The breeding ecology of the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii escondidus was studied in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia from the austral spring of 1974 to the end of 1981. The usual clutch was one egg, but 8 of 465 clutches were of two eggs, none of which produced two fledglings. The incubation period was 29 days, similar to that of other species of black cockatoo with similar body mass. The nestling period was 80–84 days, nearly 17% longer than the similarly-sized Carnaby’s Cockatoo C. latirostris. The ages of nestling Red-tailed Black Cockatoos may be estimated by comparison with photographs taken of nestlings of known age or estimated more precisely from the length of the nestling’s folded wing. Aging nestlings enables the calculation of laying and hatching dates.
{"title":"Clutch size, incubation and nestling periods, and age estimation of nestling Red-tailed Black Cockatoos Calyptorhynchus banksii escondidus in the Western Australian wheatbelt","authors":"D. Saunders, R. Cunningham","doi":"10.7882/az.2023.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7882/az.2023.004","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The breeding ecology of the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii escondidus was studied in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia from the austral spring of 1974 to the end of 1981. The usual clutch was one egg, but 8 of 465 clutches were of two eggs, none of which produced two fledglings. The incubation period was 29 days, similar to that of other species of black cockatoo with similar body mass. The nestling period was 80–84 days, nearly 17% longer than the similarly-sized Carnaby’s Cockatoo C. latirostris. The ages of nestling Red-tailed Black Cockatoos may be estimated by comparison with photographs taken of nestlings of known age or estimated more precisely from the length of the nestling’s folded wing. Aging nestlings enables the calculation of laying and hatching dates.","PeriodicalId":35849,"journal":{"name":"Australian Zoologist","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49003736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Yellow-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus (Ptilotula) ornatus is a short-billed honeyeater which has declined in abundance over its range in Western Australia (WA), but remains abundant in the Great Western Woodland (GWW) where this study was conducted. It is also found in southeastern Australia where it occurs mostly in mallee woodlands. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters form colonies from which they exclude small honeyeaters, canopy insectivores, and lerp-feeders; colonies persist for years. Colonies occurred in habitats dominated by different species of eucalypts (Eucalyptus spp), but were structurally similar, with trees of similar size forming a dense canopy, and lacking a shrub layer. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters rely on lerp and honeydew for energy and take arthropods within the colony by gleaning and probing from eucalypts, and opportunistic hawking. Foliage is the most common foraging substrate, but they also probe under bark of live branches and trunks. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters move between patches of nectar-rich flowers outside the colonies, aggregating where eucalypt blossom is abundant. Such movements can be described as locally nomadic and there was no evidence in the GWW of migration or regional scale movements. The proportion of nectar and non-nectar foraging did not differ between years or localities, with half of foraging observations being of nectar-feeding. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters are sensitive to the effects of drought, with less nesting during dry seasons, and colonies abandoning less productive habitats. Nests were spaced over a wide height range, but most were in the lower canopy of eucalypts. Nesting was not synchronous. Their decline can be attributed to the fragmentation and clearing of the most productive habitats in WA for agriculture and urban expansion. Extensive areas of productive forest and woodlands are required to maintain colonies. As a result, Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters are vulnerable to land-clearing and climate change and should be listed as threatened. Currently they are listed as a species of ‘Least Concern’. Conservation of Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters and associated species will only be achieved through protection of extensive areas and corridors of intact forest and woodland, such as the Great Western Woodland in WA.
