FERNANDEZ, Sam T401 MWF 330-430
BS HTM TTM 4 10 September 2014

AUSTRALIA

1. Southern corroboree frog - Pseudophryne corroboree
IUCN listing: Critically Endangered
Inhabiting a small corridor on the New South Wales and Victorian border, the tiny southern corroboree frog - which is the size of a fingernail - is running on the edge of extinction. Fewer than 150 breeding males are thought to survive across 23 sites that were surveyed in 2001. The main suspected threat is the chytrid fungi. Although many studies have been undertaken, the success has been limited, as they have not been able to confirm the critical threat to the frogs. A studying conducted between 1997 and 1999 revealed that the frogs were present in 213 sites around the NSW and Victorian border but this number dropped only 79 sites as of 2001, revealing how quickly these animals were disappearing. A captive-breeding program, led by Sydney's Taronga Zoo, reintroduced 800 eggs into Kosciuszko National Park in 2012.

2. Margaret River burrowing crayfish - Engaewa pseudoreducta
IUCN listing: Critically Endangered
With only two known populations, the Margaret River burrowing crayfish is highly endangered. Even one of these may no longer exist, as there have been no sightings since 1985. The threats are almost all attributed to human activity. Land clearing is the biggest danger, as crayfish habitat can be eroded or contaminated by farming, mining and urban development. Feral pigs also damage habitat. No current population information exists but it is estimated that numbers are very low because of the restricted range of the species.

3. Lord Howe Island phasmid - Dryococelus australis
IUCN listing: Critically Endangered

Once plentiful on Lord Howe Island, the phasmid came under serious threat in 1918 when black rats were introduced. They are now only found in the wild on Balls Pyramid, a rocky outcrop off the coast of the main island. In addition to the threat posed by rodents, the land lobster's food source is also threatened. Morning glory, an invasive plant, competes with the land lobster's only known source of food, the Melaleuca howeana. Plans to control these threats and introduce the species back to the mainland are projected to start in the next three years. A program at Melbourne Zoo has bred more than 9,000 of the insects in captivity, some of which have been returned to the wild.

4. Bornemissza's stag beetle - Hoplogonus bornemisszai
EPBC listing: critically endangered
Playing a key role in decomposing organic material, Bornemissza's stag beetle is located in a highly specific area in north-eastern Tasmania. Growing to between 1.5 and 2.5cm long, these beetles are thought to numbers from several hundred to several thousand. Their larvae incubate underground and upon hatching, come to the surface and feeds with adults on the decaying organic material in the Tasmanian bushland. The beetle's diet is the prime threat to existence: they require a thick layer of decomposing leaf matter. With the expansion of farmland and clear-cutting of Tasmanian forests, the beetle is under serious threat.

5. Derwent River sea star - Marginaster littoralis
EPBC listing: critically endangered
Isolated to the chilly waters of the Derwent River estuary near Hobart, Tasmania, this sea star has been reduced to five known populations. While research on the sea star is sparse and the exact population size is not known, it has been reduced to very low levels and may already been wiped out. The greatest threat has been the introduction of the New Zealand sea star. At the beginning of the 20th century, oysters were shucked in the estuary and animals that were previously confined to New Zealand waters were introduced to Tasmania. No recovery plan for this species has been drafted as research on them is too sparse.

6. Southern bent-wing bat - Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii
EPBC listing: critically endangered
The southern bent-wing bat hides in caves between Victoria and South Australia during the daylight hours and hunts after dark. The bat has been in decline for the last two decades, losing 67 per cent of its population in that time and numbering around 40,000 individuals. A recovery plan has been drafted by biologists to further determine causes of decline. The bats are particularly prominent in the Naracoorte caves, a nesting site where females return to give birth. Current threats include habitat loss to grazing land, pesticides, and disruption of roosting habits from humans.

7. Orange-bellied parrot - Neophema chrysogaster
IUCN listing: Critically Endangered
Found predominantly darting through the Victorian and Tasmanian scrub, the orange-bellied parrot is highly endangered. This parrot has been in serious decline since the beginning of the 1900s, with fewer than 90 adults left in the wild. During the 1930s this bird was commonly found on both sides of the Bass Strait. Current threats are human related as its breeding and feeding habits occur almost entirely in small scrub, roughly a metre of the ground. This is the same vegetation that is often cleared for farm land and invaded by foreign plants. Living an average of just over two years, its reproductive cycle further inhibits the parrots ability to rebuild its population.

8. Short-nosed sea snake - Aipysurus apraefrontalis
IUCN listing: Critically Endangered
Slithering through the waters of north-western Western Australia, the short-nosed sea snake has undergone serious population changes in the past several years. Once abundantly found hunting on reefs on the coast near Broome, the snake hasn't been sighted on its common habitat on the Ashmore reef in any of the recent surveys since 2005. With a six-to-seven month gestation period, the snake is unlikely to breed more than once a year. Studies blame climate change for the decrease in numbers as the snake's native waters are warming and causing changes to the ecosystem. Second to climate change is the effects of mining chemicals that are bleaching the reef and causing further detriment to the reefs.

