Frog communities of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, New South Wales.

Frog surveys were carried out within wetlands, billabongs, dams and rice bays in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA). A total of eight species were recorded, the most common being the Limnodynastes tasmaniensis, Crinia parinsignifera and Limnodynastes fletcheri. There were no significant differences in species richness between water body types, but the structure of frog communities within rice bays and canals was significantly different to those in dams, wetlands and billabongs. This relationship was mainly due to the absence more specialised species such as Litoria latopalmata and Limnodynastes interioris from rice bays and canals. The number of frog species present at each site was significantly correlated with the number of different microhabitats, such as emergent, submerged and floating vegetation and the presence of trees. Conservation of frog communities in this region should focus on maintaining a diversity of different water body types as well as a diversity of different microhabitats within each water body.