailed Queensland region, so project teams should confirm local records and habitat associations using current government and expert datasets.

The species is recorded for Queensland and has not been identified here as occurring in another Australian state or territory.

Treat the mapped range as a screening guide, not as proof that a particular site is occupied. Local absence of records may reflect limited survey effort.

Mapped state: Queensland

Overseas range: No overseas range is identified here

• Check the Queensland protected species database and project-specific biodiversity records.
• Review records from adjoining properties, nearby reserves, drainage lines and remnant vegetation.
• Consider habitat connectivity beyond the development footprint.

Distribution: Survey planning

Plan surveys before vegetation removal, road formation, drainage works and spoil placement. Use more than one method where the species may be present, because small terrestrial frogs can remain hidden during visual searches.

Search effort should be increased after suitable rain and in warm, calm conditions when frogs are more likely to move or call. A qualified ecologist should set the timing and effort for the site and approval pathway.

• Combine active searches with listening surveys where conditions are suitable.
• Inspect damp ground cover, leaf litter, logs, rock edges and natural cavities.
• Record both detections and the condition of apparently suitable habitat.

Habitat: Habitat to check on site

Species-specific habitat information is limited. As a terrestrial microhylid frog, the Northern Nursery Frog should be considered in moist, structurally complex ground habitat, especially where vegetation, litter and shelter retain humidity.

Prioritise remnant vegetation with a moist forest floor, continuous leaf litter and limited ground disturbance. Check wet forest and rainforest-type vegetation where these occur within the mapped range.

Look beyond the immediate clearing boundary. Damp habitat may continue through connected vegetation, gullies, drainage lines and shaded edges.

• Dense leaf litter and low ground vegetation
• Gullies, seepage areas and shaded drainage features
• Moist forest margins and connected remnant vegetation
• Logs, rocks, root zones and other natural cover

Habitat: Site condition

Retained habitat is more likely to remain suitable where soil moisture, shade, litter depth and natural shelter are maintained. Open, compacted or frequently disturbed ground is less suitable for a terrestrial frog.

Map wet areas and habitat links before finalising clearing limits, access tracks, stockpile areas and temporary work zones.

• Mark no-go areas around suitable ground habitat where required by the approval or management plan.
• Keep machinery, sediment, concrete washout and chemicals away from wet habitat.
• Maintain links between retained vegetation and nearby moist habitat.

Foraging habitat: Foraging features

The Northern Nursery Frog is expected to forage close to the ground. Detailed diet and foraging studies are limited, so survey and management should protect the damp litter layer and the small invertebrate prey community it supports.

Search damp leaf litter, low vegetation, fallen timber, rock edges and loose bark near the ground. These features provide cover and may support small invertebrates.

Foraging areas may extend between wet patches and shelter sites. Avoid treating isolated damp spots as the only habitat requiring protection.

Likely food: Small ground-dwelling invertebrates

Foraging period: Not established for this species; activity may increase in suitable moist conditions

• Retain natural litter and coarse woody debris where practicable.
• Limit soil compaction and unnecessary removal of ground cover.
• Keep lighting, noise and night traffic away from retained habitat where practicable.

Foraging habitat: Construction controls

Use clearly marked exclusion zones around retained habitat. Prevent sediment, fuel, concrete slurry and other contaminants from entering wet ground or drainage features.

Where clearing is approved, use a fauna spotter catcher and follow the project fauna management plan. Capture and relocation decisions should be made by appropriately qualified personnel.

• Stage clearing away from the most suitable moist habitat where practicable.
• Inspect vegetation and ground cover immediately before disturbance.
• Stop work and seek ecological advice if a frog is found in the work area.

Breeding habitat: Potential breeding features

The available assessment information does not describe the Northern Nursery Frog's breeding place, timing or clutch characteristics. Because breeding details are poorly known, treat damp, sheltered ground habitat and nearby wet features as potentially important until assessed.

