Threatened fauna of Australia are those species and subspecies of birds, fish, frogs, insects, mammals, molluscs, crustaceans, and reptiles to be found in Australia that are in danger of becoming extinct. This article lists species classified as threatened species under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Background Based on the list of Australian animals extinct in the Holocene, about 33 mammals (27 from the mainland, including the thylacine), 24 birds (three from the mainland), one reptile, and three frog species or subspecies are strongly believed to have become extinct in Australia during the Holocene epoch. These figures exclude dubious taxa like the Roper River scrub robin (Drymodes superciliaris colcloughi) and possibly extinct taxa like the Christmas Island shrew (Crocidura trichura).
An online database of threatened mammals launched on 22 April 2020 reported that there had been a decline of more than a third of threatened mammal numbers in the past 20 years, but the data also show that targeted conservation efforts are working. The Threatened Mammal Index "contains population trends for 57 of Australia's threatened or near-threatened terrestrial and marine mammal species".
A study published in Biological Conservation in March 2023 listed 23 species which the authors considered to no longer meet the criteria as threatened species under the EPBC Act. The team, led by John Woinarski of Charles Darwin University, looked at all species listed as threatened under the act in 2000 and 2022. There was one fish (Murray cod) and one reptile (Flinders Ranges worm-lizard) on the list, along with fifteen mammals, eight birds, and four frogs.
Threatened species legislation The list of species below includes those proclaimed under the Australian federal EPBC Act. The classifications are based on those used by the World Conservation Union (IUCN); however, IUCN and Australian rankings do differ. Each state and territory also has its own legislation relating to environmental protection.
Federal legislation Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) and Regulations set up a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and culturally significant places.
State legislation
Threatened species in Australia are protected by, or affected by, four main types of legislation: Protected areas legislation (e.g., National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW)) Threatened species legislation (e.g. Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW), Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 (Tas)) Native vegetation conservation laws Fisheries legislation
List of species Extinct in the wild One fish is listed as extinct in the wild. Pedder galaxias, Galaxias pedderensis
Critically endangered Five mammals, six birds, two reptiles, three fish and five other species are listed as critically endangered.
Invertebrates Amphipod crustacean Austrogammarus australis Freshwater snail Beddomeia tumida Boggomoss snail, Dawson Valley snail, Adclarkia dawsonensis Margaret River hairy marron, Cherax tenuimanus Lord Howe Island stick insect, Dryococelus australis Golden sun moth, Synemon plana Mitchell's rainforest snail, Thersites mitchellae
Fish Grey nurse shark, Carcharias taurus - east coast population Western trout minnow, western trout galaxias, Galaxias truttaceus hesperius Speartooth shark, Glyphis glyphis Opal cling goby, Stiphodon semoni
Reptiles Western swamp tortoise, Pseudemydura umbrina Leathery turtle, leatherback turtle, luth, Dermochelys coriacea
Birds Scrubtit (King Island subspecies), Acanthornis magnus greenianus Spotted quail-thrush (Mt Lofty Ranges subspecies), Cinclosoma punctatum anachoreta Yellow chat (Dawson subspecies), Epthianura crocea macgregori Orange-bellied parrot, Neophema chrysogaster Round Island petrel, Pterodroma arminjoniana Herald petrel, Pterodroma heraldica
Mammals Gilbert's potoroo, Potorous gilbertii Bare-rumped sheathtail bat, Saccolaimus saccolaimus nudicluniatus Southern bent-wing bat, Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii Leadbeater's possum, Gymnobelideus leadbeateri Endangered Thirty-four mammals, thirty-eight birds, eleven reptiles, eighteen frogs, sixteen fishes and eleven other species are listed as endangered.
