Saving our Species fact sheets

Explore these fact sheets on some of NSW's threatened species and find out how you can act to secure their future.

Asterolasia buxifolia

Once thought extinct, the endangered Asterolasia buxifolia was rediscovered in 2000, but is known from only one population that hugs the banks of the Lett River east of Lithgow.

  • 12 Apr 2021

Barradam-bang wattle (Acacia meiantha)

The endangered barradam-bang wattle (Acacia meiantha) is an erect and sometimes straggling wattle shrub found within the Central Tablelands.

  • 12 Apr 2021

Barrier Range dragon (Ctenophorus mirrityana)

The Barrier Range dragon is an endangered lizard restricted to rocky outcrops in ranges and gorges in three remote sites near Mutawintji National Park and Broken Hill in western New South Wales.

  • 12 Apr 2021

Bellinger River snapping turtle

The Bellingen River snapping turtle is only found in a 60-kilometre stretch of the Bellinger River in Northern NSW.

  • 15 Sep 2021

Booroolong frog (Litoria booroolongensis)

The endangered Booroolong frog lives along permanent rocky streams that only ever dry to pools and can experience large annual fluctuations in abundance, depending on stream flows.

  • 12 Apr 2021

Buttercup doubletail (Diuris aequalis)

The buttercup doubletail is an endangered, terrestrial orchid found in forests and woodlands near the Great Dividing Range on the NSW Southern and Central tablelands.

  • 01 Aug 2018

Denman pomaderris

The Denman pomaderris is only found in a ridgeline near Denman in the upper Hunter Valley.

  • 22 Oct 2020

Giant dragonfly fact sheet

In New South Wales, the giant dragonfly is distributed in patches of peat swamp habitats, many of which are threatened.

  • 13 Feb 2020

Glossy black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami)

The glossy black-cockatoo is the smallest of the black cockatoos.

  • 01 Aug 2018

Granite zieria (Zieria obcordata)

The endangered granite zieria (Zieria obcordata) is found in only two places and is extremely sensitive to grazing and browsing disturbances by domestic stock and native herbivores such as wallabies.

  • 12 Apr 2021

Grey grasswren (Amytornis barbatus barbatus)

The endangered grey grasswren is a small elusive pale bird, which lives within dense shrubs and grasses on the swamp flood-plain of the Bulloo River drainage system in north-western New South Wales.

  • 12 Apr 2021

Long-nosed potoroo (Potorous tridactylus)

In the words of Charles Darwin, the long-nosed potoroo is "an animal, as big as a rabbit, but with the figure of a kangaroo”.

  • 01 Aug 2018

Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata)

The endangered Malleefowl is a large bird, which is limited to areas of inland semi-arid scrub. They prefer a dry environment and build large mounds from earth, sand and leaf litter.

  • 12 Apr 2021

Manning yellow solanum fact sheet

The Manning yellow solanum (Solanum sulphureum) is an endangered perennial shrub, with known populations confined to lowland rainforest and wet sclerophyll areas in the Taree – Wingham region, on the mid north coast of New South Wales.

  • 13 Feb 2020

Merimbula star-hair (Astrotricha sp. wallagaraugh)

The Merimbula star-hair is a single or multi-stemmed shrub growing up to 1 metre tall, though occasionally taller.

  • 01 Aug 2018

Mountain trachymene (Trachymene scapigera)

This endangered herb is small, growing up to 20 centimetres in height, and producing flowerheads that can reach 30 centimetres. It is found on the Central Tablelands south east of Oberon, New South Wales.

  • 12 Apr 2021

Nielsen Park she oak fact sheet

In 1986 a new species of plant was discovered in Nielsen Park, Sydney Harbour National Park, and was named the Nielsen Park she-oak.

  • 13 Feb 2020

Pultenaea sp. Genowlan Point

This critically endangered species, also called ‘Genowlan pea', was unknown to science before 1997, and is now known from a single tiny population north of Lithgow.

  • 12 Apr 2021

Purple copper butterfly (Paralucia spinifera)

The endangered purple copper butterfly is one of Australia's rarest butterfly species. It is found only in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales.

  • 12 Apr 2021

Red-lored whistler fact sheet

The critically endangered red-lored whistler is a small cryptic songbird that is found in and around Round Hill and Nombinnie nature reserves in central New South Wales.

  • 16 Dec 2020

Scarlet robin (Petroica boodang)

The gorgeous scarlet robin is a small insectivorous bird, 13 centimetres long, and is one of Australia’s 3 red-breasted robins.

  • 01 Aug 2018

Small purple-pea (Swainsona recta)

The small purple-pea is a slender, erect perennial herb that grows to around 30 centimetres tall.

  • 01 Aug 2018

Spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus)

The spotted-tailed quoll, or tiger quoll, is mainland Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial.

  • 12 Oct 2020

Superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii)

The stunning superb parrot is a bright green parrot with a long, narrow tail, sharply back-angled wings and an aerodynamic body for fast flight.

  • 01 Aug 2018

Tumut grevillea (Grevillea wilkinsonii)

The Tumut grevillea is a large spreading shrub that grows up to 2.5 metres tall.

  • 01 Aug 2018

Villous mint bush fact sheet

Villous mint bush grows in sclerophyll forest and shrubland on coastal headlands and near coastal ranges, chiefly on sandstone, and rocky slopes near the sea.

  • 13 Feb 2020