User:Fred.e/(List of) Amphibians of Western Australia

The Amphibians of Western Australia are represented by two families of frogs. Of the 78 species found, most within the southwest, 38 are unique to the state. 15 of the 30 genera of australian frogs occur; from arid regions and coastlines to permanent wetlands.

Frog species in Western Australia have not suffered the major declines of populations and diversity of many parts of the world. No species is recorded as having become extinct, despite over 50% of recent worldwide extinctions being Australian.

Three species are listed as Threatened, two as Vulnerable and Geocrinia alba as Critically Endangered. Threats to the species include an introduced fungal disease Chytridiomycosis (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ) and damage to habitat from altered land use and fire regimes.

The frogs inhabitat a wide range of habitat and many in the Southwest, such as Myobatrachidae sp., occur with high endemism. The Cyclorana (Family: Hylidae) are ground dwelling and burrowing species occuring in the North of the state. These are tree frogs closely related in structure and reproductive biology to the other Hylidae genus - Litoria.

Fossil records of other species in the taxon Amphibia have been identified in shale of the north west.

Myobatrachidae contains three sub-families (some taxonomists them as individual families), two of which occur in Western Australia. The tree frog family, Hylidae, contains a subfamily, Pelodryadinae (Austro-Papuan tree frogs), and two genera occur.

Prehistory
Fossils of Amphibians have been found in Western Australia.

Reference


Category:Amphibians of Western Australia

Statistics
List maintenance
 * 77 out of 77 sp. per (Burbidge gives 78 sp.)
 * 16 of 30 australian genera, Burb gives 15
 * 38 wih WA endemism (Burb.)
 * 19 20 23 blue links/77 sp.
 * 1 Red link genus

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