21 Vertebrate fauna: amphibians

When you look at the amphibians either side of Wallacea, there are clear differences in the groups represented. In Asia there are the unusual burrowing caecilians, as well as groups such as toads that are not native to Australia or New Guinea. In contrast, Australia has several groups of frogs including the Austral-hylids and Limnodynastids which do not occur in Asia. One group, the ranids (‘typical’ frogs of the northern hemisphere) are represented by a single species that has reached Australia.