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Amphibians
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Amphibians of Otago
Did you know Otago currently has only two naturalised species of amphibian? Both of these species are introduced frogs from Australia and are naturalised in many parts of Aotearoa New Zealand. We did have at least one native frog in our region, but it went extinct around the time humans arrived.
Amphibians or ika oneone are a class made up of frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, caecilians (wormlike amphibians with poorly developed eyes). All can breathe and absorb water through their very thin skin. In Aotearoa New Zealand our only indigenous species of amphibians are frogs or pepeketua or poroka, and they are found nowhere else on Earth.
Two species of introduced frogs can be found in Otago: the brown tree frog, Litoria ewingii, and the southern tree frog, Ranoidea raniformis. These two introduced species are originally from Australia and have now naturalised in Aotearoa New Zealand.
An additional introduced frog from Australia has been recorded: the green and golden bell frog (Ranoidea aurea). However, there is no confirmed evidence yet for a ‘naturalised’ population, i.e., multi-generational with spread.
Southern tree frog, Ranoidea raniformis. Photo: Samuel Purdie
Brown tree frog, Litoria ewingii. Photo: Samuel Purdie
Introduced frogs are easy to distinguish from Aotearoa New Zealand’s indigenous frog species because they are larger and produce characteristic calls.
Our region once had an indigenous frog, the Markham's frog, Leiopelma markhami, but that species is now extinct.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s native frogs are in the genus Leiopelma, an ancient lineage of frogs that split from all other frogs 200 million years ago. Leiopelma frogs have several primitive traits that separate them most other species of frogs.
Maōri call our indigenous frogs pepeketua or poroka and they are a taoka (treasured possession).
In a regional threat assessment for amphibians, a total of three species listed in the New Zealand Threat Classification System were assessed in Otago. Two amphibian taxa were assessed as Regionally Introduced and Naturalised (brown tree frog, Litoria ewingii, and southern tree frog, Ranoidea raniformis). The third species was assessed as Regionally Extirpated, i.e., extinct in the Region (Markham's frog, Leiopelma markhami). An additional introduced frog has been recorded (green and golden bell frog; Ranoidea aurea), but there is no confirmed evidence for a ‘naturalised’ population.
More information can be found in the regional threat assessment report.
Regional threat assessments
We have published threat assessments on various species' groups in our region, including amphibians.
Reports and publications - biodiversity
We have developed a range of resources on indigenous biodiversity in Otago, including regional threat assessment reports, educational factsheets and posters about species, and an online native planting guide to inform ecological restoration efforts.
To find out more about ika oneone or amphibians in Aotearoa New Zealand, visit the Society for Research of Amphibians and Reptiles New Zealand (SRARNZ), the New Zealand Herpetological Society (NZHS) or the NZFrog websites.
Society for Research of Amphibians and Reptiles
SRARNZ promotes the scientific study of all aspects of the biology of amphibians and the conservation of the indigenous amphibians of the Aotearoa New Zealand region.
NZ Herpetological Society (NZHS)
The NZHS website has information on how to identify each amphibian species, where they are found and what they eat, and their main threats and conservation status.
NZ Frogs
NZFrogs has created the Pepeketua of Aotearoa series – four booklets with matching posters, plus two extra posters: What makes our Pepeketua special? And Protecting our Pepeketua. Free to download in English and in te reo Maori. Our extinct native frog in Otago, Markham's frog or Leiopelma markhami, is mentioned in the booklet on extinct frogs.