For a terrestrial microhylid frog, inspect moist litter, soil cavities, spaces beneath logs and rocks, and sheltered sites near seepages or drainage features. Do not assume that breeding is restricted to open water.

Avoid turning over or removing cover during breeding-season investigations unless the method is approved and carried out by experienced personnel.

Breeding timing: Not established for this species

Breeding place: Not sufficiently documented; moist sheltered ground habitat should be assessed

• Retain natural ground cover and shelter features.
• Protect seepages, damp gullies and shaded drainage areas from sediment and altered flows.
• Map all potential breeding places before earthworks begin.

Breeding habitat: Legal and work controls

The species is Vulnerable under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. In Queensland, it is protected wildlife, and tampering with its breeding place may require a species management program.

Before clearing or construction, confirm whether the works may affect a breeding place and whether an authority, management program or other approval is required.

• Include breeding-place risks in the environmental constraints map.
• Brief supervisors, machinery operators and fauna spotter catchers before works start.
• Keep records of searches, captures, releases, incidents and corrective actions.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter to inspect

The Northern Nursery Frog is a terrestrial species and may shelter in damp cover close to the ground. Detailed shelter-site information is limited, so retain a range of natural cover types rather than relying on one feature.

Check leaf litter, fallen timber, rocks, root masses, loose bark and small soil cavities. Focus on shaded areas that remain humid and are protected from direct disturbance.

Shelter habitat may occur along forest edges, in gullies and within connected vegetation. Mark these areas before access tracks and work pads are set out.

• Damp litter banks and low vegetation
• Gaps beneath logs and rocks
• Root zones and natural soil cavities
• Shaded edges beside gullies or seepage areas

Sheltering habitat: Fauna handling and release

Use a trained fauna spotter catcher for clearing and construction activities where frogs may be present. Keep captured frogs cool, shaded and moist, without placing them in standing water.

Release frogs promptly into suitable nearby habitat that is outside the active work area, following the approved fauna management plan and any permit conditions.

• Use dedicated clean equipment between sites to reduce disease transfer.
• Do not move frogs across roads or into unsuitable open ground.
• Report injured or sick frogs to the project ecologist and follow the agreed wildlife response procedure.

Threats: Clearing and habitat fragmentation

The Northern Nursery Frog has a Vulnerable Queensland listing, so site controls should be stronger than routine frog protection. The species-specific threat profile is limited, but the following development and land management risks are relevant to a small terrestrial frog.

Removal of remnant vegetation, leaf litter, logs and ground cover can remove shelter, foraging habitat and potential breeding places. Fragmentation can also isolate damp habitat and increase exposure to heat, drying and predators.

Keep clearing to the approved footprint and retain connected moist habitat wherever practicable.

• Fence and sign exclusion zones before machinery arrives.
• Avoid unnecessary widening of access tracks and work areas.
• Restore disturbed ground with suitable native cover where required.

Threats: Hydrology, sediment and pollution

Drainage changes, dewatering, erosion and sediment deposition can dry or smother ground habitat. Fuels, chemicals, concrete washout and other pollutants can harm frogs directly and reduce prey availability.

Design erosion and sediment controls before works begin, then inspect them after rainfall and throughout construction.

• Maintain natural water movement where practicable.
• Keep stockpiles and washout areas away from wet habitat.
• Repair failed sediment controls promptly.

Threats: Fire, weeds and altered ground cover

Inappropriate fire, intense hazard reduction, weed invasion and repeated slashing can reduce litter, shelter and humidity. Soil disturbance can also increase weed spread and change drainage.

Use habitat-sensitive fire and weed plans that retain ground cover and protect moist refuges.

• Identify wet refuges and shelter features before fuel reduction work.
• Clean machinery before entering retained habitat.
• Avoid broad ground disturbance for weed control.

Threats: Disease and survey safeguards

Amphibian diseases can be moved between sites on hands, boots, equipment and water. Disease prevention is required even when no frogs are seen.

Use clean or disinfected equipment, change gloves between animals and sites, and follow current Queensland amphibian hygiene procedures.

