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Tapping Nursery Frog (Cophixalus aenigma)

The Tapping Nursery Frog is a small, direct-developing rainforest frog found only in upland and mid-elevation rainforest in the Wet Tropics of northern Queensland. It is listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act and in Queensland. On development sites, clearing, trampling, altered moisture conditions, disease spread and invasive species may affect frogs, eggs and their moist leaf litter and soil habitat.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Endangered.

Breeding season

The Tapping Nursery Frog is a terrestrial direct developer. Males and breeding activity are associated with the spring to summer wet season and rainfall, while eggs remain in moist ground nests until fully formed froglets hatch. Plan clearing to avoid wet forest floor habitat during and after rain, when frogs are most likely to be calling, sheltering near nests or moving across the surface.

Reproductive mode: Terrestrial egg laying with direct development inside the egg; there is no free-swimming tadpole stage.

Clutch size: Average 15 eggs, with a reported range of 8 to 21 eggs. One other source reports 17 eggs per clutch.

Incubation: Not recorded for this species.

Size at hatching: Newly hatched froglets average 5.0 mm in length.

Age at maturity: Not recorded.

Nest or egg sites: Very moist soil and sheltered sites under or among rocks, logs and leaf litter. Calling males also use exposed roots, fallen debris and low vegetation less than 0.3 m above the ground.

Breeding frequency: One clutch per year is reported by one source; the breeding frequency is otherwise not recorded.

Confirm timing locally before works by checking recent rainfall, temperature and calling activity, and use site-specific frog surveys where clearing overlaps moist forest floor habitat.

  • Calling: No species-specific calling months are recorded. Australian microhylids generally call in the summer wet season from October to March after rain, and Australian Cophixalus generally call through approximately September to February, the first two-thirds of the wet season.
  • Egg laying: The species is reported to breed during spring to summer after rain, but no species-specific months are given. Eggs are laid in very moist soil or sheltered ground sites under or among rocks, logs and leaf litter; the general Wet Tropics breeding period is October to March.
  • Eggs in nest: Eggs develop entirely inside the nest and hatch as fully formed froglets. Nests should be treated as potentially present during the spring to summer wet season, approximately October to March, although incubation length is unknown.
  • Froglets: Froglets hatch directly from the eggs and leave the nest area shortly after hatching, but the species-specific hatching period is not recorded. The general Wet Tropics pattern places likely emergence during the October to March wet season.
  • Active period: The species is nocturnal, but its seasonal activity period is not recorded. Australian Cophixalus generally emerge, call and feed on the surface during the wet season, with activity likely to increase after rain from approximately October to March.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest during the spring to summer wet season, approximately October to March, when calling, breeding, eggs in moist soil nests, froglet emergence and surface movement are most likely. Clearing, soil compaction, drainage and stockpiling materials can also damage ground refuges outside this period because no species-specific dry-season inactivity pattern is known.

Identification

The Tapping Nursery Frog is a small microhylid with variable dorsal colour and a distinctive tapping call. It is usually found on or close to the rainforest floor, often concealed in damp litter or among roots, rocks and fallen debris.

Adults are 16.8 to 22.6 mm in snout to vent length. The back may be grey, brown, sand, mottled brown or orange, dark brown, or pale with dark flecking. Some frogs have a thin pale line along the back, while others have a broad dark central area with paler sides.

The underside is evenly pale, grey or orange flushed, especially around the armpits and groin. Finger and toe tips are pale, with discs often orange or red. The pupil has a thin red border and the dark iris is heavily flecked with grey or lime green.

Snout to vent length: 16.8 to 22.6 mm

Adult male mean: 19.68 mm, as reported by the secondary trait source

Body mass: Not reported in the supplied documents

Identification: Distinguishing features

The species can be separated from other Cophixalus by its moderate size, eye to nostril distance shorter than the distance between the nostrils, short hind legs, and a disc-like but not enlarged tip on the first finger.

The male call is a slow to medium-paced tapping sound, described as resembling a marble dropping on a tile. Call identification should be supported by photographs or expert confirmation where other Cophixalus occur.

Tibia to snout to vent ratio: 0.36 to 0.44

Call: Slow to medium-paced tapping

Sexual dimorphism: No evident sexual dimorphism reported

Identification: Field signs

The most useful field sign is the male tapping call from concealed sites on the forest floor. Calling males are generally among leaf litter, exposed roots, rocks or fallen debris, and occasionally less than 0.3 m above ground on logs, rocks or low vegetation.

