Two New Frog Species Discovered in Australia's Ancient Gondwanan Rainforests

Scientists have identified two previously unknown frog species in the Gondwanan rainforests of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. The discovery results from three decades of research led by Professor Michael Mahony, Professor Stephen Donnellan, and Harry Hines, with contributions from the Australian Museum. The newly described species are the Wollumbin Pouched Frog (Assa wollumbin) from Wollumbin National Park and Knowles' Mountain Frog (Philoria knowlesi) from the Border Ranges. These amphibians exhibit unique reproductive adaptations to their wet forest environments. Both species face conservation threats from climate change and recent wildfires.