{"title":"Ecology of Honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) in Western Australian Eucalypt Woodlands II. Yellow-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus (Ptilotula) ornatus","authors":"H. Recher","doi":"10.7882/az.2023.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7882/az.2023.003","url":null,"abstract":"The Yellow-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus (Ptilotula) ornatus is a short-billed honeyeater which has declined in abundance over its range in Western Australia (WA), but remains abundant in the Great Western Woodland (GWW) where this study was conducted. It is also found in southeastern Australia where it occurs mostly in mallee woodlands. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters form colonies from which they exclude small honeyeaters, canopy insectivores, and lerp-feeders; colonies persist for years. Colonies occurred in habitats dominated by different species of eucalypts (Eucalyptus spp), but were structurally similar, with trees of similar size forming a dense canopy, and lacking a shrub layer.\u0000 Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters rely on lerp and honeydew for energy and take arthropods within the colony by gleaning and probing from eucalypts, and opportunistic hawking. Foliage is the most common foraging substrate, but they also probe under bark of live branches and trunks. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters move between patches of nectar-rich flowers outside the colonies, aggregating where eucalypt blossom is abundant. Such movements can be described as locally nomadic and there was no evidence in the GWW of migration or regional scale movements. The proportion of nectar and non-nectar foraging did not differ between years or localities, with half of foraging observations being of nectar-feeding. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters are sensitive to the effects of drought, with less nesting during dry seasons, and colonies abandoning less productive habitats. Nests were spaced over a wide height range, but most were in the lower canopy of eucalypts. Nesting was not synchronous.\u0000 Their decline can be attributed to the fragmentation and clearing of the most productive habitats in WA for agriculture and urban expansion. Extensive areas of productive forest and woodlands are required to maintain colonies. As a result, Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters are vulnerable to land-clearing and climate change and should be listed as threatened. Currently they are listed as a species of ‘Least Concern’. Conservation of Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters and associated species will only be achieved through protection of extensive areas and corridors of intact forest and woodland, such as the Great Western Woodland in WA.","PeriodicalId":35849,"journal":{"name":"Australian Zoologist","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47080901","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. MacGregor, N. Robinson, W. Blanchard, D. Lindenmayer
Dense ground cover and understory can be important as diurnal shelter for terrestrial mammals. Fire can lead to the short-term removal of much of this shelter. Here, we report on the shelter site selection of the Southern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon obesulus obesulus and Long-nosed Bandicoot Perameles nasuta eight months after a wildfire. We analysed the number of shelters, frequency of shelter use, nest size, and shelter site microhabitat. Southern Brown Bandicoots used significantly more shelters than Long-nosed Bandicoots. Both species preferred to use shelters with significantly lower levels of transmitted light than matched control areas. Within the burnt landscape, Southern Brown Bandicoots located their refuges under regrowth eucalypts, whereas Long-nosed Bandicoots showed no preference for any microhabitat. Southern Brown Bandicoots built nests significantly higher above ground than Long-nosed Bandicoots. Nests built in more dense and darker microhabitats were significantly taller than those built in more open habitats. Following fire, the Southern Brown Bandicoot required a more dense groundcover to conceal its taller nests and was able to take advantage of regenerating mallee eucalypts for shelter. Land managers need to be aware that hazard reduction burning in coastal woodland and heath will temporarily deprive Southern Brown Bandicoots of diurnal shelter sites and should, therefore, where practicable, retain patches of unburnt dense undergrowth to ensure a mosaic of different aged habitat and habitat structure.
{"title":"Selection, characteristics, and frequency of use of shelter sites by the Southern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon obesulus obesulus and the Southern Long-nosed Bandicoot Perameles nasuta in a post-fire landscape","authors":"C. MacGregor, N. Robinson, W. Blanchard, D. Lindenmayer","doi":"10.7882/az.2023.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7882/az.2023.002","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Dense ground cover and understory can be important as diurnal shelter for terrestrial mammals. Fire can lead to the short-term removal of much of this shelter. Here, we report on the shelter site selection of the Southern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon obesulus obesulus and Long-nosed Bandicoot Perameles nasuta eight months after a wildfire. We analysed the number of shelters, frequency of shelter use, nest size, and shelter site microhabitat. Southern Brown Bandicoots used significantly more shelters than Long-nosed Bandicoots. Both species preferred to use shelters with significantly lower levels of transmitted light than matched control areas. Within the burnt landscape, Southern Brown Bandicoots located their refuges under regrowth eucalypts, whereas Long-nosed Bandicoots showed no preference for any microhabitat. Southern Brown Bandicoots built nests significantly higher above ground than Long-nosed Bandicoots. Nests built in more dense and darker microhabitats were significantly taller than those built in more open habitats. Following fire, the Southern Brown Bandicoot required a more dense groundcover to conceal its taller nests and was able to take advantage of regenerating mallee eucalypts for shelter. Land managers need to be aware that hazard reduction burning in coastal woodland and heath will temporarily deprive Southern Brown Bandicoots of diurnal shelter sites and should, therefore, where practicable, retain patches of unburnt dense undergrowth to ensure a mosaic of different aged habitat and habitat structure.","PeriodicalId":35849,"journal":{"name":"Australian Zoologist","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49062479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bat departure activity was monitored at a grated cave site where bat windows had been added to the existing grate to improve accessibility for echolocating bats. Eastern Horseshoe-bats Rhinolophus megaphyllus were able to exit and re-enter the grated cave through bat windows measuring 150 mm high × 1270–1330 mm wide. Most of the bats, however, continued to use a 200 mm high × 600 mm wide gap between the top of the grate and the irregularly-shaped cave roof, despite this requiring a more circuitous flight path. The study concluded that the addition of bat windows was a useful but not essential improvement at the site, increasing the number of horizontal fly-through areas available for bats at the cave entry whilst maintaining necessary security.
