The butterfly fauna of the Pilliga Forest, a large woodland remnant in the Brigalow Belt South bioregion in northern inland New South Wales, Australia

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
Michael J. Murphy

Sixty-three butterfly species representing five families have been recorded from the Pilliga Forest in northern inland New South Wales – the largest surviving remnant of native forest on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range. This is one of the richest recorded butterfly faunas of any location on the New South Wales western slopes and adjacent plains, reflecting the location of the Pilliga Forest in a biogeographic overlap zone between northern and southern faunal assemblages with proximity to both the western plains and outliers of the mesic eastern highlands. No narrow-range endemic species or species of state or national conservation concern were recorded; however, half of the species recorded have patchy, discontinuous distributions within their broad range due to specific habitat requirements. Some minor western range extensions are recorded and two hilltopping sites are documented. This study highlights the significant biodiversity conservation value of the Pilliga Forest in the predominantly cleared western slopes bioregions.

1982 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 139 ◽  
Author(s):  
WM Blowes ◽  
WA Heather ◽  
N Malajczuk ◽  
SR Shea

Native forest at Durras in south-eastern New South Wales and Jarrahdale in south-western Western Australia was examined for the presence of Phytophthora cinnamomi by two sampling and isolation techniques. With the lupin seeding baiting technique, randomly selected samples of soil and fine roots collected from the New South Wales site yielded P. cinnamomi when baited, while similar baiting of comparable samples from Western Australia failed. Direct plating of samples of upper roots and root collars of recently dead Banksia grandis from Western Australian sites yielded P. cinnamomi, while this organism was not isolated from comparable samples of chlorotic Macrozamia communis collected at the New South Wales site. The results suggest that the form of occurrence of P. cinnamomi and its association with disease in Australia vary in different situations. Viewing each situation independently might ensure the adoption of control/prevention strategies appropriate to all.


1977 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 281 ◽  
Author(s):  
PV Driscoll

Bird counts were taken in Feb., March and July 1975 in 4 native habitats, ranging from wet sclerophyll Eucalyptus forest to mallee (E. stricta)-heath on the Boyd Plateau, and two Pinus radiata habitats (20 yr and 40 yr) in the Jenolan State Forest, New South Wales, Australia. In each season the number of birds and the number of species was highest in the native forest habitats, lower in the pine habitats and least in the mallee-heath. The composition of native forest, pine forest, and mallee-heath bird communities shows considerable differences.


2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael F. Braby ◽  
Ted D. Edwards

Thirty-three species of butterflies are recorded from the Griffith district in the semi-arid zone of inland southern New South Wales. The butterfly community comprises the following structure: 19 species (58%) are resident; 7 (21 %) are regular immigrants; 2 (6%) are irregular immigrants; 5 (15%) are vagrants. Except for a few migratory species, most occur in relatively low abundance. Lack of similar studies elsewhere in western New South Wales precludes generalizations regarding the species richness, composition and structure of semi-arid butterfly communities. Comparison of the butterfly fauna with that from five other inland regions on the slopes and foothills of the Great Diving Range, revealed that the Griffith district is most similar in species richness and composition to that of Deniliquin and to a lesser extent Wagga Wagga and Cowra in the south, than with two regions in the higher summer rainfall area of the north of the State (Coonabarabran-Mendooran, Narrabri-Bellata). Overall, the butterfly fauna of inland New South Wales (total of 73 species, of which 49 occur in the southern regions) is depauperate compared with that recorded from the coastal/subcoastal areas east of the Great Dividing Range. Attention is drawn to the conservation significance of several vegetation types and habitat remnants in the Griffith district. Much of the native vegetation in the district has been extensively modified since European settlement due to excessive clearing for agriculture, resulting in a highly fragmented landscape for the conservation of native flora and fauna. With the exception of the lycaenid Candalides hyacinthinus Simplex, which is considered threatened locally, there is a general absence of narrow range endemic butterflies associated with mallee-heathland or mallee-woodland, possibly as a result of widespread land clearing practices of mallee vegetation in the past.


