Owl survey of the Peel–Harvey Estuary in south-western Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham R. Fulton

Little is known of owls in south-western Australia compared with the owls of southern and eastern Australia. Surveys of forest owls in the south-west are almost completely lacking. This study sought to determine the abundance and detectability of owls immediately around the Peel–Harvey Estuary in south-western Australia. The southern boobook (Ninox boobook) and the masked owl (Tyto novaehollandiae) were the only owls detected (n = 23 and n = 1 respectively), although the nocturnal tawny frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) was detected from unelicited calls on three occasions. Southern boobooks were found to be common in this area though they are reported to be in decline in south-eastern and inland Australia. Their detectability was significantly greater in August (late winter) than at other times through unelicited calls; otherwise, there were no detections in winter. A variety of small mammals were detected during the surveys, including: a little red flying-fox (Pteropus scapulatus), a western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis), 19 southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus), 4 common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), 21 rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), a black rat (Rattus rattus), 2 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and 22 microbats.

1980 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
SH Wheeler ◽  
DR King

Eye-lens weight-age relationships were determined for rabbits from a wild population and from an enclosed population (of the same stock) in south-western Australia. Previously published curves of lens weight v. age for rabbits in eastern Australia are not entirely satisfactory models for the western Australian data. However, the differences, though obvious, are minor, and for general aging any of the published curves are adequate. For accurate aging, regional curves may have to be determined.


1993 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
IW Lugton

The diets of 212 foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in the far south-west of New South Wales were determined between 1985 and 1989 and compared with other Australian studies. Mammalian remains, at an overall occurrence of 99.1%, formed the basis of the diet during the autumn and winter months. The most frequently occurring mammals were rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) (34.9%), sheep (Ovis aries) (30.7%) and macropods (Macropus spp.) (20.3%). Insects occurred in 31.1% of stomachs and formed a substantial proportion of the diet. Fresh newborn lamb was identified in only 3.8% of all stomachs, but evidence of lamb consumption was 10 times greater (35.2%) from foxes collected near lambing flocks. Other studies around lambing flocks have also shown a high occurrence of fresh lamb in fox stomachs and there is circumstantial evidence that predation of lambs by foxes can be common. It was concluded that lamb predation is likely to be severe where the fox population density is high, where older foxes predominate, and where alternative preferred foods are scarce. More research is required to confirm these observations.


1988 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 385 ◽  
Author(s):  
BR Maslin ◽  
L Pedley

Patterns of distribution are described for the three subgenera and nine sections that make up the Australian Acacia flora. Subgenus Phyllodineae (833 species) is widespread and contains 99% of the species; subgenus Acacia (six species) and subgenus Aculeiferum (one species) are poorly represented and virtually confined to the north of the continent. The geographic patterns of species-richness are strongly influenced by sections Phyllodineae (352 species), Juliflorae (219 species) and Plurinerves (178 species). Section Phyllodineae has centres of richness south of the Tropic of Capricorn in temperate and adjacent semiarid areas of eastern, south-eastern and south-western Australia. The section is poorly represented in the tropics. The closely related sections Juliflorae and Plurinerves predominate in the north of the continent, semiarid areas of the south-west, many rocky tablelands of the Arid Zone and along the Great Dividing Range and adjacent inland riverine lowland areas in eastern Australia. The remaining four sections contribute little to the overall patterns of species-richness. The principal speciespoor areas are sandy and fluvial lowland regions of the Arid Zone. In eastern Australia, sections Botrycephalae, Juliflorae, Phyllodineae and Plurinerves show discontinuous patterns of species-richness along the Great Dividing Range. All sections have species whose ranges terminate in the area of the McPherson-Macleay Overlap region.


2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicki L. Stokes

Trapping is an invaluable tool for estimating community composition and population size and structure of mammals. Bias in the relative contribution of species to a community and the age and sex structure of populations can occur where the traps used do not equally trap all species, sexes or cohorts. The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of enclosed Elliott traps and open wire cage traps in trapping the invasive black rat, Rattus rattus, and the native rodent, Rattus fuscipes. Both trap types were suitable for trapping R. fuscipes and there was no apparent bias in capture of sex and age classes. In contrast, black rats were considerably more trappable in cage traps. Juveniles were more readily trapped in Elliott traps than adults, but were still considerably undersampled where only Elliott traps were used. These findings have important implications for sampling invasive rodents in Australian forests where Elliott traps are commonly used to census small mammals. Only using Elliott traps will underestimate density, distribution and impacts of R. rattus in native habitats. Cage traps or a combination of traps are recommended for reliably trapping black rats and obtaining representative data on presence, abundance and distribution.


