Mount Ballow Mountain frog
Finding ways to save the rare Mount Ballow Mountain frog
In the wild Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area a rare little frog—the Mount Ballow Mountain frog—needs our help to secure its future.
Fast facts
Common name: Mount Ballow Mountain frog
Scientific name: Philoria knowlesi
Family: Limnodynastidae (Australian ground frogs)
Status: Endangered
Habitat: Upland rainforests and adjacent wet eucalypt forests
Species overview
In the wild, beautiful Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, west of the Gold Coast, lives a rare little frog—the Mount Ballow Mountain frog.
The Traditional Owners of the Queensland section of this World Heritage area include the Yugambeh, Yuggera Ugarapul and Githabul peoples, who have ancient and enduring relationships with these landscapes.
The Mount Ballow Mountain frog belongs to the genus Philora, an ancient Gondawana lineage that branched off about 30 million years ago. It is found only in the wet forests of far South East Queensland and northeast New South Wales, where 6 narrowly endemic species occur. The seventh species occurs in Victoria. Most of the species are threatened.
The Mount Ballow Mountain frog was officially recognised as a distinct species in 2022. Dependent upon rainforest and adjacent wet sclerophyll forests, its distribution is patchy and only occurs in higher altitude areas.
Scientists have recorded this frog from Mount Barney National Park in the west to Levers Plateau and the western section of the Border Ranges National Park in New South Wales.
Unfortunately, critical habitat for several rainforest frogs, including the Mount Ballow Mountain frog, was directly impacted by the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019–2020, severely damaging extensive areas of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area.
Ecology and behaviour
Frogs are particularly vulnerable to climate change because they need moisture to breed and are sensitive to environmental temperature changes.
The Mount Ballow Mountain frog breeds in spring and early summer in small bogs, seepages and banks of headwater streams. Their mating call is a short, sharp, low “orc”.
During mating season, the males create a small breeding chamber in wet areas, and tadpoles develop entirely within this chamber. The females have flanges on their first and second fingers, which help to froth up protective foam around the eggs as they are laid.
Characteristics
The Mount Ballow Mountain Frog has:
- a body length less than 30mm (adult males)
- various colours on its back, from light brown to greenish or reddish
- 2–3 large, darker patches or many small, lighter spots on its back
- a reddish, yellowish-brown, or dark-brown belly
- a black stripe from the tip of the snout to the arm
- unwebbed fingers and toes, both without expanded tips.
Threats
- Habitat loss and fragmentation
- Impacts from invasive species (weeds and feral pigs)
- Bushfires
- Climate change, particularly warmer temperatures.
What’s being done?
- We continue to survey the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area for mountain frog populations and to understand the impact of bushfires on them.
- In 2024, to support the frog’s long-term ecological recovery following the 2019–2020 bushfires, we partnered with neighbouring landholders to conduct a carefully planned conservation burn in Mount Barney National Park and adjacent Bartopia and Bulimbah Nature Refuges. This aimed to reduce the risk of future bushfires impacting rainforests and to help control invasive species within the World Heritage Area.
- In collaboration with Southern Cross University, we are looking at the Mount Ballow Mountain frog’s abundance, distribution, fine-scale population genetics, and calling patterns. Like tinkerfrogs, our knowledge of the species depends upon calling males, so knowing the times of year and days they call and weather conditions are critical to effective surveys and monitoring.
Who is helping?
- Southern Cross University (SCU)
SCU researches the frog’s abundance, distribution, fine-scale population genetics and calling patterns. The university has also commenced a captive breeding program, GRASP, for mountain frogs.
How you can help
- Please be frog friendly. If you are visiting Mount Barney National Park or adjacent areas, remember to:
- clean camping gear and walking boots, minimising the risk of spreading diseases, pathogens and weeds
- do not disturb, handle or remove frogs, their eggs or tadpoles
- do not use or discard soap, detergent, shampoo, sunscreen, insect repellent or any other potential pollutant in creeks or along the banks
- keep to walking tracks and cross directly where the track crosses the creek.
- do not disturb or remove rocks or trample vegetation in or around creeks.
- Join the Australian Museum’s Frog ID citizen science project and record frog calls with your smartphone.
- Make a donation to support Queensland threatened species protection and science and research-based initiatives.
- Find out more about how you can help support threatened species efforts.