There are no supplied records of diagnostic tracks, scats, eyeshine, sloughed skins or nests. Eggs may be found in very moist soil as linked rosary-like chains, but searches should avoid disturbing potential clutches.

  • Listen at night in suitable upland rainforest, especially around damp leaf litter, roots, rocks and fallen debris.
  • Treat a tapping call from suitable habitat as a detection requiring verification, rather than relying on visual searches alone.
  • Do not excavate moist soil or turn over cover objects unnecessarily during fauna searches.

Distribution: National range

The Tapping Nursery Frog is restricted to northern Queensland. Its known range is a small part of the Wet Tropics, from Mount Lewis inland from Mossman to just south of Cooktown.

In Australia, the species is known only from Queensland. It occurs in the Wet Tropics of northern Queensland, across the Carbine, Thornton, Finnigan and Bakers Blue Mountain uplands.

The supplied documents do not provide a separate formal IBRA bioregion name, but describe the range as the Wet Tropics of northern Queensland and as high and mid-elevation rainforest.

States recorded: Queensland only

Approximate range area: 930 km²

Extent of occurrence: 1,220 km²

Area of occupancy: 44 km²

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

Four major subpopulations are recognised at the Carbine Tablelands, Thornton Uplands, Finnigan Uplands and Bakers Blue Mountain.

Although these subpopulations are geographically separated, the conservation assessment treats them as one location for climate change assessment because they occupy similar high-elevation habitat and may be affected by the same broad threat.

Recognised subpopulations: Four

Recorded elevation in extensive surveys: Not found below 850 m above sea level

Distribution: Population information

Calling male surveys estimated a density of approximately 17 frogs per hectare. Applied across the 44 km² area of occupancy, this was estimated to represent approximately 75,000 male frogs.

The official assessment found insufficient information to quantify a population decline. A secondary source reports the population trend as stable, but the supplied conservation advice does not confirm a stable trend.

Estimated density: Approximately 17 calling males per hectare

Estimated number of males across the area of occupancy: Approximately 75,000

Generation length: Estimated at approximately 10 years

Reliable population trend: Not established in the official assessment

Habitat: Vegetation and structure

The species occupies moist upland rainforest in the Wet Tropics, particularly vine fern forest and vine fern thicket. Its distribution is closely associated with high elevation and persistent moisture.

Suitable habitat includes high and mid-elevation vine fern forest and vine fern thicket. Important ground features include moist leaf litter, exposed roots, rocks, fallen debris and low vegetation that provide cover for calling and resting frogs.

The species does not need surface water to breed, but the soil and litter must remain sufficiently moist to prevent eggs drying out.

  • Retain intact vine fern forest and vine fern thicket where the species may occur.
  • Protect damp leaf litter, exposed roots, rocks, fallen debris and low vegetation during site preparation and construction.
  • Prevent drainage, runoff concentration or other works that reduce soil and litter moisture in occupied or potential habitat.

Habitat: Elevation and climate limits

The species was initially described as occurring above 750 m above sea level, but later extensive surveys did not find it below 850 m. For field planning, habitat above 850 m should be treated as potentially suitable where the vegetation and moisture conditions also match.

The species is restricted to a small area on upland mountains. Modelling indicates that a 1°C temperature increase could reduce the population by more than 40 percent, while upland rainforest in northern Australia is predicted to shrink substantially under the same warming scenario.

Initial reported elevation: Above 750 m above sea level

Elevation recorded in later surveys: Not found below 850 m above sea level

Modelled response to 1°C warming: Population reduction greater than 40 percent

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding sites

The supplied documents provide limited information on feeding behaviour. The species is recorded as eating arthropods and is expected to forage within its moist rainforest floor habitat.

Arthropods are recorded as the diet category for the species. The supplied sources do not identify particular prey taxa, food plants, hunting methods or a measured foraging range.

Because adults and calling males use leaf litter, roots, rocks, fallen debris and low vegetation on the forest floor, these features should be retained as potential feeding habitat as well as shelter.

Recorded diet: Arthropods

Foraging range: Not reported

Foraging method: Not reported

  • Retain damp leaf litter and ground debris within and beside work areas where practicable.
  • Avoid unnecessary removal of low vegetation, exposed roots and rocks from suitable upland rainforest.
  • Prevent sediment, chemical contamination and drying of the forest floor in areas used by the species.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

The Tapping Nursery Frog is a terrestrial breeder. It lays eggs in very moist soil, and development is completed inside the egg, so breeding habitat can be damaged without any surface water being present.

