Southern corroboree frog

Last updated

Southern corroboree frog
CorroboreeFrog.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Myobatrachidae
Genus: Pseudophryne
Species:
P. corroboree
Binomial name
Pseudophryne corroboree
Moore, 1953

The southern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne corroboree) is a species of Australian ground frog native to southeastern Australia. [2] [3]

Contents

The species was described in 1953 by Fulbright research scholar John A. Moore from a specimen collected at Towong Hill Station at Corryong, Victoria, and sent to the Australian Museum. The curator, Roy Kinghorn, recognised it as a new species and allowed Moore to describe it. [4]

Description

Adult female southern corroboree frogs are 26–31 mm (1.0–1.2 in) long, while males measure 22–29 mm (0.87–1.14 in); [5] both bear vivid yellow and black stripes across the head, back, and limbs. The body and head are short and wide, the snout has a slight point, and the fingers and toes lack webbing. The iris is black. [6] The northern corroboree frog has narrower and more greenish-yellow striping. [5]

Habitat and conservation

The southern corroboree frog is native to Kosciuszko National Park in the northern Snowy Mountains, where it found at locales between the Maragle Range and Smiggin Holes. [7] Reported as abundant during the 1970s, [6] it declined drastically during the 1980s from chytridiomycosis. [8] The species are critically endangered, [1] with the wild population thought to number around 30 individuals. [9] The natural habitat is sphagnum bog at elevations greater than 1,200 m (3,900 ft). [6]

Efforts to conserve the species have included establishing captive breeding programs across four institutions: the Amphibian Research Centre in 1997, Melbourne Zoo in 2001, Taronga Zoo in 2006, and Healesville Sanctuary in 2007. [8] By 2018, there were over 400 southern corroboree frogs in zoos. [10]

Five breeding enclosures have established in Kosciuszko National Park. Two-thirds of the frogs in these perished in the 2019–20 Australian bushfires. In 2022, a further 100 frogs were released from captive breeding programs. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Zoo</span> Zoo in Bristol, United Kingdom

Bristol Zoo was a zoo in the city of Bristol in South West England. The zoo's stated mission was to "maintain and defend" biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species and habitats and promoting a wider understanding of the natural world".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regent honeyeater</span> Critically endangered Australian species of bird

The regent honeyeater is a critically endangered bird endemic to southeastern Australia. It is commonly considered a flagship species within its range, with the efforts going into its conservation having positive effects on many other species that share its habitat. Recent genetic research suggests it is closely related to the wattlebirds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taronga Zoo</span> Zoo in Sydney, Australia

Taronga Zoo is a government-run public zoo located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in the suburb of Mosman, on the shores of Sydney Harbour. The opening hours are between 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Taronga is an Aboriginal word meaning "beautiful view".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perth Zoo</span> Zoo in Perth, Western Australia

Perth Zoo is a 17-hectare (41-acre) zoological park in South Perth, Western Australia. The zoo first opened in 1898 and by 2011 housed 1258 animals of 164 species and an extensive botanical collection. It is a full institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corroboree frog</span> Name for two species of amphibian

Corroboree frogs comprise two species of frog native to the Southern Tablelands of Australia. Both species are small, poisonous ground-dwelling frogs. The two species are the southern corroboree frog and the northern corroboree frog. They are unique among frogs in that they produce their own poison rather than obtain it from their food source as is the case in every other poisonous frog species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Threatened fauna of Australia</span> Animals at risk of becoming extinct

Threatened fauna of Australia are those species and subspecies of birds, fish, frogs, insects, mammals, molluscs, crustaceans, and reptiles to be found in Australia that are in danger of becoming extinct. This article lists species classified as threatened species under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant burrowing frog</span> Species of amphibian

The giant burrowing frog or eastern owl frog is a large frog species that occurs in coastal south-east New South Wales and Victoria in Australia. It is also known as the owl frog, southern owl frog, spotted owl frog, burrowing owl frog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain yellow-legged frog</span> Species of amphibian

The mountain yellow-legged frog, also known as the southern mountain yellow-legged frog, is a species of true frog endemic to California in the United States. It occurs in the San Jacinto Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, and San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California and the Southern Sierra Nevada. It is a federally listed endangered species, separated into two distinct population segments (DPS): a northern DPS, listed endangered in 2014, and a southern DPS that was listed endangered in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striped marsh frog</span> Species of amphibian

The striped marsh frog or brown-striped frog is a predominantly aquatic frog native to coastal Eastern Australia. It is a common species in urban habitats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Booroolong frog</span> Stream-dwelling frog native to New South Wales, Australia

The Booroolong frog is a species of stream-dwelling frog native to the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales, Australia. It is a member of the Hylidae, or the "tree frog" family. The Booroolong frog is classified by the IUCN as a Critically Endangered Species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amphibians of Australia</span>

Amphibians of Australia are limited to members of the order Anura, commonly known as frogs. All Australian frogs are in the suborder Neobatrachia, also known as the modern frogs, which make up the largest proportion of extant frog species. About 230 of the 5,280 species of frog are native to Australia with 93% of them endemic. Compared with other continents, species diversity is low, and may be related to the climate of most of the Australian continent. There are two known invasive amphibians, the cane toad and the smooth newt.