{"title":"Installation and monitoring of bat windows in a grated roost cave in the Pilliga Forest, northern inland New South Wales, Australia","authors":"M. Murphy","doi":"10.7882/az.2023.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7882/az.2023.001","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Bat departure activity was monitored at a grated cave site where bat windows had been added to the existing grate to improve accessibility for echolocating bats. Eastern Horseshoe-bats Rhinolophus megaphyllus were able to exit and re-enter the grated cave through bat windows measuring 150 mm high × 1270–1330 mm wide. Most of the bats, however, continued to use a 200 mm high × 600 mm wide gap between the top of the grate and the irregularly-shaped cave roof, despite this requiring a more circuitous flight path. The study concluded that the addition of bat windows was a useful but not essential improvement at the site, increasing the number of horizontal fly-through areas available for bats at the cave entry whilst maintaining necessary security.","PeriodicalId":35849,"journal":{"name":"Australian Zoologist","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43510743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. M. Young, K. Kimpton, H.M Cohen, P.T. Burns, K. McLaughlin, P. Banks
Live trapping is a common survey technique used to sample small terrestrial mammal populations, but too often traps are disturbed by non-target species, especially by birds such as corvids, resulting in a considerable waste of survey time and effort. This study aimed to test whether visual cues associated with trapping increased the disturbance rate of traps by birds, which are renowned for their attraction to visual stimuli. We manipulated trap covering (plastic bag, hessian and uncovered traps) in conjunction with the presence and absence of flagging tape, and randomly assigned treatments to traps in 180 locations for checking in either the morning or the evening. The plastic bag cover was the primary cause of disturbance rates with approximately 50% of all traps with plastic bags disturbed compared to uncovered traps (2%) or traps covered in hessian (9%). Flagging and time of day had no effect on the likelihood of disturbance. It is probable that trap-raiding birds may have associated plastic with scavenged foods from nearby picnic areas and sources of rubbish. We suggest that hessian provides a reasonable alternative to plastic bags, giving shelter for trapped animals from rain and exposure while reducing the likelihood of trap attack by birds.
