An Asian species of frog ( Kaloula pulchra , Microhylidae) intercepted at Perth International Airport, Australia

Abstract

A live specimen of the microhylid frog Kaloula pulchra was found by cargo handlers at Perth International Airport and handed to a Western Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service officer. The frog was found in or near an air container at the Qantas Cargo area. It is not known from which aircraft, cargo or country the frog originated. This species is not known to have been recorded in Australia, but it has been accidentally imported into New Zealand. A single live specimen was accidentally introduced in cargo containing a garden statue from Vietnam and intercepted at a wharf (Gill et al., 2001). Kaloula pulchra is distributed over a 2,283,959 km2 area from Nepal and north-eastern India through Myanmar and Thailand to southern China, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo, and Sulawesi (Inger and Lian, 1996). It inhabits a wide range of habitats, including wetlands, riverbanks, forests and residential, agricultural and urban areas (IUCN et al., 2004). Kaloula pulchra meets many of the criteria for a vertebrate pest according to the contemporary Australian Risk Assessment model (see Bomford, 2003). Because of its close association with humans (Frost, 2004) it has already been introduced and established in Singapore, Borneo and Celebes (Inger, 1966; Lim and Lim, 1996; Iskandar, 1998). At present, the Cane Toad Bufo marinus is the only exotic amphibian known to have become established as a feral pest in Australia. The accidental importation of a live K. pulchra into Australia highlights the need for