Amphibian communities associated with billabong habitats on the Murrumbidgee floodplain,Australia

Abstract A study of frog species richness and abundance at four permanent billabongs located in and around the city of Wagga Wagga, southern New South Wales, was carried out from the spring of 1991 to the autumn of 1992. During the sampling period a total of 404 individual adult frogs from six species were recorded. No egg masses or tadpoles were detected during a total of 32 survey hours. Four species of the Family Myobatrachidae represented 81% of the total number of adult individuals sampled, the remaining species belonging to the Family Hylidae. There were significant differences in the mean species richness and mean total number of adult individuals among billabongs. Significant positive correlations were recorded between total adult individuals, total frog species richness and the number of riparian plant species recorded at all billabongs. There were no significant correlations between adult frog numbers and meteorological and water quality parameters. The adults of the four most abundant frog species exhibited significant association with particular microhabitats surrounding billabongs; Crinia parinsignifera was associated with the creeping grass Paspalum distichum, Limnodynastes fletcheri with the rush Eleocharis sphacelata, L. tasmaniensis with sedges Cyperus spp. and the grass P. distichum and Litoria peronii with red gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis and introduced tree species. Differences in adult frog abundance between billabongs appears to be related to the disturbance of riparian vegetation by domestic stock, while the absence of eggs and tadpoles from these permanent billabongs may be explained by the presence of abundant exotic fish species in the billabongs.