Gwydir Selected Area 2021-22 Annual Summary Report – Appendix G Biodiversity of reptiles, amphibians and fish

This project was funded as part of a biodiversity survey in the Gwydir Wetlands. The study used fauna surveys to assess the distribution and occupancy of reptile, amphibian and fish species in the Gwydir wetlands following a severe drought.

Reptiles were sampled at various sites in the Gwydir Wetlands in 2021 and 2022, results were also compared to turtle data from 2019.

Turtle capture rates were lowest in winter 2021 and highest in 2019 and 2022.

Little known species were observed including the grey snake (Hemiaspis daemelii) listed as Endangered in Queensland and under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the red-naped snake (Furina diadema), listed as threatened in Victoria.

There was evidence of recruitment into the turtle population for all three species in the Gwydir wetlands.

Burrowing frogs emerged in April 2022 following extended floodplain inundation suggesting that the La Nina weather has been positive for floodplain vertebrates.

There is growing evidence of the importance of the Gwydir Wetlands for providing habitat to reptiles and amphibians not available in the broader agricultural environment.