Status
IUCN Classification:
Endangered
(International Union for Conservation of Nature)
Bioregion occurrence:
(this is not a distribution map)
State occurrence:
Links
- Magnificent Brood Frog
Recovery Plan for Pseudophryne covacevichae
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Pseudophryne covacevichae
Family: Myobatrachidae
Common name: Magnificent Broodfrog
Description: This frog has a bright red, rusty brown or yellow triangular patch on its snout and forehead. This triangular patch continues in a broad band down the back to a yellow area around the cloaca. The rest of the back is chocolate-brown with dark blotches. The upper arms are bright yellow while the sides of the body are grey, peppered with dark and light spots. The belly is smooth and marbled black and white.
Size: 28 mm
Habitat: This frog lives in open eucalypt forests above 800 m in altitude. It is usually found under rocks, logs and damp leaf litter near water seepages.
Call: A short, grating "ark" repeated at regular intervals.Call available in 
Windows Media or 
Quicktime audio. Recording Copyright © David Stewart.
Breeding: Males call on warm, wet summer and autumn nights from their nests under grass tussocks, rocks and logs.
Eggs: Are laid on moist soil in the nests. Clutches from 6-82 eggs have been seen in the field. The eggs are large in size.
Tadpoles: Are small and generally black in colour. When limbs start to develop on the tadpole, a distinct pale patch forms where the tail meets the body.
Similar species: This frog is unlikely to be confused with any other species due to the triangular patch on its snout and forehead, and its distribution.
Conservation Information
Suspected threatening processes
- Direct human impact/urbanisation/tourism
- Inappropriate catchment management, including degraded water quality
- Habitat modification (e.g. vegetation clearing, invasive weeds)
Population size: An estimate of the total number of adults present in the species entire range is 1000-5000 individuals, or population size is unknown but suspected to be small. Some factors affecting population size and distribution are known, but 1 or more major factors are unknown.
Population trend in Australia over the past 50 years: Trend unknown but population size suspected to be decreasing.
Knowledge of population trend in Australia: Monitored locally.
Population concentration: Majority concentrates at more than 25 locations. (e.g. the number of sites in which individuals group together either seasonally, such as breeding sites, or they may occupy discrete habitat patches within the broader landscape, such as discrete water bodies or drainage units.)
Ongoing management activities in Australia: Management mostly related to enforcement of conservation laws.
Reproductive potential for recovery: The average number of eggs deposited per adult female per year is 51-200 eggs/female/year. Minimum age at which females are known or suspected to first reproduce is 2-3 years.
Range size in Australia: The size of the geographic area over which the taxon is distributed: 101-1000 km².
Distribution trend: Area occupied has declined by < 25%. (This is an estimate of change in the portion of the total range that is occupied or utilised; it may not equal the change in total range.)
Knowledge of distribution in Australia: Broad range limits or habitat associations are known, but local occurrence cannot be predicted accurately.
References
Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and amphibians of Australia. Reed Books: Sydney.
McDonald K.R., Bolitho E., Dennis A., Simpson N. and Winter J.W.
(2000-2004) Recovery plan for the magnificent broodfrog Pseudophryne covacevichae. Queensland Environmental Protection Agency.