Biodiversity of intertidal marine flatworms (Polycladida, Platyhelminthes) in southeastern Australia

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5024 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-63
Author(s):  
JORGE RODRÍGUEZ ◽  
PAT A. HUTCHINGS ◽  
JANE E. WILLIAMSON
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequences ◽  
New South ◽  
Marine Biota ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Marine Fauna ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Molecular Sequencing ◽  
Insight Into

Flatworms of the Order Polycladida are a group of free-living invertebrates found in a diversity of marine habitats, with over 800 species described worldwide. Marine flatworms are a conspicuous component of Australia’s marine fauna yet have received little attention. Less than 30 scientific articles have been published on Australian marine flatworms since 1855, of which only nine include species from southeastern Australia. Here, the biodiversity and distribution of species belonging to the Order Polycladida inhabiting intertidal rocky beaches in southeastern Australian waters were identified and analysed. Sampling was conducted at low tide along the coasts of New South Wales and Victoria. Collected samples were serially sectioned for comparative anatomical studies, and tissue was removed from each individual for molecular sequencing and analyses. Both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences were obtained and used as an additional source of evidence for the description of new species as well as providing further insight into the phylogenetic relationships between them. A total of 20 species, six of which are new (e.g., Eulatocestus australis sp. nov.), and a new genus (Parabolia gen. nov.) have been described, as well as two new records for Australia (e.g., Stylochoplana clara Kato, 1937) have been identified increasing our knowledge of this important component of the Australian marine biota.  

Use of products of straw decomposition by N2-fixing (C2H2-reducing) populations of bacteria in three soils from wheat-growing areas

1986 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
MM Roper ◽  
DM Halsall
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogenase Activity ◽  
New South ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Straw Decomposition ◽  
South Wales ◽  
History Of ◽  
Straw Incorporation ◽  
The Difference

The potential for N2 fixation by free-living bacteria using straw as a source of energy was evaluated in three soils (one from Gunnedah and two from Cowra) representative of the wheat belt in New South Wales. All three soils had a history of straw incorporation. The abilities of the respective microbial populations to use a range of carbon sources, including potential products of decomposition of straw, was determined and compared with the size and composition of each population. Neutral to alkaline (pH 7.4) soil of high (51%) clay content from Gunnedah produced higher rates of nitrogenase activity with straw than more acid (pH 5.6) lower (17%) clay containing soil from Cowra (site B). Gunnedah soil also contained a larger population of N2-fixing bacteria which used a broader range of energy sources than soil from either Cowra site B or Cowra site W (pH 5.8, clay content 34%). There was little difference in the composition of the N2-fixing populations in each of the soils except that Azotobacter spp. were absent from the acid Cowra soils. It was concluded that the difference in behaviour of the respective N2-fixing populations was primarily due to the physical characteristics of the soil affecting the numbers and activities of diazotrophic microorganisms. In addition some soil environments failed to support specific organisms.

Ficophagus (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae) from sycones of Ficus subgenus Urostigma, sections Malvanthera and Urostigma, in eastern Australia

Nematology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 627-653
Author(s):  
Kerrie A. Davies ◽  
Faerlie Bartholomaeus ◽  
Dong Mei Li ◽  
Zeng Qi Zhao ◽  
Weimin Ye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Female Tail ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Two New Species ◽  
Morphological Differences ◽  
Tail Tip ◽  
Molecular Sequencing

Summary Ficophagus from collecting trips in eastern Australia, made over 15 years, are summarised and show that species of the genus occurred widely in sycones of Ficus, subgenus Urostigma, section Malvanthera. Two new species (based on morphological differences and molecular sequencing) are described: Ficophagus elizabethae sp. n. from Ficus macrophylla, F. rubiginosa and F. obliqua, and Ficophagus richardi sp. n. from Ficus obliqua; and a morphospecies, Ficophagus Morphospecies malandicus from Ficus obliqua. Ficophagus elizabethae sp. n. is characterised by having the excretory pore (EP) opening from the level of the junction of the conus and shaft of the stylet to that of the knobs, a relatively long procorpus (1.0-2.5 times length of stylet), female tail with an obliquely truncate tail with a hyaline area and a finely to broadly rounded tip which may be mucronate; post-vulval uterine sac (PUS) ca one vulval body diam. (VBD) in length; rose-thorn-shaped spicule with distinct rostrum and prominent condylus; and genital papillae arranged as largest pair adcloacal, second pair posterior to mid-tail length, and third small pair near tail tip; and was collected from Sydney in New South Wales, to Bundaberg in Queensland (QLD). Ficophagus richardi sp. n. is characterised by having the EP opening at the level of the junction of the stylet shaft and conus, a labial cap which is raised around the opening for the stylet; procorpus 0.8-1.7 times length of the stylet, PUS <1 VBD in length, long uterus, and female tail with a V-shaped hyaline area at the bluntly rounded tip; rose-thorn-shaped spicule with a small rostrum and prominent condylus, three pairs genital papillae, first and largest on anterior cloacal lip, second at 70% of tail length measured from cloacal aperture, and third near tip, and was collected from Ban Ban Springs in the south to the Bundaberg region in the mid-north of QLD. In addition, in the absence of pertinent molecular sequences, a morphospecies is described. Ficophagus Morphospecies malandicus is characterised by having the EP opening anterior to the junction of the stylet conus and shaft, procorpus 0.9-2 times length of stylet, a short PUS usually <1 VBD long, short uterus, rose-thorn-shaped spicule with a raised condylus and prominent rostrum, and three pairs of subventral papillae on the tail (one adcloacal, one posterior to mid-tail and one near tail tip); and was collected from the Atherton Tableland, QLD. A table comparing morphological characteristics is provided to help with identification of Ficophagus nematodes from figs of the section Malvanthera in eastern Australia.