{"title":"Factors affecting bird attacks on small mammal traps","authors":"C. M. Young, K. Kimpton, H.M Cohen, P.T. Burns, K. McLaughlin, P. Banks","doi":"10.7882/az.2022.047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7882/az.2022.047","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Live trapping is a common survey technique used to sample small terrestrial mammal populations, but too often traps are disturbed by non-target species, especially by birds such as corvids, resulting in a considerable waste of survey time and effort. This study aimed to test whether visual cues associated with trapping increased the disturbance rate of traps by birds, which are renowned for their attraction to visual stimuli. We manipulated trap covering (plastic bag, hessian and uncovered traps) in conjunction with the presence and absence of flagging tape, and randomly assigned treatments to traps in 180 locations for checking in either the morning or the evening. The plastic bag cover was the primary cause of disturbance rates with approximately 50% of all traps with plastic bags disturbed compared to uncovered traps (2%) or traps covered in hessian (9%). Flagging and time of day had no effect on the likelihood of disturbance. It is probable that trap-raiding birds may have associated plastic with scavenged foods from nearby picnic areas and sources of rubbish. We suggest that hessian provides a reasonable alternative to plastic bags, giving shelter for trapped animals from rain and exposure while reducing the likelihood of trap attack by birds.","PeriodicalId":35849,"journal":{"name":"Australian Zoologist","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43868668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The most striking feature of monotremes is that they are egg-laying mammals, but this was only accepted by the scientific establishment eight decades after specimens of echidna and platypus were first examined in Europe. Even before the specimens were sent, colonists had been told by Indigenous Australians that the echidna and platypus laid eggs. In this paper I briefly summarise aspects of the significance of monotremes in some mainland Aboriginal cultures, and the attempts by the naturalist George Bennett to discover if platypuses were oviparous. In Tasmania the disruption of Aboriginal culture early in the 19th century meant that there are very few details known of their insights into ecosystems and monotreme biology. Some incidental information was recorded by George Augustus Robinson during his “Friendly Mission”, while what appears to be a previously unremarked presentation at the Royal Society of Van Diemen’s Land in 1849 reveals Aboriginal knowledge of the reproductive behaviour and life history of Tasmanian echidnas not described in the scientific literature until very recently.
单孔目动物最显著的特征是它们是产卵哺乳动物，但这是在欧洲首次检测针叶树和鸭嘴兽标本80年后才被科学机构接受的。甚至在标本被送往之前，澳大利亚原住民就告诉殖民者针针叶树和鸭嘴兽产下了蛋。在这篇论文中，我简要总结了单孔虫在一些大陆原住民文化中的意义，以及博物学家乔治·本内特试图发现鸭嘴兽是否是卵生的。在塔斯马尼亚，19世纪初原住民文化的破坏意味着他们对生态系统和单孔目生物的见解细节很少。乔治·奥古斯都·罗宾逊（George Augustus Robinson）在他的“友好使命”中记录了一些偶然的信息，而1849年在范迪曼土地皇家学会（Royal Society of Van Diemen’s Land）上的一次看似不起眼的演讲揭示了原住民对塔斯马尼亚针叶树繁殖行为和生活史的了解，直到最近科学文献中才有描述。
{"title":"Indigenous Knowledge of Monotreme Oviparity in Tasmania and Mainland Australia: What European Science Refused to Hear","authors":"S. Nicol","doi":"10.7882/az.2022.046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7882/az.2022.046","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The most striking feature of monotremes is that they are egg-laying mammals, but this was only accepted by the scientific establishment eight decades after specimens of echidna and platypus were first examined in Europe. Even before the specimens were sent, colonists had been told by Indigenous Australians that the echidna and platypus laid eggs. In this paper I briefly summarise aspects of the significance of monotremes in some mainland Aboriginal cultures, and the attempts by the naturalist George Bennett to discover if platypuses were oviparous. In Tasmania the disruption of Aboriginal culture early in the 19th century meant that there are very few details known of their insights into ecosystems and monotreme biology. Some incidental information was recorded by George Augustus Robinson during his “Friendly Mission”, while what appears to be a previously unremarked presentation at the Royal Society of Van Diemen’s Land in 1849 reveals Aboriginal knowledge of the reproductive behaviour and life history of Tasmanian echidnas not described in the scientific literature until very recently.","PeriodicalId":35849,"journal":{"name":"Australian Zoologist","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41836534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Surveys for echolocating bats were conducted primarily by harp trapping and echolocation detection in the