10 August 2018
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Australia Post has highlighted the diversity and importance of native frogs to the environment in its latest stamp issue that features five frog species, three of which are classified as at-risk.
Australia is home to about 200 of the world’s 6,000 frog species, but numbers have declined rapidly in the country since the 1980s, a pattern that is reflected globally.
The reasons for this are not fully understood, but include factors such as the Chytridiomycosis fungus, which impedes a frog’s ability to breathe through its skin, and the effects of climate change and land clearing. Between 1979 and 1997, four native species of frogs have become extinct.
Australia Post Philatelic Manager Michael Zsolt said:
‘This stamp issue indicates some of the diversity of our frog species, brought to life through eye-catching photorealistic illustrations. Frogs occupy an important niche in the food web, being both predators and prey, and they are one of nature’s barometers for environmental health, given their sensitivity to environmental conditions. So declining numbers do not bode well, and we are pleased to help raise awareness of the frogs’ plight, featuring three at-risk species in the stamps.’
Western Australia-based artist Owen Bell illustrated the frogs featured on the stamp issue.
The species represented on the four $1 base rate stamps are:
- Baw Baw Frog (Philoria frosti)
- Australian Lace-lid (Litoria dayi)
- Armoured Mist Frog (Litoria lorica)
- Tasmanian Tree Frog (Litoria burrowsae)
A fifth species, the Dainty Tree Frog (Litoria gracilenta), is featured on a miniature sheet.
Find out more at auspost.com.au/stamps