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Red-crowned Toadlet (Pseudophryne australis)

The red-crowned toadlet is a small terrestrial frog restricted to sandstone habitats in the Sydney Basin and the north-eastern margin of the South Eastern Highlands in New South Wales. It breeds in damp leaf litter near ephemeral drainage lines, so clearing, bushrock removal, fire, altered runoff and water quality, and disturbance of small breeding colonies require careful controls on development sites.

Conservation status

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

Red-crowned Toadlets breed and call in any month after sufficient rainfall. Eggs develop in terrestrial nests, then rain floods the nest and releases tadpoles into temporary water, so clearing risk is highest after rain and during the usual late winter to summer breeding period.

Reproductive mode: Terrestrial egg laying with aquatic tadpoles. Most development occurs inside the egg, and tadpoles are released when rain floods the nest.

Clutch size: About 10 to 51 eggs, with another record of approximately 20 eggs. One source reports an average of 16 eggs.

Incubation or gestation: Embryos and early tadpoles develop inside the egg for about 1 to 6 months, depending on conditions. Rain flooding the nest releases the tadpoles into temporary water bodies.

Size at hatching or birth: A hatchling length of 3.15 mm has been reported.

Age at maturity: Not recorded.

Nest or egg sites: Eggs are laid on land in damp leaf litter, soil, moss, shallow depressions, small log holes, beneath rocks, fallen logs or woody debris. Sites are near temporary soaks, gutters, ephemeral drainage lines and feeder creeks that may flood after rain.

Breeding frequency: Breeding and egg laying can occur throughout the year after rain. A fixed annual clutch frequency is not established; one source reports one clutch per year.

Confirm timing locally before clearing by checking recent rainfall, temperature, calling activity, terrestrial nest sites and temporary pools, and resurvey after substantial rain where works may affect drainage pathways.

  • Calling: Males may call in any month after sufficient rainfall, including at temperatures from 5°C to 30°C. Calling is most likely when wet conditions form or refill temporary breeding sites.
  • Egg laying: Eggs may be laid year-round after rain. They are deposited in concealed terrestrial nests under moist leaf litter and rocks, in small log holes, or in soil and moss near temporary water.
  • Eggs in nest: Eggs remain in terrestrial nests while most development occurs inside the egg. Development may take 1 to 6 months, and nests are flooded by rain before tadpoles enter nearby pools.
  • Metamorphs: Metamorphs may occur in any month because breeding and nest flooding are rainfall driven. Tadpoles take about 1 to 6 months to develop into frogs after hatching, with another source reporting up to 3 months.
  • Active period: No separate seasonal activity period is recorded. Treat adults as potentially active and moving between ground shelters, terrestrial nests and temporary pools in any month after rain.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is typically highest from late winter through summer, particularly after rainfall, when males call, terrestrial nests contain eggs, tadpoles occupy temporary pools and adults move through damp litter and drainage margins. Rainfall can shift breeding and clearing risk into any month.

Identification

The red-crowned toadlet is a small, cryptic, semi-fossorial frog. It is usually detected by its short call after rain rather than by visual searching.

Adults are dark brown, black or dark grey on the upper surface. The most distinctive feature is a bright red triangular or T-shaped marking on the head, with another red marking on the rump. The belly is marbled black and white.

Male size: 19 to 25 mm snout to vent length.

Female size: 23 to 28 mm snout to vent length.

Male weight recorded: 0.73 to 0.97 g.

Identification: Calls and similar species

The advertisement call is a short sound described as an ‘ark’ or ‘squelch’. Males may call during the day or night and in any month, with most calling in the late afternoon and early evening, particularly after heavy rainfall.

Calls can be confused with those of the red and yellow mountain frog, Bibron’s toadlet, the red-crowned toadlet’s close congeners, the smooth toadlet and the common eastern froglet. Call identification should be confirmed by tracing the call to its source where possible. Call playback or a loud retort can suppress calling, so a non-response does not demonstrate absence.

Identification: Field signs and survey indicators

The species is nocturnal but spends most of its time under cover. Look for adults beneath flat sandstone rocks, in horizontal rock crevices, under logs, within thick leaf litter and near moist feeder stream beds.