Shoalhaven region on the south coast region of New South Wales from 1989 to 2021. A total of 399 sites were surveyed by harp trapping and 175 sites through echolocation call detection. Mist nets were used to catch bats at one site in 1989. The survey covered a range of vegetation communities at altitudes that ranged from near sea level to 770m asl. One hundred and seventy-four harp trap sites were within conservation reserves/state forests and the rest were on freehold land. Each site was trapped from 1 - 4 nights for a total of 666 harp trap nights. Sites surveyed electronically were sampled between 1-2 nights for a total of 230 samples of either 30 minutes duration or an entire night. A total of 18 species were captured in harp traps during the survey. The Yellow-bellied Sheath-tailed Bat Saccolaimus flaviventris was observed once during spotlight surveys and detected electronically. The White-striped Free-tailed Bat Austronomus australis was heard echolocating at night and detected electronically. The Little Bent-wing Bat Miniopterus australis was only detected electronically. The highest capture rate was in Jerrawangala National Park where 38 animals consisting of five species were trapped in one trap on a single night. The highest species richness and density was found in tall open forests, especially those along the Illawarra escarpment. Analysis of abundances found that the Little Forest Bat Vespadelus vulturnus was the most common species accounting for 45% of animals trapped. Seven species currently listed under the Biodiversity Conservation Act (2016) were caught and another detected electronically. Those trapped were the Large-eared Pied Bat Chalinolobus dwyeri, Eastern Falsistrelle Falsistrellus tasmaniensis, Golden-tipped Bat Phoniscus papuensis, Eastern Bent-wing Bat Miniopterus orianae oceanensis, Eastern Coastal Free-tailed Bat Micronomus norfolkensis, Large-footed Myotis Myotis macropus and Greater Broad-nosed Bat Scoteanax rueppellii. In addition, the regionally rare Ride’s Free-tailed Bat Ozimops ridei was trapped. The survey provided the first live specimens of Eastern Forest Bat V. pumilus in the south coast region, a range extension of some 260km south of the previous accepted records in the Watagan Mountains. The capture of a Large-eared Pied Bat at Meroo NP represents a southern range extension for this species. Morphometric data are presented plus comments on species habitat preference.
{"title":"Survey of bats on the south coast and ranges of the Shoalhaven region in New South Wales","authors":"G. Daly, G. Hoye","doi":"10.7882/az.2022.042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7882/az.2022.042","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Surveys for echolocating bats were conducted primarily by harp trapping and echolocation detection in the Shoalhaven region on the south coast region of New South Wales from 1989 to 2021. A total of 399 sites were surveyed by harp trapping and 175 sites through echolocation call detection. Mist nets were used to catch bats at one site in 1989. The survey covered a range of vegetation communities at altitudes that ranged from near sea level to 770m asl. One hundred and seventy-four harp trap sites were within conservation reserves/state forests and the rest were on freehold land. Each site was trapped from 1 - 4 nights for a total of 666 harp trap nights. Sites surveyed electronically were sampled between 1-2 nights for a total of 230 samples of either 30 minutes duration or an entire night. A total of 18 species were captured in harp traps during the survey. The Yellow-bellied Sheath-tailed Bat Saccolaimus flaviventris was observed once during spotlight surveys and detected electronically. The White-striped Free-tailed Bat Austronomus australis was heard echolocating at night and detected electronically. The Little Bent-wing Bat Miniopterus australis was only detected electronically. The highest capture rate was in Jerrawangala National Park where 38 animals consisting of five species were trapped in one trap on a single night. The highest species richness and density was found in tall open forests, especially those along the Illawarra escarpment. Analysis of abundances found that the Little Forest Bat Vespadelus vulturnus was the most common species accounting for 45% of animals trapped. Seven species currently listed under the Biodiversity Conservation Act (2016) were caught and another detected electronically. Those trapped were the Large-eared Pied Bat Chalinolobus dwyeri, Eastern Falsistrelle Falsistrellus tasmaniensis, Golden-tipped Bat Phoniscus papuensis, Eastern Bent-wing Bat Miniopterus orianae oceanensis, Eastern Coastal Free-tailed Bat Micronomus norfolkensis, Large-footed Myotis Myotis macropus and Greater Broad-nosed Bat Scoteanax rueppellii. In addition, the regionally rare Ride’s Free-tailed Bat Ozimops ridei was trapped. The survey provided the first live specimens of Eastern Forest Bat V. pumilus in the south coast region, a range extension of some 260km south of the previous accepted records in the Watagan Mountains. The capture of a Large-eared Pied Bat at Meroo NP represents a southern range extension for this species. Morphometric data are presented plus comments on species habitat preference.","PeriodicalId":35849,"journal":{"name":"Australian Zoologist","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49520319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vanessa Pirotta, W. Franklin, Leigh Mansfield, Jodie Lowe, Oskar Peterson