The eggs are relatively large for a frog and are laid in very moist soil. The tadpole develops inside the egg and hatches as a fully formed froglet. One parent, usually the male, generally attends the eggs until hatching.

The supplied documents do not provide a breeding month, incubation period, age at maturity or confirmed lifespan for this species.

Breeding season: Not specified in the supplied documents

Clutch size: Average 15 eggs, range 8 to 21

Egg arrangement: Eggs linked in a rosary chain by a thin gelatinous cord

Development: Tadpole develops inside the egg; a fully formed froglet hatches

Incubation period: Not reported

Age at maturity: Not reported

Lifespan: Not reported; generation length is estimated at approximately 10 years

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Breeding sites are likely to be within moist soil and leaf litter in vine fern forest and vine fern thicket. Surface ponds or streams are not required, but high soil and litter moisture is required to prevent the eggs drying out.

Breeding males generally call from concealed floor-level sites among leaf litter, exposed roots, rocks and fallen debris. They occasionally call from logs, rocks or low vegetation less than 0.3 m above the ground.

  • Do not clear, compact, excavate or drain damp forest floor habitat without applying the approved threatened fauna controls.
  • Retain moist soil, leaf litter, roots, rocks, logs and low vegetation around known or suspected calling sites.
  • Schedule intrusive ground works only after considering local rainfall and site-specific frog survey results, because no species-specific breeding months are provided.

Sheltering habitat: Known refuges

The species shelters close to the rainforest floor. It uses concealed natural cover rather than documented hollows, burrows or permanent dens.

Males call from concealed sites among leaf litter, exposed roots, rocks and fallen debris. Logs, rocks and low vegetation less than 0.3 m above the ground are also used occasionally.

The supplied documents do not report refuge dimensions, burrows, tree hollows, nests, roosts or underground dens.

Typical shelter height: Usually at ground level; occasional calling sites are less than 0.3 m above ground

Known refuge types: Leaf litter, exposed roots, rocks, fallen debris, logs and low vegetation

Refuge dimensions: Not reported

  • Retain ground cover and avoid stockpiling materials on damp leaf litter or over fallen debris.
  • Inspect and manage low ground cover, rocks, logs and exposed roots before clearing in suitable habitat.
  • Keep fauna handling and relocation procedures hygienic to reduce the risk of transferring amphibian chytrid fungus.

Threats: Clearing and habitat disturbance

The main risks are climate change, habitat loss and degradation, invasive species and disease. On project sites, the most direct pathways are clearing, fragmentation, trampling, altered soil moisture and poor amphibian hygiene.

Clearing, fragmentation and trampling can remove or degrade the moist forest floor used for shelter, calling, feeding and breeding. Altered hydrology can reduce the soil and litter moisture needed for egg development.

Feral pigs damage riparian habitat and may kill adult frogs. Although the Tapping Nursery Frog is a terrestrial breeder, pig disturbance can still affect adjacent moist rainforest floor habitat.

  • Map and avoid clearing in upland vine fern forest and vine fern thicket, particularly above 850 m and around known records.
  • Minimise the construction footprint and prevent vehicles, machinery and workers from trampling damp leaf litter, logs, rocks, roots and low vegetation.
  • Maintain existing drainage patterns and prevent works from drying, waterlogging or concentrating runoff onto occupied habitat.
  • Control access and use exclusion fencing where feasible around retained habitat.

Threats: Climate and fire risk

The species is restricted to high-elevation rainforest on a small number of mountains. Warming may reduce suitable rainforest and increase pressure on a species with little available higher ground.

The supplied documents do not identify a species-specific fire response or fire season. Any fire, burn planning or heat-generating work near retained upland rainforest should account for the species' dependence on cool, moist soil and litter conditions.

  • Avoid unnecessary loss of shaded, moist ground cover during vegetation management and firebreak works.
  • Assess how proposed fire, heat, smoke, drying or canopy removal may affect retained upland rainforest habitat.
  • Do not assume that the absence of surface water means breeding habitat is absent.

Threats: Introduced species and disease

Yellow crazy ants can burn and irritate animals with formic acid and can disrupt ecological processes and biodiversity. They have been detected in parts of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, Little Mulgrave National Park and the Kuranda area.