Eggs occur in damp terrestrial nests under leaf litter, rocks, fallen logs or woody debris. Tadpoles are small, uniformly dark and occur in temporary pools after rain. They can be distinguished from the variably mottled tadpoles of the common eastern froglet in suitable breeding sites.

  • Replace leaf litter in its original position after inspection so that moisture is retained.
  • Carefully replace sandstone rocks after inspection. Do not break, remove or relocate bushrock.
  • Begin surveys with several nights of aural detection in suitable weather, then use careful active searches and tadpole searches if calls are absent or intermittent.

Distribution

The red-crowned toadlet is endemic to New South Wales. Its known range is centred on sandstone country around Sydney and extends into adjoining parts of the South Eastern Highlands.

The species is restricted to the Triassic Hawkesbury and Narrabeen Sandstones of the Sydney Geological Basin. The known distribution is confined to the Sydney Basin and the north-eastern margin of the South Eastern Highlands bioregion.

Records extend from Pokolbin State Forest and Wollemi National Park in the north, to the Nowra district in the south and Mount Victoria in the west. Suitable habitat may occur beyond these known limits.

Australian states: New South Wales only in the supplied sources.

Bioregions: Sydney Basin and the north-eastern margin of the South Eastern Highlands.

Known range: Pokolbin State Forest and Wollemi National Park north; Nowra district south; Mount Victoria west.

Distribution: Subpopulations and strongholds

The species occurs as small colonies scattered along ridges near suitable refuges and breeding sites. Existing populations are naturally fragmented, with further fragmentation associated with roads, urban development and other habitat loss.

Records occur in numerous conservation reserves, including Blue Mountains, Bouddi, Brisbane Water, Dharug, Garigal, Heathcote, Ku-ring-gai Chase, Lane Cove, Marramarra, Morton, Popran, Royal, Sydney Harbour, Wollemi and Yengo national parks, as well as several nature reserves and state recreation areas.

Distribution: Population information

A numerical population size, normal population fluctuations, movement range and habitat carrying capacity have not been established. Genetic differences have been identified between populations studied, and Central Coast, southern Sydney and Blue Mountains populations should be treated as potentially separate evolutionary units until further information is available.

The species is reported to be declining in range because of urbanisation, but the supplied sources do not provide a numerical trend or abundance estimate.

Population size: Not determined in the supplied information.

Population trend: Range has decreased with urbanisation; no numerical trend is provided.

Colony size: Colonies of about 20 to 30 individuals are reported.

Habitat

Habitat is defined by sandstone geology, near-surface shelter and damp ephemeral drainage features rather than by one vegetation community alone. Sites may occur on ridges, upper talus slopes, escarpments, plateaus and nearby drainage lines.

The species uses steep escarpments, plateaus, low undulating ranges, sandstone outcrops and ridge systems. It is usually found near the upper parts of ridges, generally within about 100 m of the ridgetop, including the first tallus slope below an upper escarpment or below a benched rock platform.

Favoured sites are near permanently moist soaks, dense ground vegetation, thick leaf litter and first or second order ephemeral feeder creeks. These drainage lines may be dry or reduced to isolated pools for much of the year and flow for short periods after rain.

Geology: Triassic Hawkesbury and Narrabeen Sandstones.

Typical ridge position: Usually within about 100 m of the ridgetop.

Drainage type: First or second order ephemeral feeder creeks, soaks and temporary pools.

Habitat: Vegetation communities

The principal recorded community is Sydney Sandstone Ridgetop Woodland, commonly dominated by Eucalyptus gummifera and Eucalyptus haemastoma. Other used communities include Sydney Sandstone Gully Forest, Coastal Sandstone Heath and Blue Mountains Sandstone Plateau Forest.

Tree cover, where present, is usually open and low, about 10 to 20 m high. The understorey contains a complex mix of xeromorphic shrubs.

Habitat: Site conditions

Breeding and refuge habitat depends on damp ground cover, sandstone exfoliations, shallow rock crevices, logs and leaf litter. Natural feeder creeks generally have high water quality and low nutrient loads.

Development near habitat should assess runoff, pollution, sediment, pH and changes to local hydrology. The species has not been recorded breeding in mildly polluted sites or permanently flowing watercourses.

Reported pH sensitivity: Sensitive to pH outside 5.5 to 6.5.

