In 1935 the Bufo marinus, known in Brazil as the “cururu” frog, was introduced into Australia as a biological controller of two species of beetle that were causing serious damage to champagne crops. The scheme was not carried out properly and resulted in a breakdown in biological control, but the favourable climate and the existence of only a small number of natural predators transformed this species into a plague. Because the frog is poisonous, some species of lizard and snake that eat them have shown a sharp decline in their populations in certain areas.
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