Reptile Summary (/

Common name Order Family

Crocodiles Crocodilia Crocodylidae

Chelidae

Carettochelydidae

Cheloniidae

Turtles Testudines (Chelonii)

Dermochelyidae
 / Agamidae

Geckkonidae,
/ Diplodactylidae &
Carphodactylidae

Squamates - lizards
/ Pygopodidae

Scincidae
/
 Varanidae
/
monitors/goannas

/ Typhlopidae

/ Pythonidae

Acrochordidae
/

Squamates - Snake
Squamates - Snake

/ Colubridae

/ Elapidae

Elapidae: Sub family:

/
Laticaudidae

Elapidae: Sub family:

/
Hydrophiinae

Amphibian Summary (/不需了解）

Order Family Species
 Striped marsh frog
Limnodynastidae

1. Turtle frog (Often

found in termite mounds
or in burrows; Found in
South-western Aus)
2. Northern gastric-
brooding frog
(Presumed extinct)
Myobatrachidae
• Female swallows eggs
shortly after fertilisation
• Hatch into tadpoles
andcomplete development
in the stomach
3. Pouched Frog or
Marsupial Frog

Anura （ Frogs and

Toads）
Anura （ Frogs and
Toads）

Litoria (endangered
• Hylidae /
Victoria due to rapid loss
Pelodryadidaes
of habitat)
and Cyclorana

Nursery Frogs
(• Eggs coated with anti-
fungal agent
Microhylidae • Male frog guards eggs
• Tadpole develops inside
egg
•Lay clutch in moist soil
under rocks or leaf litter)

Ranidae /

Bufonidae (invasive) Cane Toad (Rhinella

marina)

Gymnophiona（Cae / /
cilians (legless)）

• Caudata （Newts
Smooth newt (Lissotriton
and Salamanders- /
vulgaris)
invasive）
Invertebrate Fauna Summary (/不需了解）
Phylum Common Name Features

Dorso-ventrally flattened
in transverse section
Free living: e.g. brown
striped flatworm (Some
flatworms are brightly
coloured)
Platyhelminthes: flatworms
2. Parasitic: e.g. tapeworm
From vertebrate digestive
tract, many have complex
life cycles with multiple
hosts

some free-living, mostly

parasitic
Nematoda Rroundworms can be found parasiting in
the gut of kangaroo

•Threadlike free-living
adults
• Larvae parasitic in
Nematomorpha Gordian Worms
spiders, crickets, mantids
etc

segmented worms,
includes more complex body
Annelida
earthworms, structure
leeches (& marine
bristle worms)

largest invertebrate group

Arthropoda /
in terrestrial systems
 Spiders: many are active
hunters and some have
venom to subdue or kill
their prey
venomous spiders in
Australia:
- Female red-back spider:
Arthropoda -sub spiders, mites, ticks
small but venomous &
phylum:Chelice & scorpions e.g wolf
common in human
rata (no antennae) spiders
environments
- Sydney funnel web:
male is potentially deadly
to humans (more toxic and
wanders to find female)
some sp. exhibit maternal
care: carring the young

Can deliver a very painful

Arthropoda -sub
scorpions sting with their tail
phylum:Chelicerata

2 pair antennae; branched

Arthropoda -sub legs
slater (pill bug), land
phylum:Crustacea

Arthropoda -sub 1 pair antennae, many

centipedes, millipedes
phylum:Myriapoda pairs of unbranched legs -

Arthropoda -sub
amazing diversity in
phylum: Hexapoda butterflies, moths, ants
morphology & ecology
- insects

early lineage links to

Onychophora velvet worms arthropods

Most diverse phylum after

Mollusca snails arthropoda
e Summary (/不需了解）
Species Features

• Main distribution: Northern QLD

(along the east coastal) , Northern
Saltwater Crocodile
Territory
• Max. size 7m

• Main distribution: (Northern

AUS) Northern Territory
Freshwater Crocodile
• Fed on fish

•freshwater sp
Eastern side-necked turtles .•Legs for walking on land,
webbed feet for swimming

pitted-shelled (pig nosed)

freshwater sp. (1 species)
turtle

• Wide global distributions

• Females return to birth site to
lay their eggs
• Extraordinary powers of
Green Turtle
navigation
• Most species are of
conservation concern
• marine sp.

• Worlds most widespread

reptile
• Worlds largest turtle – up to
900kg
Leatherback turtle • Dietary specialist - feeds
entirely on jellyfish
• Currently endangered in
Australia
• Marine sp
 Common name as“dragons”
•Australian group, largely
endemic
• Geographically widespread in
Oz
• Typically: strong legs, fast
/ moving, sun-loving lizards
• All oviparous – lay eggs in
burrows
• Visual displays during courtship
including head bobbing, arm
waving
• Common name as Gecko
• Most diverse in arid & tropical
areas, none in TAS
• All Australian geckos are
nocturnal
/ • All oviparous: 1 - 2 eggs/clutch
Some parthenogenic
• Highly vocal
•WIth sticky feet

•Commonly known as legless

lizards Endemic to Australia and
PNG, none in TAS
•All oviparous: 1 – 2 eggs/clutch
•Vocal
•No forelimbs
/ •Hind-limbs: reduced to small
flaps
•Closest relatives to geckos
(some older Australian gecko
groups now classified with
pygopodids)

