For 17 years scientists thought Queensland’s armoured mist frog was extinct until a sharp-eyed young PhD student spotted one near Port Douglas.

Experts rated the rediscovery of the well-camouflaged amphibian as one of the most important wildlife finds in decades.

Remarkably, James Cook University student Robert Puschendorf found it in dry eucalypt country on the rugged Carbine Plateau, west of the far north Queensland resort town of Port Douglas, well outside the rainforest country it was thought to inhabit.

His find cut the roll call of presumed extinct Queensland frog species from seven to six in one stroke.

It also has raised hopes for new clues into a fungus that is decimating frogs around the world – the amphibian chytrid fungus.

JCU amphibian expert Ross Alford, who is working with Mr Puschendorf, said the find showed that scientists needed to keep an open mind and not look for species only in places they were known to occur.

“It highlights how important populations are on the edge of a species range,” Professor Alford said. “It’s very exciting. I’ve never had anything like this in my career before.”

The mist frogs were with a population of waterfall frogs.

Both species are in good health, although most are infected with chytrid.

Chytrid was known to be temperature sensitive, which is possibly why the frogs survived in hotter conditions at lower altitude.

Prof Alford said it was critical the State Government moved quickly to protect the frog’s habitat.

It is not known exactly how many of the species exist but they are believed to be in good numbers.

A spokesman for Sustainability Minister Andrew McNamara said national park status for the area was being investigated.

Prof Alford said national parks had to be of reasonable size for species to survive, especially if climate change occurred.

A total of 14 species of frog have been hit by the fungus, which caused extinctions between the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Species on the presumed-extinct list are the southern dayfrog, southern platypus frog, northern platypus frog, mountain mistfrog, northern tinkerfrog and sharp-snouted dayfrog.