"Litoria" castanea, also known as the yellow-spotted tree frog, New England swamp frog, tablelands bell frog, or yellow-spotted bell frog, is a species of frog in the subfamily Pelodryadinae. It is a critically endangered species of frog that is endemic to south-eastern Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Oku clawed frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Lake Oku clawed frog is a species of frog in the family Pipidae, endemic to Lake Oku, a small crater lake in northwest Cameroon. It is a small, dark-coloured, fully aquatic frog with a length of 28 to 36 mm, males being slightly smaller than females. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated this frog as "critically endangered" on the basis of its small area of occurrence at a single location, and the possibility that introduction of non-native fish into the lake could cause the frog to be wiped out.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhou's box turtle</span> Species of turtle

Zhou's box turtle is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is apparently endemic to China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellinger River snapping turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Bellinger River turtle is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is of moderate size, with a straight-line carapace length to 240 mm (9.4 in) in females, and 185 mm (7.3 in) in males. It is endemic to Australia with a highly restricted distribution to the small coastal drainage of the Bellinger River in New South Wales. In the past the species was considered locally abundant. The species' preferred habitat is the deeper pools of the clear-water upstream reaches of the river, where water flows continuously in most months over a bedrock basement and a stream bed of boulders, pebbles, and gravel. A captive breeding program has been under way since a 2015 virus outbreak came close to wiping out the entire species. Most remaining individuals are currently housed in quarantine, though a small number have been reintroduced to the original habitat.

The Amphibian Ark is an organization that focuses on the conservation of amphibian populations by planning and implementing ex situ programs in zoos and wildlife organizations around the world.

Kula WILD Adventure Park is Fiji's biggest Family Fun Park and an ecological preserve in Fiji. It is located on Fiji's largest island, Viti Levu, near Sigatoka. The area was originally established as a bird park in the 1980s, but was bought by Kula Management in January 1997. With an extensive system of walkways through the park, and a wide range of attractions, the park is now a popular tourist attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitchell's water monitor</span> Species of lizard

Mitchell's water monitor is a semiaquatic species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is native to Australia. The species is native to the Northern regions of Australia, and is on IUCN's Red List as a critically endangered species. They can be distinguished by the orange or yellow stripes along their neck and dark spots along their back. They are mainly carnivorous, and eat small prey such as lizard, birds, and insects.

The northern corroboree frog is a species of Australian ground frog, native to southeastern Australia. It is differentiated by the southern corrboree frog by having slightly narrower and greener stripes, while also being smaller. Northern corroboree frogs live in waterlogged grasslands and adjacent woodlands. Northern corrboree frogs spend most of their time in the woodlands, going to the waterlogged grasslands in the summer to breed. Females lay around 25 eggs in damp vegetation, and hatch when water levels rise. The northern corrboree frog is listed as critically endangered and has decreased massively, due to chytrid, weeds, droughts, climate change, and livestock.

<i>Cryptoblepharus egeriae</i> Species of reptile

Cryptoblepharus egeriae, also known commonly as the blue-tailed shinning-skink, the Christmas Island blue-tailed shinning-skink, and the Christmas Island blue-tailed skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae that was once endemic to Christmas Island. The Christmas Island blue-tailed skink was discovered in 1888. It was formerly the most abundant reptile on the island, and occurred in high numbers particularly near the human settlement. However, the Christmas Island blue-tailed skink began to decline sharply outwardly from the human settlement by the early 1990s, which coincided with the introduction of a predatory snake and also followed the introduction of the yellow crazy ant in the mid-1980s. By 2006, the Christmas Island blue-tailed skink was on the endangered animals list, and by 2010 the Christmas Island blue-tailed skink was extinct in the wild. From 2009 to 2010, Parks Australia and Taronga Zoo started a captive breeding program, which has prevented total extinction of the species.

References

  1. 1 2 Jean-Marc Hero; Frank Lemckert; Peter Robertson; Harold Cogger & Murray Littlejohn (2004). "Pseudophryne corroboree". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2004: e.T18582A8484537. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  2. Australian Biological Resources Study (20 March 2013). "Species Pseudophryne corroboree Moore, 1953". Australian Faunal Directory. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2022). "Pseudophryne corroboree Moore, 1953". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001 . Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  4. Moore, J. A. (1953). "A new species of Pseudophryne from Victoria". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 78 (3–4): 179–180.
  5. 1 2 Tyler, Michael (2020). Field Guide to the Frogs of Australia. CSIRO Publishing. p. 144. ISBN   9781486312474.
  6. 1 2 3 Swan, Michael (2020). Frogs and Reptiles of the Murray-Darling Basin A Guide to Their Identification, Ecology and Conservation. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 41, 67. ISBN   9781486311330.
  7. Office of the Environment & Heritage (7 June 2021). "Southern Corroboree Frog - profile". Threatened Species. Australian Government. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  8. 1 2 Mcfadden, Michael; Hobbs, Raelene; Marantelli, Gerry; Harlow, Peter; Banks, Chris; Hunter, David (2011). "Captive management and breeding of the Critically Endangered Southern Corroboree Frog (Pseudophryne corroboree) (Moore 1953) at Taronga and Melbourne Zoos". Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 5 (3): 70–87.
  9. 1 2 Proust, Keira (30 March 2022). "Critically endangered southern corroboree frog conservation efforts ramp up". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  10. Garnett, Stephen; Woinarski, John; Lindenmayer, David; Latch, Peter (2018). Recovering Australian Threatened Species: A Book of Hope. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 281–284. ISBN   9781486307425.