Invertebrates Desert sand-skipper, aestiva skipper, Croitana aestiva Central North burrowing crayfish, Engaeus granulatus Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish, Astacopsis gouldi Furneaux burrowing crayfish, Engaeus martigener Scottsdale burrowing crayfish, Engaeus spinicaudatus Gove crow butterfly, Euploea alcathoe enastri Broad-toothed stag beetle, Wielangta stag beetle, Lissotes latidens Freshwater snail, Beddomeia capensis Land snail Mesodontrachia fitzroyana Lord Howe placostylus, Lord Howe flax snail, Placostylus bivaricosus Land snail Semotrachia euzyga Land snail Sinumelon bednalli Moth Phyllodes imperialis (southern subspecies)
Fish
Spotted handfish, spotted-hand fish, Brachionichthys hirsutus Elizabeth Springs goby, Chlamydogobius micropterus Golden galaxias, Galaxias auratus Swan galaxias, Galaxias fontanus Barred galaxias, Galaxias fuscus Clarence galaxias, Galaxias johnstoni Northern river shark, New Guinea river shark, Glyphis garricki Clarence River cod, eastern freshwater cod, Maccullochella ikei Trout cod, Maccullochella macquariensis Mary River cod, Maccullochella peelii mariensis Macquarie perch, Macquaria australasica Lake Eacham rainbowfish, Melanotaenia eachamensis Oxleyan pygmy perch, Nannoperca oxleyana Arthurs paragalaxias, Paragalaxias mesotes Maugean skate, Port Davey skate, Zearaja maugeana Redfin blue-eye, Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis
Amphibians
White-bellied frog, creek frog, Geocrinia alba Yellow-spotted tree frog, yellow-spotted bell frog, Litoria castanea Armoured mistfrog, Litoria lorica Waterfall frog, torrent tree frog, Litoria nannotis Mountain mistfrog, Litoria nyakalensis Spotted tree frog, Litoria spenceri Fleay's frog, Mixophyes fleayi Southern barred frog, giant barred frog, Mixophyes iteratus Lace-eyed tree frog, Australian lace-lid, Nyctimystes dayi Baw Baw frog, Philoria frosti Southern corroboree frog, Pseudophryne corroboree Sunset frog, Spicospina flammocaerulea Eungella day frog, Taudactylus eungellensis Tinkling frog, Taudactylus rheophilus Booroolong frog, Litoria booroolongensis
Reptiles
Loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta Yellow-snouted ground gecko, Diplodactylus occultus Arnhem Land Gorges skink, Bellatorias obiri Slater's skink, floodplain skink, Egernia slateri slateri Western spiny-tailed skink, Egernia stokesii badia Gulf snapping turtle, Elusor lavarackorum Mary River tortoise, Elusor macrurus Blue Mountains water skink, Eulamprus leuraensis Corangamite water skink, Eulamprus tympanum marnieae Pacific ridley, olive ridley, Lepidochelys olivacea Allan's lerista, retro slider, Lerista allanae Pygmy blue-tongue lizard, Adelaide blue-tongue lizard, Tiliqua adelaidensis Grassland earless dragon, Tympanocryptis lineata pinguicolla Mary River turtle
Birds
Brown thornbill (King Island subspecies), Acanthiza pusilla archibaldi Christmas Island goshawk, Accipiter fasciatus natalis Wedge-tailed eagle (Tasmanian subspecies), Aquila audax fleayi Red-tailed black-cockatoo (south-eastern subspecies), Calyptorhynchus banksii graptogyne Glossy black-cockatoo (South Australian and Kangaroo Island subspecies), Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus Carnaby's black cockatoo, short-billed black cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus latirostris Southern cassowary (Australian subspecies), Casuarius casuarius johnsonii Common emerald dove (Christmas Island subspecies), Chalcophaps indica natalis Norfolk Island green parrot (formerly the Norfolk Island subspecies of the red-fronted parakeet), Cyanoramphus cookii Coxen's fig parrot, Cyclopsitta diophthalma coxeni