Amphibian chytrid fungus is a known current threat. Prevalence is reported to be extremely low in Australian direct-developing microhylids, but field hygiene remains required to avoid spreading infection between sites.

  • Check project areas for yellow crazy ants and follow the relevant control and reporting arrangements.
  • Use clean, disinfected footwear, equipment, containers and handling materials between frog sites.
  • Do not move soil, leaf litter, water, frogs or other material between catchments or habitat areas unless authorised and managed under the project hygiene plan.
  • Keep handling time short and follow the approved amphibian disease hygiene protocol.

Threats: Roads and fragmentation

The supplied documents do not quantify road mortality or identify a road crossing corridor for this species. Roads and construction corridors can nevertheless fragment the small upland distribution, remove moist ground cover and increase access for vehicles, people, pigs and invasive species.

Treat habitat loss and fragmentation as significant project risks because the species has a restricted area of occupancy and is assessed as occurring at one location for climate change purposes.

  • Keep new access tracks, laydown areas and service corridors out of retained moist rainforest where practicable.
  • Use clearly marked exclusion zones around known records and suitable retained habitat.
  • Require fauna spotters to check damp ground cover and concealed sites before vegetation or ground disturbance.

Survey methodology: 1. Night call and spotlight surveys

Survey this frog in high and mid elevation rainforest in the Wet Tropics, with particular attention to moist vine fern forest and vine fern thicket. The species is nocturnal, calls from concealed sites on the forest floor, and has been recorded above 850 m above sea level. [No source ids in text]

Use nocturnal surveys during suitable wet conditions when frogs are likely to call and surface activity is higher.

Search systematically through suitable habitat, including leaf litter, exposed roots, rocks, fallen debris, logs and low vegetation.

Listen for the male call, a slow to medium paced tapping sound described as similar to a marble dropping on a tile.

Use a head torch or spotlight to locate calling or moving frogs, then confirm identity from photographs and diagnostic features where handling is authorised.

Record the start and finish time, weather, rainfall, wind, temperature, survey route, search area, observers and all detections.

Activity period: Nocturnal

Known elevation: Not found below 850 m above sea level in extensive altitudinal surveys

Known habitat: Vine fern forest and vine fern thicket

Male call: Slow to medium paced tapping

Survey methodology: 2. Call playback and acoustic recording

Use passive acoustic recorders or fixed listening stations where access, safety or weather limits active night searches.

Deploy recorders in suitable moist forest near leaf litter, exposed roots, rocks, fallen debris and low vegetation, and include different parts of the proposed disturbance area and retained habitat.

Treat call playback as a supplementary method only, unless it is authorised under the relevant animal ethics, permit and project procedures.

Have an experienced amphibian observer review recordings, because the available information identifies the call by description but does not provide a validated species-specific playback protocol.

Recording focus: Slow to medium paced tapping calls from concealed forest floor sites

Survey methodology: 3. Moisture and microhabitat searches

Search moist soil and litter carefully around concealed forest floor sites because the eggs require high soil and litter moisture to avoid desiccation.

Inspect habitat features without turning or damaging them unless the survey method and approval allow this, and replace any moved material immediately.

Do not limit searches to surface water, because this species is a terrestrial breeder and does not need surface water to breed.

Record the condition of litter, soil moisture, roots, rocks, logs, fern cover and canopy shade at each search location.

Breeding mode: Terrestrial breeding with eggs laid in very moist soil

Clutch size: Average 15 eggs, range 8 to 21

Development: The tadpole develops inside the egg and the froglet hatches fully formed

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use a qualified amphibian ecologist to set the final survey design where the project affects suitable habitat above 850 m or within the known range from Mount Lewis to just south of Cooktown.
  • Survey all suitable habitat within the disturbance footprint and connected retained habitat that could be affected by noise, lighting, access, sediment or altered drainage.
  • Do not report a site as unoccupied from a single unsuccessful search, because the conservation advice identifies insufficient information on population trends and recommends improved distribution and monitoring surveys.
  • Use hygiene procedures between sites and equipment to reduce the spread of amphibian chytrid fungus.
  • Submit verified records, including negative survey information where requested, to the relevant Queensland wildlife database and provide records to the project regulator and land manager.
  • Report coordinates, datum, elevation, habitat description, survey date and time, weather, effort, observer qualifications, call records, photographs and any handling or relocation.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Avoid clearing moist high elevation rainforest habitat wherever practicable. The species has a restricted distribution, an area of occupancy of 44 km2, four recognised subpopulations and one location for climate change assessment, so project planning should treat connected suitable habitat as sensitive.