1991 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
GN Curry

Data were collected in summer and winter in a 15-year-old plantation of Pinus taeda, at Clouds Creek, north-eastern New South Wales. In summer, diversity and abundance of bird species declined over a distance of 900 m into the plantation. However, in winter this progressive decline in bird densities was limited to within the first 200 m of the plantation periphery. At greater distances into the plantation, the floristic and structural characteristics of the vegetation (including windrows) were of more importance than the proximity of the plantation edge in accounting for variations in the abundance and diversity of birds. Food for insectivorous birds (the dominant feeding guild) is probably restricted in the plantation because few local species of invertebrates are likely to be adapted to living on exotic pines; invertebrate mobility as well as abundance is probably less in winter, so that fewer invertebrates enter the plantation from adjacent native forest. Windrows are an important habitat feature contributing to the diversity and abundance of birds within plantations, probably serving as 'corridors' through the alien habitat of exotic pines, thus enabling birds to range further into plantations. For approximately 40 per cent of the plantation life cycle, the influence of proximity of plantation edge on diversity and abundance of bird species is probably of limited importance, particularly in winter. Reducing plantation size in order to increase the diversity and abundance of bird species is not realistic, because plantations would have to be very small. Instead, emphasis should be placed on increasing the structural and floristic diversity of plantations by creating a broad range of successional stages throughout the plantation complex, by enhancing the habitat value of windrows, and by retaining native vegetation within and near plantations.


1993 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.R. Dickman ◽  
R.L. Pressey ◽  
L. Lim ◽  
H.E. Parnaby

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
GR Gillespie ◽  
GJ Hollis

An extensive survey of the distribution and abundance of the spotted tree frog, Litoria spenceri, was conducted throughout its range in the Central and Eastern Highlands of Victoria and parts of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory between November 1991 and April 1994. Of the 64 streams surveyed, Litoria spenceri was recorded along 16, 15 in Victoria and one in New South Wales. The species was located along six streams in which it had not been recorded before, but could not be found along four streams in which it had previously been recorded. The survey failed to detect L. spenceri at historical sites on four other streams but located it elsewhere along those streams. Frogs were located predominantly in association with rocky banks adjacent to fast flowing water. Most populations occurred in dissected mountainous country, generally in areas with limited access and disturbance. Analysis of disturbance histories at individual sites and within catchments supporting the species indicates an association between the contraction in distribution and a number of human disturbances to forest and riparian habitats.


Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 3005 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
MATTHEW J. COLLOFF

The Nothridae of Australia hitherto consisted of the semi-cosmopolitan Nothrus anauniensis, Novonothrus flagellatus and an un-named Novonothrus species. This paper contains additional records of N. anauniensis and descriptions of five new species of Novonothrus, including immatures (N. barringtonensis sp. nov., N. coronospinosus sp. nov., N. glabriseta sp. nov., N. nothofagii sp. nov. and N. silvanus sp. nov.), a genus known from Australia, New Zealand and Chile. A key to Novonothrus is provided and the genus redefined. A second species of Trichonothrus (T. hallidayi sp. nov.), is described, representing a new generic record for Australia: Trichonothrus was previously known only from South Africa. Supplementary descriptions are given for Novonothrus flagellatus Hammer, 1966 and Trichonothrus austroafricanus Mahunka, 1986. The Australian record of the former species is based on a misidentification of the species described herein as N. glabriseta sp. nov. and N. flagellatus appears to be confined to New Zealand. Three species groups are proposed for Novonothrus: Barringtonensis (N. barringtonensis, N. nothofagii and N. silvanus) from central New South Wales and Victoria; Puyehue (N. glabriseta from Tasmania, N. puyehue, N. covarrubiasi and N. kethleyi from Valdivian temperate rain forest in Chile) and Flagellatus (N. coronospinosus from northern New South Wales and N. flagellatus from native forest, including Nothofagus, in New Zealand). Novonothrus and Trichonothrus show a relict Gondwanan distribution and are associated with indigenous wet forests. In Australia, members of these genera have been recorded mostly from cool tem-perate Nothofagus rain forest. The relatively high diversity of sexual species of Nothrina in Australian temperate rain forests is contrasted with high diversity of thelytokous parthenogenetic species in temperate Northern Hemisphere localities and is discussed in relation to differences in palaeoclimate and environmental history.


2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Aenishaenslin ◽  
Kate Convery ◽  
Basil Gua ◽  
Mia Spain ◽  
Lee Tunstall

1977 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 233 ◽  
Author(s):  
JL Barnett ◽  
RA How ◽  
WF Humphreys

Populations of small mammals were examined in a 6 yr Pinus taeda plantation (extended to include similar age P. radiata) and adjacent native rain forest in north-east New South Wales, Australia. Of the 6 species trapped, Rattus fuscipes was the only one with viable populations in both vegetation types. R. lutreolus, R. rattus and Mus musculus were restricted to the plantation; Melomys cervinipes and Antechinus stuartii (except for a few individuals) were confined to the native forest.


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