Observations of an all-white humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) along the Australian east coast were first made in 1991 off Byron Bay, Australia. Genetic analysis of tissue samples collected from this individual confirmed this whale to be male and lacking pigmentation as a result of albinism. While there are observations of other predominately white humpback whales, this individual is the only known true white (albino) humpback whale in the Australian east coast population. Due to his unique appearance, this individual has since become known as “Migaloo”, which is a First Nations meaning for “white fella”. In this short note we present the first extensive sighting history of Migaloo collected via scientific and citizen science efforts. This provides evidence of Migaloo’s presence in both Australian and New Zealand waters confirmed through photographic evidence and genetic testing. We also detail gaps in sighting history and highlight variability in the east Australian humpback whale population migration. The collective annual effort to document Migaloo’s presence along the Australian east coast is a unique opportunity to connect a wide community of scientists and non-scientists through whale research. It also highlights variability in whale movement geographically and the potential impact changing oceans might have on this in the future.
{"title":"Sighting records of “Migaloo” the white humpback whale provide evidence of Australian site fidelity and use of New Zealand waters as a migratory route","authors":"Vanessa Pirotta, W. Franklin, Leigh Mansfield, Jodie Lowe, Oskar Peterson","doi":"10.7882/az.2022.043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7882/az.2022.043","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Observations of an all-white humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) along the Australian east coast were first made in 1991 off Byron Bay, Australia. Genetic analysis of tissue samples collected from this individual confirmed this whale to be male and lacking pigmentation as a result of albinism. While there are observations of other predominately white humpback whales, this individual is the only known true white (albino) humpback whale in the Australian east coast population. Due to his unique appearance, this individual has since become known as “Migaloo”, which is a First Nations meaning for “white fella”. In this short note we present the first extensive sighting history of Migaloo collected via scientific and citizen science efforts. This provides evidence of Migaloo’s presence in both Australian and New Zealand waters confirmed through photographic evidence and genetic testing. We also detail gaps in sighting history and highlight variability in the east Australian humpback whale population migration. The collective annual effort to document Migaloo’s presence along the Australian east coast is a unique opportunity to connect a wide community of scientists and non-scientists through whale research. It also highlights variability in whale movement geographically and the potential impact changing oceans might have on this in the future.","PeriodicalId":35849,"journal":{"name":"Australian Zoologist","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43126090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S. Stephenson, T. F. Elliott, K. Elliott, K. Vernes
Little is known about species of myxomycetes associated with vertebrate dung in Australia. In the present study, dung samples of 15 species of mammals (eight marsupials, three native rodents and four domestic or feral eutherians) and a large flightless bird (the southern cassowary, Casuarius casuarius) were collected and processed in 84 moist chamber cultures. Fifty-two percent of these cultures yielded evidence (fruiting bodies and/or plasmodia) of myxomycetes. Eleven species belonging to seven genera were recorded. Licea tenera was the most common species in the study (recorded from 12 moist chamber cultures) and is also a new record for the continent. Perichaena depressa, Didymium difforme and Cribraria violacea were the only other species appearing in at least three cultures. Samples of dung collected from small mammals did not yield any myxomycetes.