  • Retain sandstone rocks, logs, deep leaf litter, moist ground vegetation and ephemeral drainage features.
  • Prevent sediment, polluted runoff and altered flows from entering soaks, feeder creeks and temporary pools.
  • Treat small patches around breeding or refuge sites as potentially significant because colonies are concentrated at discrete locations.

Foraging habitat

Red-crowned toadlets forage on the ground and within accumulated leaf litter. They are cryptic and usually remain under cover or move through cracks, litter and other damp microhabitats.

The diet consists of small leaf litter invertebrates, including termites, ants, thrips, springtails and other tiny insects. Termites are reported as a main food source, with an average toadlet eating about six termites in one day.

Foraging occurs in thick leaf litter, beneath rocks and logs, in rock crevices and around moist ground vegetation along sandstone ridges and feeder stream beds.

Main prey: Termites, ants, thrips, springtails and other small leaf litter invertebrates.

Reported intake: About six termites per day for an average red-crowned toadlet.

Foraging range: Not established in the supplied information.

Foraging habitat: Management considerations

Ridgetops can provide important foraging habitat even where they are less suitable for breeding. Clearing or disturbing ridge-top ground cover may therefore affect animals using nearby breeding sites.

Removing bushrock can reduce both shelter and food resources. Fire and repeated disturbance that remove the leaf litter layer can reduce foraging habitat.

  • Retain connected leaf litter, logs, rocks and low understorey around ephemeral drainage lines and ridge-top habitat.
  • Avoid driving, stockpiling materials or storing spoil on sandstone outcrops, litter accumulations and moist ground cover.
  • Control weeds where they engulf water bodies or alter frog habitat.

Breeding habitat

This species has a terrestrial breeding strategy. Eggs are laid on land, but rainfall and temporary water flow are needed to release tadpoles into pools where metamorphosis is completed.

Breeding occurs in damp leaf litter and shallow terrestrial depressions close to temporary pools, soaks and ephemeral drainage lines. Males call from cover and may guard nests. After rain, partially developed tadpoles are washed from the nest into a nearby pool.

Suitable breeding water is usually in first or second order feeder creeks that are dry or ponded for much of the year. The species has not been recorded breeding in permanently flowing watercourses or mildly polluted sites.

  • Protect the terrestrial nest area as well as the receiving pool and the drainage pathway between them.
  • Maintain natural flow timing and avoid sediment, pollutants and pH changes in temporary breeding pools.
  • Survey soaks, seepages, bogs, ephemeral pools and feeder creeks after rain, when calling activity and tadpole detection are more likely.

Breeding habitat: Breeding facts

Breeding season: Spring and summer, usually after rain. Breeding may occur opportunistically throughout the year following rainfall.

Clutch size: About 10 to 51 eggs; another source reports approximately 20 eggs.

Egg placement: On land in damp leaf litter, shallow depressions, small log holes, beneath rocks, fallen logs or woody debris near water.

Tadpole development: Most development occurs inside the egg. Rain releases the partially developed tadpoles into pools.

Metamorphosis: Tadpoles may take up to 3 months to metamorphose into adults.

Age at maturity: Not stated in the supplied information.

Lifespan: Males 7 to 8 years; females up to 15 years.

Sheltering habitat

Most of the species' life is spent under ground-level cover. Shelter features are small, scattered and easily damaged during clearing, vehicle movement and site preparation.

Important refuges include flat sandstone rocks, also called bushrock, resting on bare rock or damp loamy soil; horizontal rock crevices near the ground; logs; woody debris; deep leaf litter; and moist soil beneath ground cover.

During long dry periods, red-crowned toadlets may dig beneath the soil to reach more humid conditions. They are also found near the bases of trees and along moist accumulations of litter beside non-perennial feeder streams.

Known refuge sizes: No refuge dimensions are provided in the supplied information.

Key cover types: Flat sandstone rocks, rock crevices, logs, woody debris, deep leaf litter and moist soil.

Sheltering habitat: Handling and retention

Bushrock is formed by long-term sandstone weathering and will not be replaced quickly if broken or removed. The species can occur in small colonies concentrated around a limited number of refuge and breeding sites.

Active searches can disturb fragile microhabitats. Any rock or litter moved during a survey should be replaced carefully and immediately.

