Mitta Valley Landcare Southern Bell Frog Surveys 2019

Anna Turner, Charles Sturt University, Albury, and David Hunter, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, will be working with Mitta Valley Landcare to survey the Southern Bell Frog.

 Southern Bell frogs (Litoria raniformis) was once one of the most common frogs in many parts of south-eastern Australia. The range of this species has declined markedly and loss of populations has resulted in a fragmented and disjunct distribution. Current threats include habitat loss and degradation, barriers to movement, predation, disease and exposure to biocides. The Southern Bell frog is listed as Endangered in NSW (Threatened species conservation Act 1995) and Threatened in Victoria (Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988).

Historically, Southern Bell Frogs inhabited the Mitta Valley. Until 2009, there was a known population in the Mitta river floodplain system. A couple of years ago, surveys did not detect this Bell frog population and current status in the Mitta Valley is unknown. The purpose of these Bell frog surveys are to detect presence of this threatened species to ensure long term protection. November and December are prime breeding time for this species, if present, they can be heard calling and a confident ID can be determined by their guttural growling call.

Three surveys will be conducted between early November and mid December 2019. Surveys will be conducted after dark when frogs are most active and involve listening for calling from pre-selected water bodies. If Bell Frogs are detected, GPS coordinates will be recorded and an audio recording taken. If appropriate, a visual observation will be attempted with a spotlight. Surveys will be one night in duration, on three occasions when the weather is appropriate for frog surveys.

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