Mount Ballow mountain frog | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Anura |
Family: | Limnodynastidae |
Genus: | Philoria |
Species: | P. knowlesi |
Binomial name | |
Philoria knowlesi Mahony, Hines, Mahony, and Donnellan, 2022 | |
The Mount Ballow mountain frog (Philoria knowlesi) is a species of frog in the family Limnodynastidae. [1] [2] It is endemic to eastern Australia, straddling the border of Queensland and New South Wales. It is known only from the central and western McPherson Ranges, in the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Site. [3]
It closely resembles nearby Philoria species, and was only described as a distinct species in 2022, following geographic sampling that found significant genetic divergence. It is named after Sydney environmentalist Ross Knowles for his contributions to the study of Australian frogs. [4] [5] [6]
This species breeds in bogs, seepages, and the banks of headwater streams. As with other members of the genus, it has a unique breeding strategy where the male creates a small breeding chamber that the tadpoles develop in. [6]
Although it is found in some protected areas such as Mount Barney National Park, it is highly threatened by invasive species, habitat loss, and potentially chytridomycosis, and its range has the potential to shrink significantly due to climate change. A significant portion of its habitat was burned in the 2019–20 Australian bushfires, although surviving frogs were found at burned sites. It has been proposed to classify it as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. [2] [7]
The Nightcap National Park is a national park situated within the Nightcap Range in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The 8,080-hectare (20,000-acre) park was created in April 1983 and is situated 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Lismore. The park was established following campaigns and blockades against logging at Terania Creek, Grier's Scrub and Mount Nardi between 1979 and 1982. Sections of the Whian Whian state forest were added to it following blockading and campaigning in 1998. The national park is classed by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas as Category II and is part of the Shield Volcano Group of the World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia inscribed in 1986 and added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2007.
Mount Warning, a mountain in the Tweed Range in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, was formed from a volcanic plug of the now-gone Tweed Volcano. The mountain is located 14 kilometres (9 mi) west-south-west of Murwillumbah, near the border between New South Wales and Queensland. Lieutenant James Cook saw the mountain from the sea and named it Mount Warning.
The pouched frog, or hip pocket frog, is a small, terrestrial frog found in rainforests in mountain areas of south-eastern Queensland and northern New South Wales, Australia. It is one of two species within the genus Assa, the other being Assa wollumbin and is part of the family Myobatrachidae.
The robust bleating tree frog, also known as Keferstein's tree frog, is a species of tree frog in the subfamily Pelodryadinae. This frog is endemic to coastal eastern Australia, where it ranges from northeastern New South Wales to the NSW/Queensland border. It has also been introduced to Lord Howe Island.
Rheobatrachus, whose members are known as the gastric-brooding frogs or platypus frogs, is a genus of extinct ground-dwelling frogs native to Queensland in eastern Australia. The genus consisted of only two species, both of which became extinct in the mid-1980s. The genus is unique because it contains the only two known frog species that incubated the prejuvenile stages of their offspring in the stomach of the mother.
Philoria is a genus of frogs native to eastern and southern Australia. These frogs are all confined to mountain areas, with 7 species occurring in the mountains of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. One species occurs in Victoria. All species are listed as endangered, except the Baw Baw frog, which is listed as critically endangered. They are small to medium-sized frogs that live in water saturated sites, such as sphagnum bogs and seepages on rocky slopes. The eggs are laid in foam nests hidden from light. The tadpoles remain within the nest and live entirely on the yolk.
Fleay's barred frog is a large species of frog restricted to small pockets of rainforest in northern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland, Australia.
The stuttering frog is a large species of frog that inhabits temperate and sub-tropical rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest in Australia.
Littlejohn's tree frog, also called a heath frog or orange-bellied tree frog, is a species of tree frog native to eastern Australia from Wyong, New South Wales, to Buchan, Victoria.
The desert spadefoot toad is a species of frog in the family Limnodynastidae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, intermittent freshwater marshes, hot deserts, and temperate desert.
The mountain frog, or red and yellow mountain frog, is a species of frog in the family Limnodynastidae. The scientific name comes from the Gubbi Gubbi language of southern Queensland, ‘kunda’ meaning mountain and ‘gungan’ meaning frog.
Pugh's frog is a species of frog in the family Limnodynastidae.
The sphagnum frog is a frog in the family Limnodynastidae. The species was first described by John Alexander Moore in 1958. Its natural habitats are subtropical moist upland forests, subtropical moist montane forests, and streams. They vary in colour from shades of yellow and orange. They usually have irregular black spots that range all over their body. Their main source of diet comes from small insects, usually ants. This species has been classified as endangered in 2004. It is threatened by climate change pathogens and habitat loss. It is endemic to Australia. There have been other recommendations by scientist and other groups made to protect this species. Some of these recommendations are exclude logging around breeding areas, prevent pollution of streams and wetlands, and maintain vegetation and deep-leaf litter around streams.
The Kroombit tinker frog, also sometimes referred to as Pleione's torrent frog, is a species of frog in the family Myobatrachidae. It is endemic to Central Queensland in Australia. It lives among rocks and leaf litter near small flowing streams.
Assa is a genus of frog in the family Myobatrachidae. These frogs are endemic to a few parts of eastern Australia.
Watson's tree frog, also known as the large brown tree frog or southern heath frog, is a species of tree frog endemic to south-eastern Australia.
The screaming tree frog is a species of frog in the subfamily Pelodryadinae. It is endemic to southeastern Australia, east of the Great Dividing Range. It ranges from northeastern Victoria to the mid-coast of New South Wales, from Mallacoota north to Taree. This species is the "bleating tree frog" that occurs around Sydney, and is well known for its very loud call.
The slender bleating tree frog, is a frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to Australia, where it is found in Queensland and the Bunya Mountains. This is the "bleating tree frog" that occurs around Brisbane.
Assa wollumbin, the Wollumbin pouched frog or Mount Wollumbin hip-pocket frog, is a species of small, terrestrial frog endemic to New South Wales, Australia. It is restricted to the slopes of Mount Warning (Wollumbin), where it inhabits rainforest habitat.
The southern stuttering frog is a large species of frog endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is found in mid-eastern New South Wales and at least formerly Victoria, where it ranges from Carrai National Park south to East Gippsland. It inhabits temperate and subtropical rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest, and moist gullies in dry forests.