9. Red-finned blue-eye fish - Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis
IUCN listing: Critically Endangered
Making to the IUCN's 100 most endangered species list, the red-finned blue-eye has shocked scientists with its ability to survive. Living exclusively around Edgbaston in central western Queensland, this tiny, brightly coloured fish has shown that it can live in some of the most extreme ecosystems over long periods of time. Expanding agricultural projects threatened the species at one point, but in 2008 the fish's precious habitat was purchased by Bush Heritage Australia and is now protected. The main threat to the blue-eye is an invasive species, gambusia, a fish introduced to control mosquitoes but which spread with flooding. Gambusia's population has exploded, endangering the blue-eye through competition for resources. The blue-eye's current population is estimated at 2000-4000 individuals and needs to be intensively managed.

10. Armoured mist frog - Litoria lorica
IUCN listing: Critically Endangered
The elusive and mysterious armoured mist frog is a species that baffled scientists with its decline in population. None of these frogs had been sighted after 1994 - until 2008 when a small population was discovered in northern Queensland living near the waterfall frog. Very little is known about the armoured mist frog and threats facing it. Its habitat has been protected since 1988 and corridors throughout possible migratory routes are still intact. One assumed threat has been chytrid fungal disease, which has killed amphibians around the world.

11.Wollemi pine Scientific name:Wollemia nobilis
Conservation status
Endangered
The Wollemi pine is a majestic tree of up to 40 metres, with an unusual bubbly bark. It was discovered by accident in the Wollemi National Park in 1994. The pine’s juvenile leaves are lime green and grow under the forest canopy, while the adult leaves are tougher and grow above the canopy. The male and female cones appear at the ends of branches with adult leaves.

12. Davies’ waxflower Scientific name: Phebalium daviesii
Conservation status
Critically endangered
Davies’ waxflower is a shrub or small tree that grows to five metres

13. Tuggeranong lignum Scientific name: Muehlenbeckia tuggeranong
Conservation status
Endangered
The Tuggeranong lignum is a sprawling shrub that can grow up to one metre high and two metres wide. It has wiry stems and variable leaves up to 15 millimetres long. The shrub has cream to green flowers, with male and female flowers occurring on different plants.

14. Spalding blown grass
Scientific name:
Lachnagrostis (previously Agrostis) limitanea
Conservation status:
Endangered
Spalding blown grass is a short-lived perennial grass 30–45 centimetres tall. Its stems and leaves grow erect and the leaf blades have inrolled edges that are slightly rough to the touch. The grass flowers in spring or autumn, when conditions are favourable. The species is endangered because it has a limited population size and grows only in a small area in a rarehabitat site. The remaining plants are found in a highly disturbed shrubby woodland that is heavily invaded by weeds.

15. Basalt greenhood Scientific name: Oligochaetochilus basalticus (previously
Pterostylis basaltica)
Conservation status
Endangered
The basalt greenhood orchid grows 9–25 centimetres tall. It has a rosette of oval-shaped leaves that usually wither by the time of flowering. Each plant has 1–15 flowers that are translucent (almost see-through) white with green and brown stripes. The orchid is dormant in summer.

16. Orange-flowered wattle Scientific name: Acacia auratiflora
Conservation status
Endangered
The orange-flowered wattle is a spreading shrub from 30 centimetres to one metre tall, with leaves 2–4 centimetres long. Its branchlets have a light covering of golden or white hairs. The flower heads are very large golden balls.
PHILIPPINES
TAWI TAWI

The Tawi-Tawi Brown Dove ecognized by its rust-colored belly and a purplish gloss-brown behind its neck. It can only be found on two small islands in southern-most Philippines: Tawi-Tawi and Sanga-Sanga1. Deemed Endangered2 by the IUCN.

The Sulu Bleeding-heart

Gallicolumba menagei

Found only on the island of Tawi-Tawi. DeemedCritically Endangered2 by the IUCN.

The Philippine Cockatoo

Cacatua haematuropygia

Found only on the islands of Palawan, Tawi-Tawi, Samar, and the Polillo islands east of Luzon. Deemed Critically Endangered2 by the IUCN.

The Sulu Hornbill

Anthracoceros montani

Found only on the islands of Tawi-Tawi, Jolo, and Sanga-Sanga. Deemed Critically Endangered2 by the IUCN.

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Jade Vine
Strongylodon macrobotrys

The jade vine is a rare woody vine native to the tropical rainforests of the Philippines. It is a member of the pea and bean family and is closely related to kidney beans. The plant carries claw shaped flowers which grow from hanging trusses; they can reach up to three meters in length. The flower’s color can vary from blue green to mint green. The species has proven extremely difficult to propagate, and is considered an endangered species due to the destruction of its habitat and a decrease in natural pollinators.