The distribution and habitat requirements of the great barred frog (Mixophyes fasciolatus)

Abstract

The great barred frog (Mixophyes fasciolatus) is a common, ground-dwelling frog from the forests of eastern Australia, with a wide geographic distribution extending from mid-east Queensland to southern New South Wales. This paper presents a quantitative assessment of the distribution and habitat requirements of M. fasciolatus, using data collected during a stratified survey across its geographic and environmental range. I found M. fasciolatus at 55 of 124 sites, and in all areas of forest surveyed except for Girraween National Park in Queensland and the southern highlands of New South Wales. I detected 42 other species of frogs during the survey, including the introduced cane toad (Bufo marinus). Statistical habitat modelling indicated that in forests within its climatic range, M. fasciolatus was most likely to occur in wetter forests (wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest), in areas with lower precipitation and intermediate temperatures in the warmest (summer) quarter of the year. When present at a site, the number of individuals of M. fasciolatus detected during a survey (a measure of relative abundance) was predicted to decrease with increasing summer precipitation. This frog survey represents one of the largest ever undertaken in Australia, with a study area of 125 000 km², and 124 survey sites in 21 State Forests and nine National Parks. Field data collected during the study and the resulting habitat models provide a baseline against which future changes in the distribution or abundance of M. fasciolatus may be assessed.