1957 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
AR Main

The Western Australian representatives of the genus Crinia Tschudi are reviewed. On the basis of field observations and data from in vitro crosses it is concluded that the following species occur in south-western Australia: Crinia rosea Harrison, C. leai Fletcher, C. georgiana Tschudi, C. glauerti Loveridge, C. insignifera Moore, and a new species. From in vitro crosses, Moore's (1954) conclusion that C. signifera Girard does not occur in the south-west of Australia is confirmed. C. glauerti is regarded as a western representative of the C. signifera super-species. Collections in eastern Australia revealed the presence of an undescribed species which is a representative of the C. insignifera super-species. Life history data are presented.


1975 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
DJ Kitchener

Reproductive organs of female C. gouldii and changes in the ovaries, uterine horns, corpus uteri and vagina during the reproductive cycle are described. In the south-west of Western Australia, C. gouldii is monoestrous with pro-oestrus from January to March or April. Females are inseminated at the beginning of winter (a late winter insemination may also occur). Sperm is stored over winter in the core of a vaginal plug, in uterine glands, and in the uterine part of the oviducts. Ovulation and fertilization begin at the end of winter, from two to nine ova being shed from each ovary. Corpora lutea may be deeply embedded in the ovaries and ovulation apparently causes considerable break-down of capillaries at the point of rupture. Pregnancies occur in both horns and twinning is the rule. Gestation lasts about 3 months. After parturition there is a rapid involution of uterine horns and vagina, followed by a brief lactation anoestrus. The beginning of the period of births varies with latitude. In the south-west region it commences late November or early December; in the central region late (and possibly early) October or early November; in the northern region late September or early October.


2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 325 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. Wayne ◽  
J. F. Rooney ◽  
C. G. Ward ◽  
C. V. Vellios ◽  
D. B. Lindenmayer

Life-history attributes are described for the threatened ngwayir or western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) in inland jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest east of Manjimup, south-western Australia. Data on 81 individuals were collected over 18 months. There was no sexual dimorphism and body size was similar to that found in other P. occidentalis populations, but larger than the closely related P. peregrinus in eastern Australia. Breeding at Chariup was more strongly seasonal than that of coastal populations, with 77% of births in May–June and the remainder in October–November. All neonates were singletons except for one instance of non-viable twins. No females bred twice in the same year. The growth rate of the head length of pouch young (<5 months of age) was 0.245–0.362 mm day–1 and curvilinear toward an asymptote thereafter. Temporal variations in body condition, coat condition and ectoparasites were significant. Mortality was highly seasonal (84% of deaths were April–September) and predominantly caused by predation, mainly by fox (Vulpes vulpes) and cat (Felis catus). More effective and strategic control of introduced predators prior to and during autumn/winter, could therefore improve the viability of jarrah forest populations. Nutrition appears to influence many of the life-history traits of P. occidentalis. Nutrition also may partly explain the differences in size, life history and conservation status between P. occidentalis and P. peregrinus.


1994 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 767 ◽  
Author(s):  
KJ Lambkin

Harpobittacus Gerstaecker is the largest of the six genera of Australian Bittacidae. Adults occur in eastern, south-eastern and south-western Australian eucalypt woodland and coastal heathland during spring and summer and sometimes autumn. The genus contains 11 species, which are diagnosed in the present revision: H. australis (Klug) [= australis rubripes Riek, syn. nov., = corethrarius (Rambur), = intermedius (Selys-Longchamps)] (south-east Australia, including Tasmania); H. albatus Riek, stat. nov. (= limnaeus Smithers, syn. nov.) (coastal eastern Australia); H. christine, sp. nov. (inland south-east Queensland); H. tillyardi Esben-Petersen ( = nigratus Navás) (coastal eastern Australia); H. rubricatus Riek (inland south-east Australia); H. scheibeli Esben-Petersen (= brewerae Smithers, syn. nov.) (inland and coastal eastern Australia); H. septentrionis, sp. nov. (coastal north Queensland); H. nigriceps (Selys-Longchamps) (mainland south-east Australia); H. similis Esben-Petersen, H. quasisimilis, sp. nov., and H. phaeoscius Riek (all south-west Western Australia). Cladistic analysis has produced the following hypothesis of relationships: (((australis (albatus christine)) (tillyardi rubricatus)) ((similis quasisimilis) ((scheibeli septentrionis) (nigriceps phaeoscius))). Immediate sister-species show little or no overlap in their geographic distributions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
ASHOK KUMAR ◽  
ALPANA PARMAR ◽  
ANAND KUMAR BAJPEYEE

Young female Black rat (Rattus rattus), were administered monthly long acting steroid contraceptive to induce hypertriglyceridemia. It was observed that by 3 weeks of the second injection of estrogen containing mixed type of contraceptive, female rats developed consistent and frank hyperglyceridemia . TG in the treated rats was 195.8 ± 7.44 mg /100 ml as compared to 91.5 ± 6.27 mg/100ml in plasma of the control group.


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