Eastern bristlebird, Dasyornis brachypterus Amsterdam albatross, Diomedea amsterdamensis Tristan albatross, Diomedea dabbenena Northern royal albatross, Diomedea sanfordi Gouldian finch, Erythrura gouldiae Buff-banded rail (Cocos (Keeling) Islands subspecies), Gallirallus philippensis andrewsi Chestnut-rumped heathwren (Mt Lofty Ranges subspecies), Hylacola pyrrhopygia parkeri Swift parrot, Lathamus discolor Helmeted honeyeater, Lichenostomus melanops cassidix Southern giant-petrel, Macronectes giganteus Black-eared miner, Manorina melanotis Hooded robin (Tiwi Islands subspecies), Melanodryas cucullata melvillensis Star finch (eastern and southern subspecies), Neochmia ruficauda ruficauda Norfolk Island boobook, Ninox novaeseelandiae undulata Forty-spotted pardalote, Pardalotus quadragintus Night parrot, Pezoporus occidentalis Western ground parrot, Pezoporus flaviventris Black-throated finch (southern subspecies), Poephila cincta cincta Golden-shouldered parrot, Psephotus chrysopterygius Western whipbird (western heath subspecies), Psophodes nigrogularis nigrogularis Gould's petrel (nominate subspecies), Pterodroma leucoptera leucoptera Antarctic tern (New Zealand subspecies), Sterna vittata bethunei Southern emu-wren (Fleurieu Peninsula and Mount Lofty subspecies), Stipiturus malachurus intermedius Abbott's booby, Sula abbotti Chatham albatross, Thalassarche eremita Christmas thrush, Turdus poliocephalus erythropleurus Buff-breasted button-quail, Turnix olivii Masked owl (Tiwi Islands subspecies), Tyto novaehollandiae melvillensis Regent honeyeater, Xanthomyza phrygia
Mammals Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus Julia Creek dunnart, Sminthopsis douglasi Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) Northern bettong, Bettongia tropica Mountain pygmy-possum, Burramys parvus Christmas Island shrew, Crocidura attenuata trichura Ampurta, Dasycercus hillieri Northern quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus Tiger quoll (north Queensland subspecies), Dasyurus maculatus gracilis Tiger quoll (southeastern mainland population), Dasyurus maculatus maculatus
Southern right whale, Eubalaena australis Semon's leaf-nosed bat, greater wart-nosed horseshoe-bat, Hipposideros semoni Southern brown bandicoot, Isoodon obesulus obesulus Rufous hare-wallaby, Lagorchestes hirsutus unnamed subspecies (central mainland form) Northern marsupial mole, Notoryctes caurinus Southern marsupial mole, Notoryctes typhlops Bridled nail-tail wallaby, Onychogalea fraenata Dibbler, Parantechinus apicalis Western barred bandicoot (Shark Bay subspecies), Perameles bougainville bougainville Eastern barred bandicoot, Perameles gunnii unnamed subspecies, mainland Mahogany glider, Petaurus gracilis Proserpine rock-wallaby, Petrogale persephone Red-tailed phascogale, Phascogale calura Long-footed potoroo, Potorous longipes Spotted cuscus, Spilocuscus maculatus Smoky mouse, Pseudomys fumeus Hastings River mouse, Pseudomys oralis Greater large-eared horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus philippinensis (large form) Tasmanian devil Sarcophilus harrisii Kangaroo Island dunnart, Sminthopsis aitkeni Julia Creek dunnart, Sminthopsis douglasi Sandhill dunnart, Sminthopsis psammophila Carpentarian rock rat, Zyzomys palatalis Central rock rat, Zyzomys pedunculatus Northern hairy-nosed wombat Lasiorhinus krefftii
Vulnerable Invertebrates Draculoides bramstokeri Mount Arthur burrowing crayfish, Engaeus orramakunna Burnie burrowing crayfish, Engaeus yabbimunna Lasionectes exleyi, a cave-dwelling remipede crustacean Giant Gippsland earthworm, Megascolides australis Bathurst copper, purple copper, Paralucia spinifera
Fish
Red handfish, Brachionichthys politus Grey nurse shark, Carcharias taurus (west coast population) Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias
Edgbaston goby, Chlamydogobius squamigenus Murray hardyhead, Craterocephalus fluviatilis Swamp galaxias, Galaxias parvus Saddled galaxias, Galaxias tanycephalus Eastern dwarf galaxias, dwarf galaxias, Galaxiella pusilla Murray cod, cod, , Maccullochella peelii Blind gudgeon, Milyeringa veritas Flinders Ranges gudgeon, Mogurnda clivicola