scholarly journals Molecular phylogenetics and systematic revision of the south-eastern Australian Helicarionidae (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora)

2017 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel T. Hyman ◽  
Irantzu de la Iglesia Lamborena ◽  
Frank Köhler
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetics ◽  
New South ◽  
Shell Morphology ◽  
The South ◽  
Systematic Revision ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
South Wales ◽  
One New Species

The south-eastern Australian helicarionid clade currently comprises six genera of snails and semislugs united by genital characters, including an epiphallic flagellum that produces a spiraling, spinose spermatophore, the absence of an epiphallic caecum, and the presence of at most a very short vagina. We comprehensively revise the taxonomy of this group based on comparative analyses of key morphological features and mitochondrial markers COI and 16S, revise the placement of several species described recently on the basis of shell morphology alone, and describe new taxa. The snail genus Brevisentis is monophyletic as currently understood, but includes an additional undescribed species from Wollemi National Park, New South Wales. Mysticarion is shown to contain four arboreal semislugs with wide, disjunct ranges, including one new species (Mysticarion obscurior sp. nov.). We synonymise Fastosarion staffordorum with Mysticarion hyalinus. The semislug Desidarion is synonymised with Parmavitrina, and we describe two new species of this genus, P. flavocarinata sp. nov. and P. maculosa sp. nov. The semi-arboreal semislug Cucullarion is herein included in the south-eastern Australian helicarionid clade based on morphological and genetic evidence, despite its more northerly distribution. Two small semislugs so far placed in Peloparion do not group together and a new genus, Ubiquitarion gen. nov., is described for Peloparion iridis. All of these genera, together with the semislug Helicarion (not included here), form a monophyletic radiation endemic to southeastern Australia.

Molecular systematics, morphological analysis, and hybrid crossing identify a third taxon, Aedes (Halaedes) wardangensis sp.nov., of the Aedes (Halaedes) australis species-group (Diptera: Culicidae)

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (7) ◽  
pp. 1236-1246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinhart A Brust ◽  
J William O. Ballard ◽  
Felice Driver ◽  
Diana M Hartley ◽  
Nora J Galway ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Morphological Analysis ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Species Group ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Male Morphology ◽  
Cytochrome Oxidase Ii

Phylogenetic and morphological analyses, male morphology, and hybrid crossing indicate that a population from Wardang Island, South Australia, is distinct from the monophyletic series of populations of Aedes (Halaedes) australis (Erichson) 1842 from Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, and New Zealand. The name Aedes (Halaedes) wardangensis has been assigned to the new species. Phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences from the cytochrome oxidase II and internal transcribed spacer loci support the resurrection of Aedes (Halaedes) ashworthi Edwards, 1921 (Brust and Mahon, 1997). Aedes ashworthi is known only from Western Australia and was found to be infertile when crossed with Ae. wardangensis from South Australia and Ae. australis from New Zealand. The hybrid of Ae. australis from New South Wales × Ae. australis from New Zealand was fertile for three generations, documenting these as conspecific.

"They Know Not What They Do" — on William Rodier and his Mission to Exterminate Rabbits and other Vertebrate Pests

2002 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 431 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Noble ◽  
G. H. Pfitzner
Keyword(s):  
Family Background ◽  
New South ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Informal Knowledge ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Vertebrate Pests ◽  
Late Nineteenth ◽  
The Relationship

William Rodier (1859–1936) became well known throughout much of southeastern Australia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, mainly through the vigour with which he expressed his contentious views on how best to control certain vertebrate pests. Much of his 'plan', particularly in regard to rabbits, was based on his experience as a pastoralist in western New South Wales. In this article, we examine what is known about Rodier's family background, his occupations, preoccupations, and particularly, the effectiveness of his endeavours to convince a largely sceptical public as to the wisdom and practicality of his method for vertebrate pest control. Some of the circulars and flyers printed by Rodier are also reproduced for illustrative purposes. These were designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Rodier Method, especially for controlling the rabbit, perceived by him to be the most serious threat then facing landholders in Australia. Rodier's activities are appraised in light of the relationship then existing between community-based science and more orthodox, academically-based science in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Finally, this relationship is further explored in an historical context by examining the importance attached to local, informal knowledge in contemporary ecological research where landholder collaboration is now often regarded as an integral component.

