In search of New Zealand's endemic frogs

For your reports/images, made outside Europe and the "Mediterranean" countries. Not to be too narrow minded and limited to our European/Mediterranean herps.

In search of New Zealand's endemic frogs

Postby Maarten Gilbert » Wed Nov 18, 2015 9:12 pm

Early November, following a conference in Rotorua, New Zealand, I had a few days to explore this intriguing country. I decided to head north and spend these days on the Coromandel peninsula. Here, two of New Zealand's endemic frogs can be found: Archey's frog (Leiopelma archeyi) and Hochstetter's frog (Leiopelma hochstetteri). They are regarded as being amongst the most primitive frogs in the world. These frogs display some unusual features, such as tail-wagging muscles in the adult stage (despite having no tail), the absence of eardrums, and spending the tadpole stage inside the egg, which are laid in moist places outside the water. Instead of by sound, these frogs are thought to communicate by scent. In the native forests of the Coromandel peninsula both species occur sympatrically. However, L. hochstetteri is more closely associated with small streams and seepages than L. archeyi, which is often found well away from aquatic environments. Nevertheless, some degree of overlap in habitat occurs. In the right habitat L. hochstetteri can still be found in good numbers, but L. archeyi populations have crashed since 1996, which might have been caused by Bd.

I was fortunate to find both Leiopelma species. Besides the frogs I also found shore skink (Oligosoma smithi) and rainbow skink (Lampropholis delicata), an introduced species from Australia. As anticipated, no geckos were found, as densities are often very low on the main islands, mostly due to a depressing long list of introduced avian and mammalian predators. Many native species are rare or have become extinct on the main islands and are nowadays confined to small offshore islands. In a desperate effort to preserve some of the remaining native species, New Zealand's Department of Conservation is trying to keep the numbers of introduced mammals (mostly rats, stoats, and possums) low by poison baiting and active trapping in some areas.

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Geothermal activity near Rotorua

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Purple swamphen

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Pied stilt

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Tui drinking nectar

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Lampropholis delicata

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Sacred kingfisher, an avid lizard hunter

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Leiopelma hochstetteri

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Leiopelma hochstetteri

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Leiopelma hochstetteri

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Leiopelma hochstetteri

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Leiopelma hochstetteri

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Leiopelma hochstetteri habitat

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Native forest on the Coromandel peninsula

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Leiopelma archeyi

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Leiopelma archeyi

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Leiopelma hochstetteri and L. archeyi as found under the same rock

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Leiopelma archeyi

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Leiopelma hochstetteri

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Leiopelma archeyi habitat

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Poison baiting

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Mammal trapping

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One rat less...

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Coromandel boulder beach

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Oligosoma smithi

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Oligosoma smithi

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Introduced California quail

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Port Jackson and Great Barrier Island

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Coromandel boulder beach

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Oligosoma smithi

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Pied shag

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Paradise shellduck

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Leiopelma hochstetteri habitat

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Leiopelma hochstetteri

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Leiopelma hochstetteri

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Leiopelma hochstetteri

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Native forest

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Disused gold mine

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Leftovers from the gold rush

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Now home to glow worms

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Glow worm without flash...

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... and with flash

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Back in Rotorua

Thanks for watching!
Maarten Gilbert
 
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Re: In search of New Zealand's endemic frogs

Postby Andre Schmid » Thu Nov 19, 2015 4:24 am

Beautiful ! Thanks for sharing. :)
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Re: In search of New Zealand's endemic frogs

Postby Jeroen Speybroeck » Thu Nov 19, 2015 8:31 am

Unusual, fascinating, great!
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Re: In search of New Zealand's endemic frogs

Postby Matthijs Hollanders » Thu Nov 19, 2015 11:32 am

Cooool.
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Re: In search of New Zealand's endemic frogs

Postby Mario Schweiger » Thu Nov 19, 2015 2:54 pm

great species and landscapes.
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Please visit also my personal Herp-site vipersgarden.at
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Re: In search of New Zealand's endemic frogs

Postby Bobby Bok » Thu Nov 19, 2015 6:46 pm

Lovely little frogs from an ancient lineage which you rarely see pictures of, crazy beautiful habitat also! Thanks for sharing!
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Re: In search of New Zealand's endemic frogs

Postby Paul Lambourne » Thu Nov 19, 2015 9:05 pm

Fantastic report, of a place we rarely see in herping reports.. stunning habitat shots, and beautiful pictures of the primitive frogs..

I loved NZ.. although I went for climbing I saw a wealth of wildlife.. its often overshadowed by Australia, but for birds and mammals it is mint..and obviously the geckos, skinks and the tuatara :D

Thanks for posting

Paul
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Re: In search of New Zealand's endemic frogs

Postby Martti Niskanen » Thu Nov 19, 2015 9:17 pm

A very cool post.
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Re: In search of New Zealand's endemic frogs

Postby Peter Oefinger » Fri Nov 20, 2015 4:04 pm

Very nice post - and cool coastal skinks...
Thanks for sharing!
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Re: In search of New Zealand's endemic frogs

Postby Jürgen Gebhart » Fri Nov 20, 2015 7:42 pm

Always great to see pictures from the other side of the world, thanks for that!
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