  • Retain vine fern forest and vine fern thicket, including moist leaf litter, exposed roots, rocks, fallen debris and low vegetation used as calling and shelter sites.
  • Avoid changes to soil moisture, drainage and runoff in retained habitat, because eggs require high soil and litter moisture during development.
  • Keep retained habitat connected to nearby suitable rainforest and avoid creating isolated cleared patches within the project footprint.
  • Keep machinery, spoil, access tracks, lighting and sediment out of retained moist forest wherever practicable.
  • Assess indirect effects from feral pigs, yellow crazy ants and chytrid fungus as part of the site risk assessment.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project controls

EPBC status: Endangered

Queensland status: Endangered

Known range: Mount Lewis to just south of Cooktown in the Wet Tropics of northern Queensland

Known upland areas: Carbine, Thornton, Finnigan and Bakers Blue Mountain uplands

  • Check whether the action requires referral or approval under the EPBC Act because the species is listed as Endangered nationally.
  • Obtain Queensland permits and any other approvals required for threatened amphibian surveys, handling, relocation, clearing and rehabilitation.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies suitable habitat, survey methods, exclusion areas, hygiene controls, stop-work triggers, authorised personnel and reporting pathways.
  • Confirm the location of the proposed works against the known Wet Tropics range, including the Carbine, Thornton, Finnigan and Bakers Blue Mountain uplands.
  • Consult the relevant Queensland wildlife authority and land manager before works start.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

  • Complete the pre-clearance survey during suitable nocturnal and wet conditions before machinery enters suitable habitat.
  • Mark approved clearing limits, retained moist forest, exclusion zones, access routes and no-go habitat features on plans and on the ground.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can prevent entry into retained moist habitat without blocking natural drainage or creating a trap for frogs.
  • Brief the fauna spotter catcher, supervisors and machine operators on the tapping call, habitat features, hygiene requirements and stop-work procedures.
  • Clean and disinfect boots, vehicles, tools and handling equipment between sites under the approved chytrid hygiene protocol.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and supervision

Use staged, supervised clearing so that machinery does not work ahead of the fauna spotter catcher. Protect moist forest features and stop work when an unapproved frog, habitat feature or environmental risk is encountered.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, drainage controls, sediment controls and clearing boundaries before work each day.
  • Use a qualified fauna spotter catcher to inspect the active work area immediately before and during clearing in suitable habitat.
  • Clear in small stages towards retained habitat where safe, giving frogs an opportunity to move into protected moist forest rather than trapping them against machinery or barriers.
  • Keep machinery within the approved footprint and prevent stockpiling, refuelling and washdown in retained rainforest habitat.
  • Suspend work during conditions that could rapidly dry exposed soil or litter, or when runoff, sediment or altered drainage is entering retained habitat.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and machinery

  • Inspect leaf litter, exposed roots, rocks, fallen debris, logs and moist soil before disturbance and during progressive clearing.
  • Use hand tools around small moist habitat features where practicable, and do not crush or bury them before the spotter catcher has checked them.
  • Do not remove or relocate logs, rocks or litter into retained habitat unless this is authorised in the fauna management plan and the receiving site is suitable.
  • Keep exposed soil and litter disturbance to the minimum needed for the approved work, because eggs develop in very moist soil.
  • Treat drainage lines and wet patches as sensitive habitat even though the species does not require surface water for breeding.

During habitat disturbance: If a frog is found

  • Stop machinery and isolate the immediate work area if a frog is found or a frog may have been injured.
  • Allow only trained and authorised personnel to capture, handle or relocate the animal under the relevant Queensland permit and project procedure.
  • Minimise handling time, keep the frog cool, shaded and moist using clean equipment, and do not place it in untreated water or on dry surfaces.
  • Photograph the animal in place where safe, record its exact location and habitat, and obtain identification from an experienced amphibian ecologist.
  • Relocate a healthy frog only to nearby suitable retained moist habitat within the approved relocation area, following the permit and fauna management plan.
  • Take an injured frog promptly to the nominated veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer and record the transfer.
  • Clean and disinfect handling equipment after each animal and between sites to reduce chytrid transmission.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work if the species is detected outside the approved fauna management procedure, if the clearing boundary is uncertain, or if exclusion fencing or sediment controls fail.
  • Stop work if a frog is injured, trapped, exposed to drying conditions or at risk from machinery until the fauna spotter catcher and environmental officer have reassessed the area.
  • Record every detection, capture, relocation, injury, mortality, work stoppage, habitat feature affected, weather condition and corrective action.
  • Notify the project environmental officer, fauna ecologist, regulator and land manager according to the fauna management plan and approval conditions.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work should confirm that no frogs or suitable moist habitat features remain at risk and that retained habitat has not been damaged by the works. Continue controls because the main risks include climate change, habitat degradation, feral pigs, yellow crazy ants and chytrid fungus.