  • Do not collect, remove, break or relocate bushrock unless authorised under the applicable approval.
  • Retain logs, woody debris, leaf litter and moist ground cover in place.
  • Use spotter catcher supervision where clearing could affect sandstone refuges, litter beds or ephemeral drainage margins.
  • Inspect likely shelter features before mechanical disturbance, using experienced amphibian surveyors where presence is possible.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main risks on Australian development and infrastructure sites are loss of sandstone habitat, removal of ground refuges, altered drainage, pollution, fragmentation, fire and chytrid fungus. Impacts can be severe where a small colony or breeding site is concentrated in a discrete patch.

Urban development, roads and other works can remove ridge-top foraging habitat, breeding sites and shelter features. The species already occurs as isolated populations, and further fragmentation may reduce connectivity and gene flow.

A small localised disturbance can affect a whole colony if it occurs at a favoured breeding or refuge site.

  • Map and retain sandstone ridges, upper talus slopes, ephemeral drainage lines, soaks, temporary pools, bushrock and deep leaf litter before clearing.
  • Maintain habitat connections between colonies where practicable.
  • Do not assume that a ridge-top area is unimportant because it is not a breeding pool; it may provide foraging habitat.

Threats: Fire and ground disturbance

High-frequency fire, wildfire and hazard-reduction burning can remove leaf litter, alter ground cover and modify the microclimate of riparian zones. The species appears less abundant in areas affected by wildfire or regularly exposed to hazard-reduction burns.

A proposed fire interval of no more than once in 10 years has been suggested, but an appropriate scientifically based fire regime has not been determined.

  • Avoid unnecessary fire and repeated hazard-reduction burning in known or potential habitat.
  • Retain unburnt ground refuges, leaf litter and sandstone shelter features around breeding and refuge sites.
  • Prevent fire management activities from removing cover along ephemeral drainage lines and ridge-top habitat.

Threats: Hydrology, pollution and sediment

The terrestrial reproductive strategy depends on temporary water flow. Development can affect the species through runoff, pollution, siltation, changed pH, altered flow rates and changes to local hydrology.

The species is sensitive to pH outside 5.5 to 6.5 and has not been recorded breeding in mildly polluted sites or permanently flowing watercourses.

  • Design drainage and erosion controls to maintain natural flow timing and prevent sediment or contaminated runoff entering breeding pools.
  • Protect soaks, feeder creeks and temporary pools from construction water, fuels, concrete washout, sewage, fertilisers and other pollutants.
  • Apply a minimum 10 m buffer around dams and ponds where the relevant forest practice prescription applies.
  • Where more than 10 males per hectare are recorded, design stream crossings within 500 m so that they do not alter stream flow.

Threats: Disease, predators and introduced animals

Chytrid fungus is a recognised threat. Predators include snakes and bandicoots, although the species' toxicity and red markings may deter many birds and reptiles.

Feral pigs and horses are not identified as predators but can destroy stream banks. Weeds such as blackberry can engulf water bodies and alter frog habitat.

  • Use amphibian hygiene and pathogen-control procedures when handling frogs, equipment or footwear between sites.
  • Prevent feral animal damage to stream banks and temporary wetland margins where practicable.
  • Control weeds that reduce open water, ground cover quality or drainage function.

Survey methodology: 1. Aural surveys

Survey this small, cryptic frog in suitable sandstone habitat before ground disturbance. Use several methods because calling males are seasonal and call-only surveys can misidentify the species or miss silent animals.

Survey from late August to early May, with priority given to late afternoon and early evening after heavy rainfall. The species may call during the day or night and in any month when conditions are suitable.

Conduct aural surveys over several nights with suitable weather. Warm, still conditions after rain are preferred, with the highest activity reported after summer thunderstorms.

Trace every detected call to its source where practicable. The call may be confused with those of Pseudophryne coriacea, P. bibronii, Uperoleia fusca, U. laevigata and Crinia signifera, so do not record the species from an unverified call alone.

Common call description: Short ‘ark’ or ‘squelch’ call

Usual calling temperature: 17 to 25°C, with records from 5 to 30°C

Preferred survey period: Late August to early May

  • Record rainfall, temperature, wind, start and finish times, surveyors, route, call locations and habitat conditions for each night.