• Do not transfer water, mud, leaf litter or shelter materials between sites.
• Isolate and report frogs showing unusual skin, posture or movement.
• Scale survey effort and mitigation to the Vulnerable listing and the likelihood of suitable habitat.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

The Northern Nursery Frog is a poorly known terrestrial microhylid. Use several complementary methods, because calling frogs can be difficult to locate and breeding places may be concealed on the ground or in vegetation.

Map remnant vegetation, rainforest or wet forest, drainage lines, steep moist ground, rock piles, fallen timber and leaf litter within and around the work area.

Review previous records, local survey reports, Queensland protected wildlife information and recent aerial imagery. Ask local experts and landholders about frog calls, sightings and wet-season activity.

Treat all suitable moist terrestrial habitat as potential habitat until a qualified ecologist has assessed it. Do not rely on waterbody surveys alone.

Survey methodology: 2. Call and visual surveys

Survey at night when frogs are most likely to call. Prioritise warm, humid conditions after rain, when access and safety conditions allow.

Use quiet listening periods at fixed locations, followed by a slow visual search with head torches. Search leaf litter, low vegetation, fallen timber, rocks, crevices and other moist cover without damaging shelter sites.

Use experienced personnel to identify calls. Record an audio file where possible, as similar small frog calls can be difficult to separate in the field.

• Record the date, start and finish time, weather, recent rainfall, wind, temperature if measured, observer names and survey effort.
• Record each frog, call location, confidence of identification, habitat, microhabitat, behaviour and photographs where practical.
• Mark potential breeding places separately from general habitat. Record any eggs, calling concentration, shelter site or repeated use.

Survey methodology: 3. Survey design and limitations

Use repeat visits when habitat is suitable but no frogs are detected. Increase coverage across different microhabitats rather than concentrating only on drainage lines.

Stop or postpone work if heavy rain, flooding, unsafe access or excessive noise prevents reliable detection.

Document areas that could not be searched, including dense vegetation, unstable ground and inaccessible private land. A failure to detect frogs does not demonstrate absence.

• Have a qualified ecologist set the survey effort for the project risk, habitat extent and proposed disturbance.
• Use environmental DNA or other specialist methods only where a suitably qualified practitioner considers them appropriate and interprets the results with field observations.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Approvals and permits

Plan around the species’ Queensland Vulnerable listing. Avoid clearing potential habitat first, then obtain the approvals and project controls needed for any unavoidable disturbance.

Confirm the Queensland conservation status and the current requirements of the Nature Conservation Act 1992 before works begin.

Ask the Queensland regulator whether the proposed action needs a wildlife permit, damage mitigation permit, species management program or other approval. Tampering with a breeding place may require a species management program.

Consider an EPBC Act referral if the action may significantly impact a matter of national environmental significance. The Northern Nursery Frog is not currently listed under the EPBC Act, but a current status assessment has recommended Vulnerable listing. Obtain project-specific legal advice before relying on an exemption.

• Keep approved plans, permits, conditions and contact details at the site office and with the fauna spotter catcher.
• Do not treat a general clearing approval as authority to handle frogs or damage a breeding place.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Avoidance and site layout

Retain occupied habitat, moist ground, leaf litter, fallen timber, rocks and connected vegetation wherever practicable.

Move access tracks, laydown areas, stockpiles, drainage works and compound sites away from likely frog habitat and known breeding places.

Use clearly marked no-go areas. Fence or flag exclusion zones before machinery enters the site. Set the buffer distance through the project ecologist and approval conditions, because a standard distance is not supported for this poorly known species.

• Prevent sediment, concrete washout, chemicals, fuel and dirty water from entering retained habitat.
• Keep temporary lighting directed away from retained vegetation and use the lowest practicable intensity.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Pre-clearance survey and crew induction

Complete a pre-clearance survey shortly before disturbance, using the same wet-weather and night-time approach where practicable. Recheck areas if conditions change or clearing is delayed.