Hollow formation in eucalypts from temperate forests in southeastern Australia

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 218 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Gibbons ◽  
D. B. Lindenmayer ◽  
S. C. Barry ◽  
M. T. Tanton
Keyword(s):  
Temperate Forest ◽  
Physiological Condition ◽  
New South ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
Tree Hollows ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Standing Trees ◽  
Logged Forest

We examined factors associated with the occurrence of tree hollows in four eucalypt species from temperate forest in southeastern New South Wales and East Gippsland. A total of 1 256 standing trees and 328 felled trees was examined. The proportion of trees containing hollows with small entrances (2-5 cm) was significantly negatively associated with dbh, while the proportion of trees containing hollows with medium (5-10 cm) and large (>10 cm) entrances was positively associated with dbh. There was a significant, but weak, relationship between hollow depth and minimum entrance width that was improved with the addition to the model of the variables branch diameter and branch health. Trees of all sizes and ages contained hollows, although larger and older trees had a higher probability of doing so. For two tree species (Brown Barrel or Cuttail Eucalyptus fastigata and Messmate E. obliqua), the probability of live trees containing hollows remained below 0.5 for stems less than 180 years of age. Un logged forest supported, on average, 22.0 hollowbearing trees per ha ? 18.5% of which were dead trees. For all values of dbh, trees were more likely to contain hollows if either dead or in poor physiological condition, indicating the potential for hollow development to be accelerated in eucalypts by killing or injuring suitably-sized trees.

The decline, response to fire, status and management of the Eastern Bristlebird

1997 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Baker
Keyword(s):  
Nature Reserve ◽  
New South ◽  
Population Monitoring ◽  
Average Density ◽  
Disjunct Distribution ◽  
Habitat Manipulation ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Western Victoria ◽  
Barren Grounds

The Eastern Bristlebird Dasyornis brachypterus is a threatened passerine, endemic to southeastern Australia. It is a cryptic, ground dwelling, semi-flightless inhabitant of dense, fire-prone vegetation and is usually only detected by its calls. The disjunct distribution suggests that they were once more numerous and their population continuous from southern Queensland to western Victoria. Their decline has been documented in historic and recent times. Habitat loss, nest desertion and fire have been implicated in the decline and extinction of local populations. Strongholds for the species are Barren Grounds Nature Reserve and Bherwerre Peninsula, 100 and 150 km south of Sydney respectively. At Barren Grounds, in the absence of recent fire, there were significant increases in the population between 1992 and 1996. There was a trend of increasing Eastern Bristlebird density with increasing fire-age of habitat and average density plateauing at two birds per 5 ha, 10 years after fire. At Nadgee, a coastal Nature Reserve on the New South Wales/Victorian border, the population appears to be recovering very slowly from severe wildfires in 1972 and 1980. At the beginning of 1996 there were less than 2 000 individual Eastern Bristlebirds occupying an area of approximately 100 km2. For the management of Eastern Bristlebirds, habitat manipulation using prescribed fire should not be undertaken unless site-specific population monitoring data demonstrate that it would be beneficial. Concentrations of Eastern Bristlebirds and potential fire refuges should be protected from unplanned fire. For prescription burns, potential escape routes need to be planned for Eastern Bristlebirds. The threatened status should be changed from Vulnerable to Endangered.

Seasonal Field Energetics of the Rufous Rat-Kangaroo (Aepyprymnus-Rufescens)

1992 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 279 ◽  
Author(s):  
IR Wallis ◽  
B Green
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Water Flux ◽  
Behavioural Ecology ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Doubly Labelled Water ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Poor Understanding ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference

Water flux and field metabolic rate (FMR) were measured by the doubly labelled water (DLW) method in free-living male and female rufous rat-kangaroos Aepyprymnus rufescens near Drake in northern New South Wales. The mean FMR of 499 kJ kg-1 day-1 was similar in winter and summer even though the difference in mean minimum temperatures between the two seasons was 20-degrees-C. Furthermore, we did not find any differences in FMR between males and females even though several females carried large pouch young or had young-at-foot. A poor understanding of the diet and the behavioural ecology of A. rufescens makes ft difficult to explain the similarities between sexes and seasons.

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