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| northern corroboree frog | |
|---|---|
| Name | Northern corroboree frog |
| Status | CR |
| Status system | IUCN3.1 |
| Genus | Pseudophryne |
| Species | pengilleyi |
| Authority | Wells & Wellington, 1985 |
northern corroboree frog
The northern corroboree frog is a small, critically endangered Australian frog in the genus Pseudophryne described by Wells and Richard Wellington in 1985. It is endemic to alpine and subalpine regions of southeastern Australia and is noted for its distinctive black and yellow striping, small range, and urgent conservation status under international and national frameworks like the IUCN Red List and Australian recovery planning. Populations have been the focus of coordinated actions involving institutions such as the Australian Government's environmental bodies, the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, and research groups at Australian National University and the University of Canberra.
The species Pseudophryne pengilleyi was delineated during taxonomic revisions by Wells and Wellington and later reassessed in molecular studies involving institutions such as the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and researchers affiliated with the Australian Museum. Its separation from related taxa was clarified through mitochondrial DNA analyses and nuclear markers in studies published by teams at the University of Melbourne and the University of New South Wales. The species epithet honors David Pengilley, a contributor to regional herpetology. Taxonomic debates have involved comparisons with the southern congener described in region-specific guides produced by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria and curated collections at the Museum Victoria.
Adults are typically small, measuring around 20–30 mm in snout–vent length, and display aposematic black and yellow banding that distinguishes them from sympatric frogs recorded by the Australian Museum and photographed for field guides by the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. The morphology includes granular skin, pronounced parotoid glands noted in comparative studies at the University of Sydney, and a robust body adapted to montane microhabitats surveyed by teams from the Landcare Research collaborations. Coloration and pattern variation have been documented in monographs produced by the Atlas of Living Australia and catalogued in the Australian Biological Resources Study.
The northern corroboree frog is restricted to high-elevation peatland, sphagnum bogs, and snowgrass plains predominantly within Kosciuszko National Park and nearby protected areas managed by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. Historical and current occurrence records have been compiled by conservation agencies including the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment and research programs based at the University of Wollongong. Populations occur in catchments draining to the Murray River system and have been mapped in biodiversity surveys coordinated with the Australian Alps Liaison Committee. Climate change impacts on their alpine habitats have been modelled using frameworks developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the Bureau of Meteorology.
The species is primarily terrestrial and fossorial, sheltering under tussock and leaf litter studied in ecological assessments by field teams from the Australian National University and the University of Canberra. Its diet consists mainly of small invertebrates catalogued in surveys led by the Entomological Society of Australia and analyzed in symposia hosted by the Australasian Wildlife Management Society. The frogs produce a series of short, high-pitched calls during the breeding season, recordings of which are archived by the Atlas of Living Australia and analyzed in bioacoustic work by researchers from the Macquarie University. Predation and competition dynamics have been investigated in collaborative projects with the Australian Museum and conservation NGOs such as the World Wildlife Fund Australia.
Breeding is seasonal and synchronized with austral spring snowmelt, with females depositing terrestrial egg clutches in moist vegetation and shallow nests documented by field studies from the New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage. Embryos undergo direct development with prolonged larval stages in ephemeral pools, processes monitored by scientists at the University of Melbourne and the University of New South Wales. Metamorphosis timing and juvenile recruitment have been quantified in longitudinal studies funded by the Australian Research Council and carried out in partnership with the Zoos Victoria and the Taronga Conservation Society Australia.
Key threats include disease from the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis documented by the Australian Academy of Science and global partners such as the Amphibian Ark, as well as habitat loss and alteration linked to fire regimes assessed by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service and climate-driven changes modelled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Small population size and genetic bottlenecks have been characterized using approaches from the Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity. Conservation status listings under federal legislation and actions by agencies such as the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment have prioritized threat abatement plans coordinated with NGOs like the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Ex situ conservation programs run by institutions including Taronga Zoo, Zoos Victoria, Sydney Zoo, and research facilities at the Australian National University and the University of Canberra have established captive-breeding protocols, head-starting, and reintroduction trials. Genetic management and disease mitigation strategies have been developed in partnership with the Amphibian Ark, the Australian Museum, and international experts from institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution. Recovery plans involve multi-agency cooperation with stakeholders including the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, local land managers, and community groups like the Field Naturalists Club of Canberra, aiming to bolster wild populations and secure habitat through protected-area management by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Category:Amphibians of Australia Category:Endangered fauna of Australia