Have an authorised fauna spotter catcher inspect vegetation, ground cover, stockpiles, drains and other potential shelter or breeding places.

Induct every worker on the frog’s appearance if known locally, the no-go areas, stop-work authority, hygiene controls and the requirement to report sightings immediately.

• Use clean, disinfected boots, nets, bags, gloves and other equipment between sites and between frog handling events.
• Schedule works outside locally identified breeding activity where practicable. There is no reliable broad breeding or migration calendar for this species, so use local survey results and expert advice rather than assuming a dry-season or wet-season clearance window.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Staged clearing and supervision

Use staged clearing and maintain continuous fauna supervision. The fauna spotter catcher must be able to stop work immediately when a frog, breeding place or unexpected habitat feature is found.

Clear in small, supervised stages toward retained habitat, where the site layout allows animals to move away from machinery.

Inspect each work area immediately before clearing and again as ground cover, vegetation and debris are removed.

Use hand tools around dense leaf litter, logs, rocks, cavities and other likely shelter sites until the spotter catcher has checked them.

• Give the spotter catcher authority to stop or redirect machinery.
• Keep machinery speeds low and maintain a clear line of communication between the operator, supervisor and spotter catcher.
• Do not push cleared material into retained habitat or leave piles that could trap frogs.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Handling frogs and breeding places

Only authorised and appropriately trained people may catch, handle or relocate a frog. Minimise handling time and keep the animal cool, shaded and damp without immersing it.

Place each animal in a clean, secure, labelled container suitable for short-term holding. Do not mix animals or release them into unassessed habitat.

If eggs, a calling concentration, a nest, a shelter used repeatedly or another active breeding place is found, stop work in the immediate area and protect it from entry, vibration, dust, water pollution and direct disturbance.

• Contact the project ecologist and the relevant Queensland regulator or permit contact before disturbing an active breeding place.
• Follow the approved species management program or permit conditions exactly.
• Do not move an active breeding place unless the approval expressly allows it and a suitably qualified practitioner directs the action.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Injured, dead or unidentifiable animals

Place an injured frog in a clean, secure container in a quiet, shaded location and contact a wildlife veterinarian, wildlife carer or the project ecologist promptly.

Do not apply creams, antiseptics or household chemicals. Do not release an injured animal without veterinary or ecological advice.

Photograph and record dead or unidentifiable animals where this can be done safely and without further disturbance.

• Record the location, time, condition, suspected cause, photographs, person who found the animal and action taken.
• Report incidents required by the permit, species management program, regulator or project environmental management plan.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Field records and hygiene

Maintain a daily fauna register for searches, sightings, captures, relocations, breeding places, injuries, mortalities, stop-work events and releases.

Record the original and release locations, habitat condition, weather, handling time, container number and names of authorised personnel.

Disinfect equipment between sites and follow approved amphibian disease hygiene procedures. Keep wash water and disinfectant out of natural drainage and frog habitat.

• Report any suspected disease, mass mortality or repeated frog distress to the project ecologist and relevant wildlife authority.
• Retain GPS tracks, photographs, audio recordings, field sheets and permit compliance records.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Immediate post-clearance checks

Post-clearance checks confirm that animals, breeding places and exclusion controls were managed as planned. Use the results to adjust the remaining work and report any breach promptly.

Have the spotter catcher and ecologist inspect the cleared footprint, retained edges, spoil piles, trenches, drains and exclusion fencing before the area is handed back to construction.

Check for trapped, injured or displaced frogs and remove temporary hazards such as open pits, uncapped pipes, deep wheel ruts and unsecured containers.

Recheck the site after rain or at night when practicable if the work removed substantial moist cover or occurred beside retained habitat.

• Repair damaged exclusion fencing immediately.
• Keep trenches and excavations covered or provide safe escape features where required by the project controls.
• Do not leave water, sediment or construction waste in retained habitat.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Relocated animals and breeding places

Confirm that every relocated frog was released at the approved location and within the approved time. Record the release habitat and any follow-up observation.