Survey methodology: 2. Call playback and response checks

Use call playback or a loud retort only when calling is intermittent or absent. These methods may elicit a response, but they can also suppress calling and must not be used as the sole detection method.

Where the Upper and Lower North East Broad Area Licence applies, use 2 minutes of call playback followed by 5 minutes of listening at each soak, seepage or bog. Tape uncertain responses for later verification by an experienced frog ecologist.

  • Do not treat a failure to respond to playback or a loud retort as evidence that the species is absent.
  • Use a reference site where the species is known to occur to improve call recognition before surveying an unknown site.

Survey methodology: 3. Active searches and tadpole searches

Search the upper sandstone ridges and upper talus slopes, especially within about 100 metres of ridgetops, and inspect moist leaf litter near first and second order ephemeral feeder streams.

Carefully inspect beneath flat sandstone rocks, logs, thick leaf litter and near-ground rock crevices. Search pools in suitable drainage lines for the species’ uniformly dark tadpoles after rain.

Replace leaf litter exactly as found so that moisture is retained. Carefully replace sandstone rocks and do not break, remove or damage them.

Typical shelter sites: Flat sandstone rocks, logs, thick leaf litter and horizontal near-ground rock crevices

Breeding water: Ephemeral pools and ponded sections of first and second order feeder creeks

Documented licence effort: 30 minutes to 2 hours per 200 hectares of net logging area, depending on the number and extent of soaks, seepages and bogs, with at least 10 minutes at each separate feature

  • Search damp soaks, dense ground vegetation, ephemeral drainage lines and ponded sections of feeder creeks.
  • Avoid broad raking or destructive searching because the rock and litter microhabitats are fragile and may be important refuges.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Survey all suitable sandstone ridge, talus, litter and ephemeral drainage habitat that may be disturbed, with effort commensurate with the area of habitat present.
  • Use more than one detection method, including several suitable-weather aural surveys and active searches where calling does not provide a reliable result.
  • Do not use pitfall trapping as a routine method; the guideline records limited success, high difficulty in shallow sandstone soils and risks to non-target animals and site microhabitats.
  • Record positive, negative and uncertain results, survey conditions, methods, effort, GPS locations, photographs and habitat descriptions.
  • Submit confirmed records and any relevant negative survey data to the current NSW wildlife records database or the equivalent wildlife database in the project jurisdiction.
  • Have uncertain calls or specimens verified by a suitably experienced frog ecologist before finalising the project record.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Treat damp sandstone ridges, upper talus slopes, leaf litter and ephemeral feeder creeks as connected frog habitat. The species occurs in small colonies, so a localised impact at a refuge or breeding site can affect the colony.

Preferred geological habitat: Triassic Hawkesbury and Narrabeen Sandstones in the Sydney Basin and north east margin of the South Eastern Highlands

Typical ridge position: Usually within about 100 metres of the ridgetop

Sensitive pH range: 5.5 to 6.5

  • Redesign the work footprint to retain sandstone bushrock, logs, deep leaf litter, moist ground vegetation, rock crevices, soaks and ephemeral drainage lines.
  • Retain the first and second order feeder creeks and their natural flow paths, including ponded sections used after rain.
  • Keep runoff, sediment, pollutants and altered drainage away from breeding pools and moist refuges. Assess changes to water quality, pH, flow rate and local hydrology before works begin.
  • Do not collect, move or use exfoliated sandstone bushrock from the site. Bushrock removal is identified as a key threatening process for this species.
  • Retain habitat links between colonies and nearby refuges because connectivity may support gene flow between populations.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

  • Check the current Commonwealth and relevant state or territory threatened species lists before construction. The supplied listing identifies the species as vulnerable in NSW and not listed under the EPBC Act, but the project must still be checked for other protected matters and current legal requirements.
  • Obtain any required state or territory permits, threatened species approvals, vegetation clearing approvals and animal ethics or wildlife handling approvals before survey, capture or relocation.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that maps retained habitat, exclusion zones, drainage controls, survey triggers, fauna spotter catcher responsibilities, stop-work rules and reporting requirements.
  • Schedule clearing and high-disturbance work to avoid wet-weather breeding activity where practicable, while retaining the ability to stop work after rain when frogs may be active or tadpoles may be present.
  • Stage clearing so that retained refuge and breeding habitat remains connected and available until the disturbed area has been checked.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

