Threatened Species Fact Sheet No. 6

Northern Corroboree Frog (Pseudophryne pengilleyi) - An endangered species

Northern Corroboree Frog

The Northern Corroboree Frog ( Pseudophryne pengilleyi ) is a small but distinctive frog with bright yellow-green and black stripes on its upper surfaces and a broadly marbled ventral surface of black and white or black and yellow. Adults attain 2.5-3 cm body length. The Northern Corroboree Frog differs from the closely related Southern Corroboree Frog ( P. corroboree ) by having more green in the yellow stripes which also tend to be narrower. They are also slightly smaller.

P. pengilleyi is confined to the high country of the ACT and adjacent NSW, along the Brindabella and Bimberi Ranges and throughout the Fiery Range and Bogong Mountains. The ACT population is located almost entirely in the subalpine areas of Namadgi National Park, with an important stonghold being the internationally recognised Ginini Flats wetland complex.

For much of the year the Northern Corroboree Frog lives in woodland and tall moist heath. In summer the adult frogs move to shallow pools and seepages to breed. Like most frogs, there is a two-stage life cycle: an aquatic tadpole stage and a terrestrial juvenile and adult stage. Females only breed once each season and clutch size is small. Tadpoles develop slowly over a six month period. The diet of adults appears to be mostly ants.

Conservation Threats

The Northern Corroboree Frog is faced with considerable risk from disturbance to breeding sites or drought. Its relatively low breeding capability reduces the ability of the species to recover quickly during favourable conditions.

The Northern Corroboree Frog has suffered a substantial decline in the last 10 years or so. Long-term disturbance or loss of habitat due to drought; feral animals (especially pigs and horses) weed invasion and wildfire are implicated. The possible affects of increased ultra-violet radiation associated with depletion of atmospheric ozone and global warming as a result of climate change are areas of particular concern for this high-altitude, cool-adapted species.

Conservation Action

The major conservation objective is ensure the long-term survival of natural populations of the Northern Corroboree Frog across its geographic range.

Strategies to achieve this objective include:

• research aimed at identifying the cause of the continuing population decline;
• protecting habitat that is critical to the survival of the species; and
• managing threatening activities in the catchments of breeding sites.