Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea)

Over Christmas, East Coast Ecology’s staff were out surveying the Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea) on NSW’s south coast.

This Bell Frog (photo) was kind enough to pose for our staff and show its distinctive electric blue thigh. In a short time, our staff found half a dozen individuals within a patch less than a hectare in size.

The Green and Golden Bell Frog is listed as Endangered under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act), and Vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The Green and Golden Bell Frog was once widespread, and commonly encountered, but has severely declined due to the catastrophic impact of the arrival of the frog chytrid pathogen.