7th July 2022, Elgin Inn, Hawthorn
2022 Mini-conference
Program
Clare Brownridge
Guest
Frogs for Beginners
What Clare doesn't know about frogs, she makes up for in enthusiasm and poetry.
A rhyming journey of discovery into the world of frogs from a non-expert.
Teisha Sloane-Lay
Frogs Victoria
Frogs Rule! / Frog Rules
Teisha is an ecologist with a passion for threatened species conservation and community education.
Regulations regarding amphibians in Victoria. Five slides of dos and don'ts when it comes to frogs in Victoria, and what to do when you come across an exotic species.
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Sam Wallace
University of Newcastle
Uncovering the ecology of threatened Heath Frogs
@WallacXFrogging | @wallace_s_
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Samantha Wallace is a PhD candidate at The University of Newcastle. Sam completed her Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours) at Deakin University, where she scampered after frogs across agricultural landscapes. With Newcastle as her new home, Sam’s PhD investigates all things Littlejohn’s and Watson’s Tree Frog-gy (Litoria littlejohni and Litoria watsoni).
Perhaps the greatest challenge to conservation science today is the endeavour to preserve species from ever-accelerating rates of extinction. Such rapid and sustained species declines place considerable pressure on the development effective conservation initiatives. Successful conservation strategies must be founded upon a well-informed understanding of species’ ecology. Unfortunately, ecological information is not readily available for many cryptic anurans. This paucity of information is particularly apparent for Littlejohn’s Tree Frog (Litoria littlejohni) and Watson’s Tree Frog (Litoria watsoni). The ecology and breeding biology of heath frogs remains relatively unknown, largely due to their cryptic nature and apparent rarity. To combat significant ecological knowledge gaps and investigate breeding habitat selection, we undertook surveys for L. littlejohni and L. watsoni across 31 sites in southern NSW. Overall, L. littlejohni and L. watsoni exhibited slightly different relationships with breeding habitat features, although the presence of fish had a strong negative impact on both species.
David De Angelis
Frogs Victoria
Persistence of the Growling Grass Frog (Litoria raniformis) in the middle Yarra River catchment
Dave is Frogs Victoria Treasurer, a naturalist, environmental educator and zoological consultant with a background in ecological land management. He is particularly interested in the conservation and ecology of frogs and reptiles.
The Growling Grass Frog (Litoria raniformis) was common across the greater Melbourne area before the start of the century, but has since become largely restricted to western and northern areas close to the urban fringe, and near-coastal habitats in the outer south-east. Calls thought to be those of the Growling Grass Frog were heard on a private property in Coldstream, the Yarra Valley, in October 2019. Auditory and visual surveys targeting the species were undertaken on the property over two nights in December of the same year. Multiple individuals were head calling during both surveys and 14 were seen on the second night, including a metamorph. The record is of significance as the species is not known to have been reported from the Shire of Yarra Ranges or wider middle to upper Yarra River catchment since 2006.
Matt Clancy
Frogs Victoria
Frogs of Borneo
@MattClancy94 | @clancy_wildlife
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Matt is a zoologist and wildlife photographer with an interest in herpetology (especially frogs) and threatened species conservation.
From the Giant River Toad to impressive flying frogs and minuscule microhylids; Borneo is home to an incredible amphibian diversity! There are nearly 200 known species inhabiting a range of truly wild and ancient rainforest environments.
Danielle Wallace
University of Melbourne
Lovesick? The effect of chytrid fungus infection on amphibian breeding display
Twitter: @that_frog_gorl
Instagram: dani_k_wallace
Danielle Wallace is a herpetologist and PhD candidate in the One Health Research Group at the University of Melbourne. Her current research focuses on the impact of the devastating disease, amphibian chytrid fungus, on reproduction and breeding display in Victorian frogs. She also works as a wildlife ecologist conducting surveys for threatened species in remote forest areas.