  • Complete the pre-clearance survey using the methods above and repeat targeted checks after substantial rainfall if the initial survey was conducted in dry conditions.
  • Mark all confirmed habitat features, including sandstone rocks, logs, thick leaf litter, rock crevices, moist soaks, ephemeral pools and feeder creek sections, before machinery enters the work area.
  • Install visible exclusion fencing around retained habitat, drainage lines, breeding pools and no-go bushrock and litter areas where fencing will not divert frogs into danger.
  • Brief machinery operators on the species’ small size, cryptic behaviour, fragile shelter sites and the requirement to stop when a frog, tadpole or habitat feature is found.
  • Set out clean water, sediment and spoil controls before earthworks. Prevent dirty water, concrete washout, fuels and other pollutants from entering ephemeral pools or feeder creeks.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Keep a fauna spotter catcher involved whenever clearing or excavation could affect sandstone refuges, leaf litter, logs, drainage lines or pools. Use slow, staged work and stop before a habitat feature is damaged.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, drainage controls and marked habitat before work starts each day and after rainfall or other events that could move water or damage controls.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher to inspect the active work area immediately before clearing, rock removal, grading, trenching or vehicle access.
  • Keep machinery outside marked habitat and use the smallest practicable clearing stages. The spotter catcher must be able to see the work face and direct the operator to stop.
  • Pause work during heavy rain or when runoff, ponding, sediment movement or altered flow could enter a breeding pool or feeder creek.
  • Do not stockpile soil, mulch, rocks, timber, fuels or spoil in retained sandstone, litter or drainage habitat.

During habitat disturbance: Handling habitat features

  • Do not break, turn repeatedly, remove or stockpile sandstone rocks that provide shelter. If an approved impact cannot be avoided, inspect the feature carefully under the direction of the authorised fauna handler and reinstate it in a suitable retained location where permitted.
  • Move logs, woody debris and leaf litter only when required by an approved method, and search them before disturbance. Return retained material to maintain cover and moisture.
  • Treat ephemeral pools, soaks, seepages, bogs and feeder creek beds as sensitive aquatic habitat even when they are dry. Do not alter their flow path, bed, banks or water quality.
  • Stop if tadpoles, eggs, a calling male, adult frog or suspected frog refuge is found. Keep people and machinery clear until the fauna spotter catcher has assessed the site.
  • Do not use pitfall traps or broad destructive raking as an unapproved clearing method.

During habitat disturbance: Animal response and stop-work actions

  • If a red-crowned toadlet is found, stop the immediate activity, prevent crushing or handling by untrained workers, and notify the site environmental officer and authorised fauna handler.
  • Handle the frog only when authorised under the project approval and fauna management plan. Use clean, powder-free gloves and change gloves between animals or sites to reduce pathogen transfer.
  • Keep the animal in a cool, secure, clean and appropriately moist container for the shortest practicable time, and release it to nearby retained habitat with suitable cover and moisture when the authorised handler confirms that relocation is permitted.
  • Send injured or unwell animals to an appropriately qualified wildlife carer or veterinarian under the project’s wildlife response procedure.
  • Stop work and reassess the method if a frog, eggs, tadpoles, an occupied refuge, unexpected wetland, pollution event or damaged exclusion barrier is found.

During habitat disturbance: Records and biosecurity

  • Record every animal, egg, tadpole, call, refuge and relocation, including date, time, GPS location, condition, habitat, action taken and final outcome.
  • Record deaths, injuries, escapes, failed searches, water quality incidents, sediment releases and breaches of exclusion zones as incidents.
  • Use dedicated or disinfected equipment between sites and follow the project’s amphibian disease controls. The 2025 study used glove changes between frogs and disease checks for collected animals.
  • Report confirmed records and incidents to the project environmental officer and the relevant wildlife authority where required.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

The site remains a potential source of impact after machinery leaves. Check retained refuges and drainage features, keep controls working and document whether the species and its habitat were protected as planned.