  • Complete a final systematic inspection of the cleared area, retained habitat edge, access routes, stockpile areas and drainage controls before the site is released from fauna supervision.
  • Check moist soil, litter, exposed roots, rocks, fallen debris and low vegetation for trapped, stranded or injured frogs.
  • Remove temporary hazards such as open trenches, uncovered pits, loose netting and water-filled containers, or fence them until they are safe.
  • Confirm that clearing has not extended beyond the approved footprint and that retained vine fern forest and vine fern thicket remain undisturbed.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Recommended monitoring focus: Population size, distribution, ecological requirements, thermal tolerance, climate response and impacts of feral pigs and yellow crazy ants

  • Monitor retained habitat and rehabilitation areas using repeat nocturnal call and visual surveys designed by an amphibian ecologist.
  • Include call detections, visual detections, chytrid observations, habitat condition, soil and litter moisture, drainage condition and invasive species observations in monitoring reports.
  • Compare results with the pre-clearance baseline and investigate any decline in detections or habitat moisture.
  • Submit verified records and project survey results to the relevant Queensland wildlife database and meet all EPBC, Queensland and approval reporting requirements.

After habitat disturbance: Maintain controls and offsets

  • Maintain exclusion fencing, drainage protection, sediment controls and no-go areas until the environmental officer confirms that construction risks have ended.
  • Control weeds and prevent new access, trampling and soil disturbance in retained and rehabilitated habitat.
  • Assess offsets if required by an approval, using habitat that supports or can support moist high elevation rainforest for this species rather than relying on area alone.
  • Document the location, condition and management actions for any offset or conservation area and include it in long-term monitoring.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should restore the moist forest floor and shaded rainforest structure used by this terrestrial breeding frog. Prioritise habitat quality, soil and litter moisture, and connection with existing high elevation rainforest.

Habitat target: Moist vine fern forest and vine fern thicket

Breeding substrate: Very moist soil

Known shelter and calling sites: Leaf litter, exposed roots, rocks, fallen debris, logs and low vegetation

  • Replant locally appropriate Wet Tropics rainforest species that rebuild vine fern forest or vine fern thicket structure, using advice from the land manager and Queensland restoration specialists.
  • Restore natural drainage and prevent concentrated runoff, erosion and drying of soil and litter in rehabilitation areas.
  • Retain or reinstate clean natural leaf litter, fallen logs, rocks and exposed-root microhabitat where they are locally available and their placement is approved.
  • Do not add nest boxes as a substitute for this species' known ground-level breeding and shelter habitat.
  • Do not create artificial wetlands as a default measure, because the species is a terrestrial breeder and does not need surface water to breed.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage threats

  • Control feral pig access and damage through fencing where feasible and approved pig control programs.
  • Control yellow crazy ants by approved baiting and follow-up monitoring at relevant stages of the ants' life cycle.
  • Apply amphibian hygiene protocols to staff, tools, vehicles and monitoring equipment to reduce chytrid transmission.
  • Manage weeds, trampling, altered hydrology and sediment so rehabilitated soil and litter remain moist and intact.
  • Use fire planning that protects moist high elevation rainforest and prevents unacceptable loss of litter, roots and ground cover.

Rehabilitation actions: Measure success

  • Set measurable rehabilitation targets for native rainforest cover, vine fern and litter development, soil and litter moisture, drainage stability, absence of new pig damage and control of yellow crazy ants.
  • Inspect rehabilitation after wet and dry periods and after major rainfall events to identify erosion, drying, sediment movement or damage to ground cover.
  • Conduct repeat nocturnal call and visual surveys in rehabilitation and retained reference habitat using the same methods and effort where practicable.
  • Treat frog presence as one measure of success, but also report habitat condition because the conservation advice identifies major gaps in population and ecological data.
  • Review rehabilitation actions and monitoring results with the relevant Queensland authority and land manager, and adapt management where targets are not met.

Sources