Drying microclimates threaten the persistence of Critically Endangered white-bellied frogs

The Critically Endangered white-bellied frog and its close relative the Vulnerable orange-bellied frog are both restricted to a few square kilometres of habitat in south-west Western Australia. Over half of the known white-bellied frog populations have become extinct in recent decades, surviving populations continue to decline, and past translocation efforts have had mixed success. We examined the micro-habitat requirements of these terrestrial-breeding species as well as their physiological thresholds for water balance and temperature.