Frogs using cossid moth galleries: an opportunity in Flooded Gum plantations in the New South Wales North Coast bioregion

Surveys of the impact of stem-boring insects were carried out across 14 Flooded Gum Eucalyptus grandis plantations in the New South Wales North Coast bioregion. This paper reports on novel observations made during this work of the Bleating Tree Frog Litoria dentata seeking refuge in cossid moth galleries. On four occasions, frogs were found in Giant Wood Moth Endoxyla cinereus galleries, which occurred in more than 10% of trees in the entire study. The incident of damage caused by a second cossid species, the Culama Wood Moth Culama australis was far lower (0.2%), with only one frog observed in a gallery excavated by this species. These structures make reasonable retreat sites for arboreal frogs because they are generally inaccessible to larger predators by being located off the ground and having narrow entrances.