Inspect retained or approved breeding places for disturbance, drying, sediment, vibration and changed drainage.

Do not conduct follow-up searches that damage shelter, eggs or nests. Use non-destructive observation and obtain ecological advice before revisiting a breeding place.

• Maintain any required exclusion area for the full period specified by the approval or species management program.
• Escalate failed releases, repeated reappearances in the work area, breeding activity or unexpected mortality to the project ecologist.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Reporting and review

Prepare a completion report covering survey effort, animals found, handling and relocation, breeding places, injuries, mortalities, stop-work events, permit conditions and corrective actions.

Submit reports to the regulator, approval holder and project manager within the required timeframe.

Review each incident with the supervisor, machinery operators, fauna spotter catcher and ecologist before the next clearing stage.

• Update the clearing method, exclusion areas, induction material and timing controls when the review identifies a recurring risk.
• Keep records in a form that supports Queensland compliance reporting and future management of the site.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should rebuild moist, connected terrestrial habitat and protect it from construction impacts. Use local ecological advice because the Northern Nursery Frog’s breeding requirements and response to artificial structures are not well established.

Retain and replace locally appropriate leaf litter, fallen timber, rocks, ground vegetation and other natural shelter features where they can be sourced and placed without spreading weeds or disease.

Recontour disturbed ground to restore natural drainage and avoid concentrating runoff into retained frog habitat.

Replant with locally native species suited to the site’s original wet forest or rainforest community. Protect plantings from trampling, vehicles and excessive drying.

• Use clean soil, mulch, logs and rocks from approved sources.
• Do not import material from sites with known amphibian disease, weed infestation or contamination.
• Keep habitat connections between retained vegetation and rehabilitation areas wherever practicable.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Breeding habitat and artificial structures

Do not install generic nest boxes, bat boxes or artificial roost structures for this species unless a qualified amphibian ecologist confirms that the design and location suit its biology.

Prioritise natural breeding and shelter features, such as protected moist ground cover and suitable leaf litter, over untested artificial structures.

If artificial nest sites or other replacement structures are approved, document their design, placement, maintenance, hygiene controls and monitoring requirements before installation.

• Do not place structures where they collect polluted runoff, overheat, flood or dry rapidly.
• Inspect approved structures without opening or disturbing them unnecessarily.
• Remove or modify structures that become ecological traps, accumulate disease risk or are not used after expert review.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Weeds, water and lighting

Control weeds before they dominate ground cover or alter moisture conditions. Use methods that do not contaminate soil, leaf litter or drainage lines.

Maintain natural water movement and prevent sediment, nutrients, chemicals and concrete washout from entering habitat. Do not create artificial ponds unless they are part of an approved ecological design.

Limit night lighting near retained and rehabilitated habitat. Shield lights, direct them away from vegetation and use the lowest practicable intensity and duration.

• Keep vehicles and storage areas out of rehabilitation zones.
• Manage erosion after rainfall and repair channels that concentrate runoff through frog habitat.
• Use amphibian-safe hygiene procedures during weed and maintenance work.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Long-term monitoring

Monitor rehabilitation for ground cover, moisture, weeds, erosion, connectivity, shelter features and evidence of frog use.

Include repeat night listening and visual searches under suitable conditions, with the survey effort and limitations recorded consistently.

Set monitoring duration and frequency through the approval, species management program and project ecologist. Extend monitoring if habitat is slow to establish or impacts continue.

• Compare results with undisturbed reference habitat where a suitable reference area is available.
• Record calls, sightings, breeding evidence, disease signs, mortality and changes in lighting or drainage.
• Use monitoring results to adjust watering, weed control, shelter placement, lighting and access controls.

Sources

• Species Technical Committee Assessment Report 23 ..., Queensland Government: https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/conservation/threatened-species/classes/species-technical-committee/species-technical-committee-assessment-report-23-august-2023
• Occurrence records for the distribution map, Atlas of Living Australia: https://biocache.ala.org.au/