{"title":"Myxomycetes associated with Australian vertebrate dung","authors":"S. Stephenson, T. F. Elliott, K. Elliott, K. Vernes","doi":"10.7882/az.2022.041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7882/az.2022.041","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Little is known about species of myxomycetes associated with vertebrate dung in Australia. In the present study, dung samples of 15 species of mammals (eight marsupials, three native rodents and four domestic or feral eutherians) and a large flightless bird (the southern cassowary, Casuarius casuarius) were collected and processed in 84 moist chamber cultures. Fifty-two percent of these cultures yielded evidence (fruiting bodies and/or plasmodia) of myxomycetes. Eleven species belonging to seven genera were recorded. Licea tenera was the most common species in the study (recorded from 12 moist chamber cultures) and is also a new record for the continent. Perichaena depressa, Didymium difforme and Cribraria violacea were the only other species appearing in at least three cultures. Samples of dung collected from small mammals did not yield any myxomycetes.","PeriodicalId":35849,"journal":{"name":"Australian Zoologist","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49610267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The interacting effects of drought and fire on ecological communities are poorly understood. Long-term studies in the Warrumbungle Mountains, central-west New South Wales, subject to drought and fire during the past 21 years, enabled their separate and combined effects to be quantified for individual species and functional groups. Insectivores (especially ground-foragers) dominated previous lists of declining species in this region of NSW and were also prominent in the present work. Insectivores were more likely to be drought- than fire-affected, with seven species declining due to drought, three to drought plus fire, and three to fire alone. Our analyses also revealed declines in a suite of honeyeaters (Meliphagidae), previously not reported as declining. Honeyeaters are major pollinators of eucalypts, so the loss of nectarivores and insectivores has far-reaching implications for pollination, recruitment, successional dynamics, and forest health. Four honeyeater species were adversely affected by drought, five by fire, and one by a combination of drought and fire. Drought and fire, alone or in combination, were implicated in declines of granivores, including the Crimson Rosella Platycercus elegans, and frugivores, especially the Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum, the latter reflecting the loss of mistletoes in fire-affected landscapes, and foreshadowing additional losses due to the reliance on mistletoe by many species. Another group not previously identified as threatened, but declining due to drought were two omnivores, the Pied Currawong Strepera graculina and Australian Raven Corvus coronoides. Hollow-nesting birds including two species of treecreeper and the Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae fared badly. Several common Australian species were among the decliners, including Laughing Kookaburra, Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys and Australian Magpie Cracticus tibicen. We conclude that no suite of birds is exempt from these environmental stressors, and predict that, as droughts reduce populations at regional scales and fires diminish carrying capacity of critical habitats at landscape scales, rarer species will decline to local extinction while more commonly observed species will be reduced in abundance.
{"title":"Interacting impacts of drought and fire on bird populations—insights from a long-term study in the Warrumbungles","authors":"H. Stevens, D. Watson","doi":"10.7882/az.2022.036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7882/az.2022.036","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The interacting effects of drought and fire on ecological communities are poorly understood. Long-term studies in the Warrumbungle Mountains, central-west New South Wales, subject to drought and fire during the past 21 years, enabled their separate and combined effects to be quantified for individual species and functional groups. Insectivores (especially ground-foragers) dominated previous lists of declining species in this region of NSW and were also prominent in the present work. Insectivores were more likely to be drought- than fire-affected, with seven species declining due to drought, three to drought plus fire, and three to fire alone. Our analyses also revealed declines in a suite of honeyeaters (Meliphagidae), previously not reported as declining. Honeyeaters are major pollinators of eucalypts, so the loss of nectarivores and insectivores has far-reaching implications for pollination, recruitment, successional dynamics, and forest health. Four honeyeater species were adversely affected by drought, five by fire, and one by a combination of drought and fire. Drought and fire, alone or in combination, were implicated in declines of granivores, including the Crimson Rosella Platycercus elegans, and frugivores, especially the Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum, the latter reflecting the loss of mistletoes in fire-affected landscapes, and foreshadowing additional losses due to the reliance on mistletoe by many species. Another group not previously identified as threatened, but declining due to drought were two omnivores, the Pied Currawong Strepera graculina and Australian Raven Corvus coronoides. Hollow-nesting birds including two species of treecreeper and the Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae fared badly. Several common Australian species were among the decliners, including Laughing Kookaburra, Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys and Australian Magpie Cracticus tibicen. We conclude that no suite of birds is exempt from these environmental stressors, and predict that, as droughts reduce populations at regional scales and fires diminish carrying capacity of critical habitats at landscape scales, rarer species will decline to local extinction while more commonly observed species will be reduced in abundance.","PeriodicalId":35849,"journal":{"name":"Australian Zoologist","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48344396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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