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Australian endangered species list

By AG STAFF • June 17, 2014
Australia's only hibernating marsupial, the mountain pygmy possum, is critically endangered. Image credit: DEPI VIC
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A comprehensive list of Australia’s critically endangered animals.

ACCORDING TO THE IUCN Red List of endangered species, Australia has 86 animal species that are considered Critically Endangered.

A species is considered Critically Endangered by the ICUN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) if it meets certain criteria, such as a reduction in the population of 90 per cent within a decade, the population range is severely limited or fragmented, or the population is under 50 indivuduals.

Species are listed as Critically Endangered on Australia’s own Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC), but due to the administration of the listing process and the state of research of some species, the lists do not exactly match.

Australian Geographic has compiled a list of Critically Endangered Australian animals from these two lists.

The IUCN Red List includes these Critically Endangered Australian animals:
10 Mammals
4 Birds
13 Fishes
7 Reptiles
15 Amphibians
37 Arthropods

The EPBC lists these Critically Endangered Australian Animals:
8 Mammals
16 Birds
8 Fishes
9 Reptiles
5 Amphibians
23 Arthropods

Species below are listed as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List# or the EPBC Act+

Critically endangered mammals

  • Bettongia penicillata (woylie) #
  • Burramys parvus (mountain pygmy possum) #
  • Gymnobelideus leadbeateri I (Leadbeater’s possum) +
  • Lasiorhinus krefftii (Queensland/northern hairy-nosed wombat) #
  • Leporillus apicalis (white-tipped stick-nest rat) #
  • Melomys rubicola (bramble cay mosaic-tailed rat) #  (update: Extinct)
  • Miniopterus orianae bassanii +
  • Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii (southern bent-wing bat) +
  • Nyctophilus howensis (Lord Howe long-eared bat) #
  • Pipistrellus murrayi (Christmas Island pipistrelle) +
  • Potorous gilbertii (Gilbert’s potoroo) #+
  • Pteropus melanotus natalis (Christmas Island flying-fox) +
  • Pteropus natalis (Christmas Island Flying-fox) +
  • Saccolaimus saccolaimus nudicluniatus (bare-rumped sheathtail bat) +
  • Sminthopsis aitkeni (Kangaroo Island dunnart) #
  • Zyzomys palatalis (Carpentarian rock rat) #
  • Zyzomys pedunculatus (Macdonnell Range rock rat) #

Critically endangered birds

  • Acanthornis magna greeniana (scrubit, King Island) +
  • Anthochaera phrygia (Regent Honeyeater) +
  • Amytornis modestus obscurior (Thick-billed Grasswren) +
  • Calidris ferruginea (Curlew Sandpiper) +
  • Calidris tenuirostris (Great Knot) +
  • Cinclosoma punctatum anachoreta (spotted quail-thrush, Mt Lofty Ranges) +
  • Epthianura crocea macgregori (yellow chat, Dawson) +
  • Fregata andrewsi (Christmas Island frigatebird) #
  • Lathamus discolor (Swift Parrot) +
  • Lichenostomus melanops cassidix (helmeted honeyeater) +
  • Limosa lapponica menzbieri (bar-tailed godwit) +
  • Numenius madagascariensis (eastern curlew) +
  • Neophema chrysogaster (orange-bellied Parrot) #+
  • Pedionomus torquatus (Plains-wanderer)
  • Pezoporus flaviventris (western ground parrot, Kyloring) +
  • Pseudobulweria becki (Beck’s petrel) #
  • Pterodroma arminjoniana s. str. (Round Island petel/Trunidade petrel) +
  • Pterodroma heraldica (hearld petrel) +
  • Xanthomyza phrygia (regent honeyeater) #

Critically endangered reptiles

  • Aipysurus apraefrontalis (short-nosed sea snake) #+
  • Aipysurus foliosquama (leaf-scaled sea snake) #+
  • Aprasia aurita (eared worm-lizard) #
  • Cryptoblepharus egeriae (Christmas Island blue-tailed skink) +
  • Elseya albagula (Southern Snapping Turtle) +
  • Emoia nativitatis (Christmas Island forest skink/whiptail skink) +
  • Lepidodactylus listeri (Christmas Island gecko/Lister’s gecko) +
  • Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill turtle) #
  • Lerista allanae (Allan’s lerista) #
  • Nangura spinosa (Nangur spiny skink) +
  • Phyllurus gulbaru#+
  • Pseudemydura umbrina (western swamp tortoise) #+

