The ABG recently returned from a combined field trip to New South Wales. The team visited several locations including the Gibraltar Ranges National Park, Newcastle and Wollongong in search of both frogs and lizards. The target frog species, the Eastern dwarf tree frogs (Litoria fallax), is a small green amphibian usually found among the reeds of slow moving water bodies. Interestingly, they utilise multimodal signalling (acoustic and visual) during their territorial displays. The target lizard species, the Jacky dragon (Amphibolurus muricatus), is also well known for their complex territorial displays. However, this particular study is focusing on body pattern diversity and its relationship with habitat characteristics and ontogeny. Despite the less than ideal weather, the research team successfully recorded several frog and lizard individuals in a variety of habitats.