  • Inspect the cleared edge, retained sandstone rocks, logs, leaf litter, drainage lines and pools for trapped, injured or exposed frogs and tadpoles before demobilisation.
  • Check that no spoil, sediment, concrete washout, fuel or altered drainage has entered a soak, pool or feeder creek.
  • Repair exclusion fencing and drainage controls immediately where they remain necessary for later stages or rehabilitation.
  • Repeat targeted aural and active searches after suitable rainfall where the project approval, risk assessment or unexpected habitat impact requires confirmation that retained habitat remains occupied.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and maintenance

  • Monitor retained colonies, breeding pools and connected refuge habitat using repeat aural surveys, active searches and tadpole searches suited to weather and season.
  • Give particular attention to late August to early May and to the period after heavy rain, when calling and breeding activity are more likely to be detected.
  • Maintain water quality, natural flow, leaf litter, rock cover and ground vegetation around retained habitat throughout construction and operation.
  • Control weeds that could engulf water bodies or alter frog habitat, and prevent new access for trail bikes, four-wheel drives and other activities that disturb breeding areas.

After habitat disturbance: Close-out and offsets

  • Provide the regulator and project owner with survey results, habitat maps, animal records, incidents, rehabilitation areas, monitoring results and any approval non-compliances.
  • Assess whether the residual impact affects a viable local population, breeding or foraging habitat, connectivity or an area containing a discrete colony.
  • Apply any approved offset, compensatory habitat or conservation measure required by the project approval. Do not treat an offset as a substitute for avoiding damage to occupied habitat.
  • Update the site fauna management plan when monitoring shows that habitat, drainage, fire, weeds or access controls are not meeting their intended outcome.

Rehabilitation actions: Rebuild habitat structure

Rehabilitation should recreate the damp sandstone microhabitats and short-lived breeding water features used by the species. Protect the site while cover, litter and ground vegetation recover.

  • Use local sandstone landscape features and retain or reinstate stable flat rocks, logs, woody debris and deep leaf litter as shelter, where this is allowed by the approval and does not remove bushrock from another habitat.
  • Re-establish dense ground vegetation beside ephemeral feeder creeks, soaks and ponded areas while keeping the natural drainage pattern and avoiding permanent flowing water.
  • Replant locally appropriate communities identified for the site, which may include Sydney Sandstone Ridgetop Woodland with Eucalyptus gummifera and Eucalyptus haemastoma, Sydney Sandstone Gully Forest with Eucalyptus piperata, Eucalyptus pilularis and Angophora costata, or sandstone heath with Banksia, Hakea teretifolia and Baekea.
  • Use Blue Mountains Sandstone Plateau Forest species such as Eucalyptus sieberi and Eucalyptus piperata only where that community matches the site.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore breeding and refuge conditions

  • Design drainage rehabilitation to retain short periods of clean flow and ponding in first and second order ephemeral feeder creeks, rather than converting them to permanently flowing or polluted watercourses.
  • Maintain pH and water quality within the documented sensitivity range of 5.5 to 6.5 where monitoring is undertaken.
  • Keep rehabilitated ground covered with natural leaf litter and protect it from trampling, vehicles, rock collection and repeated disturbance.
  • Do not install nest boxes as a substitute for this species’ documented sandstone, log and litter refuges. Prioritise the natural cover types used by red-crowned toadlets.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, weeds and predators

  • Prevent high-frequency fire in rehabilitated habitat. The guideline records a suggestion that planned fire should not occur more often than once in a 10 year cycle, but also states that an evidence-based fire regime has not been determined.
  • Develop fire treatments with a qualified fire ecologist so that leaf litter, ground cover, riparian microclimate and refuge rocks are not unnecessarily removed.
  • Control blackberry and other weeds that engulf water bodies or alter frog habitat, while avoiding herbicide contamination of pools, soaks and feeder creeks.
  • Manage feral animals, access and disturbance where they damage stream banks, breeding pools, bushrock or leaf litter habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

  • Inspect rehabilitation after rain for clean flow, suitable ponding, intact litter, stable rocks, logs, dense ground vegetation and functioning exclusion controls.
  • Use repeat aural surveys, call verification, active searches and tadpole searches to assess whether red-crowned toadlets return to or continue using the rehabilitated area.
  • Measure success by retained or restored shelter features, protected ephemeral breeding habitat, stable water quality and flow, reduced weed and access impacts, and confirmed occupancy or breeding evidence where monitoring detects it.
  • Continue monitoring for the period required by the approval and adapt fire, weed, drainage and access management when the habitat does not recover as planned.

Sources