•Commonly known as skinks blue-

tongues and stumpy-tailed lizards
• Most diverse lizard family
worldwide
• Largest group in Australia –
/ occur everywhere
• Highly variable in morphology,
ecology etc.
• Both oviparity (eggs) and
viviparity (live young)
• Some have reduced limbs
 • All oviparous – up to 35
eggs/clutch
/ • Perhaps the closest relatives to
snakes (both have forked tongue)

•Commonly known as blind snake

•Light sensitive eye spots
• Insectivorous
/ •Rarely seen – small, nocturnal &
burrowing
•Oviparous

•Commonly known as python

Most diverse in northern Australia
• Large, muscular snakes
• Mostly nocturnal, heat-sensitive
/ pits around mouth for detection of
endothermic vertebrate prey
• Kill prey by constriction:
asphyxiation
• Oviparous-eggs

• Commnly known as file snakes

All aqautic: - 1 marine, northern
Aust.
- 2 freshwater, tropical lagoons
/ northern Aust.
• Fish-eaters (rough skin)
• Non-venomous
• Viviparous
 • Commonly known as tree
snakes
• Low diversity
• Only northern and eastern
coastal Australia, mostly arboreal
and semi-aquatic
• Rear-fanged (less dangerous)
/
• Very recent arrival in Australia -
only one
endemic species & not present in
fossil record
• Display both oviparity and
viviparity

•Venomous land snakes & now

includes the sea • Front-fanged
• Radiated into all Australian
habitats
• Includes all the venomous
/ terrestrial species + many non-
dangerous species
snakes
• Both oviparity and viviparity
• Brandy-brandy - Specialise in
feeding on blind snakes

known as sea kraits

/
• Come ashore to lay eggs
• Known as sea snakes
• viviparous - wholly aquatic,
/
thus bear live young

不需了解）
Features
 – Ground Frogs
•All species are found in
Australia, New Guinea and
Aru Islands
• Extensive adaptive
radiation in Australia
• Wide range of ecological
and developmental
specialisations
• Most are burrowing or
terrestrial, none are
arboreal
• Distribution: Widespread
across all of Aus

– Southern Frogs
• Extensive adaptive
radiation
• Wide range of
morphological, ecological
and developmental
specialisations
• Variety of life history
patterns (either fully
aquatic or terrestrial
development)
• Adults either burrowing
or terrestrial, none are
arboreal
• Found in Australia and
New Guinea
• Distribution: Widespread
across all of Australia
– Australian Treefrog
• Widespread and highly
successful
• Typically water-
dependent reproduction
• Adapted to extreme
environments
• Arid Zones
•Worldwide but mostly in
Australia and South America
• Rainforests

-Tiny Treefrogs
• Small, 1 – 3 cm
• Hard to find unless they
are calling
• Do not have free
swimming tadpoles
• Limited distribution in
tropical northern Australia

Limited distribution:
Northern Aus

• Introduced in 1935 to
‘control’ cane beetles
• Up to 25,000 eggs per
spawn
• Range is expanding
significantly
• Poisonous parotoid gland
– novel toxin dangerous to
native species

Found in Melbourne’s
South- eastern suburbs
 Amphibian Summary ("/"no need to know）
Order Family Species Features

– Ground Frogs
•All species are found
in Australia, New
Guinea and Aru
Islands
• Extensive adaptive
radiation in Australia
• Wide range of
Striped marsh frog
Limnodynasti ecological and
developmental
specialisations
• Most are burrowing
or terrestrial, none
are arboreal
• Distribution:
Widespread across all
of Aus
 – Southern Frogs
• Extensive adaptive
radiation
1. Turtle frog (Often
• Wide range of
found in termite
morphological,
mounds or in burrows;
ecological and
Found in South-western
developmental
Aus)
specialisations
2. Northern gastric-
• Variety of life
brooding frog
history patterns
(Presumed extinct)
Myobatrachi (either fully aquatic
• Female swallows eggs
dae or terrestrial
shortly after fertilisation
development)
• Hatch into tadpoles
• Adults either
andcomplete
burrowing or
development in the
terrestrial, none are
stomach
arboreal
3. Pouched Frog or
• Found in Australia
Marsupial Frog
and New Guinea
• Distribution:
Widespread across all
of Australia

Anura
（ Frogs and
Toads）
 – Australian Treefrog
• Widespread and
highly successful
Anura • Typically water-
（ Frogs and dependent
Toads） reproduction
• Hylidae / Litoria (endangered
• Adapted to
Pelodryadida Victoria due to rapid
extreme
es loss of habitat)
environments
and Cyclorana
• Arid Zones
•Worldwide but
mostly in Australia
and South America
• Rainforests

Nursery Frogs -Tiny Treefrogs

(• Eggs coated with • Small, 1 – 3 cm
anti-fungal agent • Hard to find unless
• Male frog guards they are calling
Microhylidae
eggs • Do not have free
• Tadpole develops swimming tadpoles
inside egg • Limited distribution
•Lay clutch in moist soil in tropical northern
under rocks or leaf Australia
litter)
 Limited distribution:
Ranidae / Northern Aus

• Introduced in 1935
to ‘control’ cane
beetles
• Up to 25,000 eggs
Bufonidae per spawn
Cane Toad (Rhinella
(invasive) • Range is expanding
marina)
significantly
• Poisonous parotoid
gland – novel toxin
dangerous to native
species

Gymnophion
/ / /
a（Caecilians
(legless)）

• Caudata （ Found in Melbourne’s

Newts and Smooth newt South- eastern
/
Salamander (Lissotriton vulgaris) suburbs
s-invasive）