A native Archey's frog has tested positive to a killer fungus first found in New Zealand in 1999 in an introduced Australian frog species.
The frog, found dead in the Coromandel area, confirms Department of conservation and frog researchers fears that the fungus could transfer to one or all of the
four native frog species.
Chytrid fungus, one of the causes of a global decline in frog populations since the 1980s had potential to "decimate New Zealand frogs" if it spread, a DOC spokesman said.
Monitoring of the threatened Archey's frogs, found only in the Coromandel and one King Country site, had shown a significant decrease in numbers and the fungus was expected to have been a "significant factor".
DOC, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and frog experts were discussing how to minimise the fungus's impact.