Critically endangered amphibians

  • Cophixalus concinnus (beautiful nursery-frog) #
  • Geocrinia alba (white-bellied frog) #
  • Litoria booroolongensis (Booroolong frog) #
  • Litoria castanea (yellow-spotted tree frog) #
  • Litoria lorica (armoured mistfrog) #+
  • Litoria myola#
  • Litoria nyakalensis (mountain mistfrog) #+
  • Litoria piperata (peppered tree frog) #
  • Litoria spenceri (spotted treefrog) #
  • Philoria frosti (Baw Baw frog) #
  • Pseudophryne corroboree (southern corroboree frog) #+
  • Pseudophryne pengilleyi (northern corroboree frog) +
  • Taudactylus acutirostris (sharp snouted day frog) #
  • Taudactylus eungellensis (Eungella torrent frog) #
  • Taudactylus pleione (Kroombit tinker frog) #+
  • Taudactylus rheophilus (northern tinker frog) #

Critically endangered arthropods

  • Acizzia veski (Vesk’s plant-louse) #
  • Austrocordulia leonardi (Sydney Hawk) #
  • Cherax leckii #
  • Cherax tenuimanus (hairy marron/Margaret River marron) #+
  • Dryococelus australis (Lord Howe Island stick-insect/phasmid) #+
  • Edwardsina tasmaniensis (Tasmanian torrent midge) #
  • Engaeus granulatus (central north burrowing crayfish) #
  • Engaeus mallacoota (Mallacoota burrowing crayfish) #
  • Engaewa pseudoreducta (Margaret River burrowing crayfish) #+
  • Engaewa reducta (Dunsborough burrowing crayfish) +
  • Engaeus spinicaudatus (Scottsdale burrowing crayfish) #
  • Engaeus sternalis (Warragul burrowing crayfish) #
  • Euastacus bindai#(crayfish)
  • Euastacus clarkae#
  • Euastacus dalagarbe#
  • Euastacus dharawalus#
  • Euastacus eungella#
  • Euastacus gamilaroi#
  • Euastacus girurmulayn#
  • Euastacus guruhgi#
  • Euastacus guwinus#
  • Euastacus jagabar#
  • Euastacus jagara#
  • Euastacus maidae#
  • Euastacus mirangudjin (ochre-bellied crayfish) #
  • Euastacus monteithorum#
  • Euastacus robertsi#
  • Euastacus setosus#
  • Euastacus yigara#
  • Hemisaga elongate#
  • Hoplogonus bornemisszai (Bornemissza’s stag beetle) +
  • Ixalodectes flectocercus#
  • Leioproctus douglasiellus+
  • Leptopalaemon glabrus#
  • Micropathus kiernani (Francistown cave cricket or southern sandstone cave cricket) +
  • Nanodectes bulbicercus#
  • Neopasiphae simplicior+
  • Nothomyrmecia macrops (Australian dinosaur ant) #
  • Ombrastacoides denisoni#
  • Ombrastacoides parvicaudatus#
  • Pachysaga strobila#
  • Schayera baiulus#
  • Synemon plana (golden sun moth) +

Critically endangered fish

  • Bidyanus bidyanus (silver perch)+
  • Brachionichthys hirsutus (spotted handfish)# +
  • Carcharias taurus (grey nurse shark, east coast population) +
  • Chlamydogobius micropterus (Elizabeth Springs goby) #
  • Chlamydogobius squamigenus (Edgbaston goby) #
  • Galaxias fontanus (swan galaxias ) #
  • Galaxias fuscus (barred galaxias) #
  • Galaxias johnstoni (Clarence galaxias) #
  • Galaxias pedderensis (Pedder galaxias) #
  • Galaxias truttaceus hesperius (spotted galaxias) +
  • Galaxias rostratus (Flathead Galaxias) +
  • Glyphis garricki (northern river shark) #
  • Glyphis glyphis (speartooth shark) +
  • Maccullochella peelii (murray river cod) #
  • Pristis pristis (largetooth sawfish) #
  • Pristis zijsron (olive sawfish) #
  • Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis (red-finned blue-eye) #
  • Stiphodon semoni (opal cling goby) +
  • Thunnus maccoyii (southern bluefin tuna) #
  • Thymichthys politus (red handfish) + 

Critically endangered molluscs

  • Adclarkia dawsonensis (Boggonmoss snail/Dawson Valley snail) +
  • Advena campbellii (Campbells helicarionid land snail) +
  • Discocharopa vigens+
  • Gudeoconcha sophiae magnifica (magnificant heliocarionid land snail) +
  • Hyridella glenelgensis (Glenelg freshwater mussel) +
  • Mathewsoconcha grayi ms (Gray’s helicarionid land snail) +
  • Mathewsoconcha phillipii (Phillip Island Helicarionid Land Snail) +
  • Mathewsoconcha suteri+
  • Mystivagor mastersi (Masters’ charopid land snail) +
  • Ordtrachia septentrionalis (Rosewood Keeled Snail) +
  • Pseudocharopa ledgbirdi (Mount Lidgebird charopid land snail) +
  • Pseudocharopa whiteleggei (Whitelegge’s land snail) +
  • Quintalia stoddartii (Stoddart’s helicarionid land snail) +
  • Thersites mitchellae (Mitchell’s rainforest snail) +

Critically endangered echinoderms

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