Kroombit Tinker Frog

Taudactylus pleione

Australia's Threatened Species Category

Critically Endangered

Listed since: 13/07/2017

IUCN's Threatened Species Category

Critically Endangered

Listed since: 15/02/2021

Population trend: Decreasing

Other names: Pleione's Torrent Frog

Priority Species? Yes

The Australian government's Threatened Species Action Plan 2022-2032 selected over 100 priority species derive from consultation with threatened species experts and the wider community. While all species are important, focusing on a limited number of species can help target effort and resources so that outcomes can be achieved, measured and shared.

Description

The Kroombit Tinker Frog has an extremely restricted distribution and is only known from 9 small unconnected patches of rainforest and are found around rocky shelves and boulders in the vicinity of permanent rocky seepage with most sites having little or no surface water. The Kroombit Tinker Frog is very difficult to find when they are not calling and can be heard from October to February in the early evening and into the night. The recovery plan for the Kroombit Tinker Frog includes a captive breeding program managed by Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Threats

The Kroombit tinker frog is threatened by Chytridiomycosis caused by infection with the chytrid fungus, and by trampling/rooting by feral pigs and horses, predation from cane toads and fire.

Quollity Conservation Hub's Vulnerability Score:

61

To help compare the relative vulnerability of different species, we have developed a scoring system based on biological and ecological characteristics that influence a species' ability to survive and recover from environmental change and natural disasters.

The framework is adapted from assessment methods used by conservation experts following the Black Summer bushfires to help identify species most in need of conservation action, research, and recovery funding.

Each species is assessed using a range of factors, including its conservation status, lifespan, reproductive rate, habitat and dietary requirements, ability to disperse or recover after fire, and the number and severity of threats it faces.

In general, the higher a species' score, the greater its overall vulnerability and risk of decline or extinction.

Like all conservation assessments, this scoring system is limited by the information currently available. Many threatened species remain poorly studied and receive limited research funding, meaning some assessments rely on the best available scientific knowledge or information from closely related species. As new research becomes available, scores may be updated to reflect our improved understanding.