Survey guidelines for Australia’s threatened non-flying mammals

Banded hare wallaby

Lagostrophus fasciatus fasciatus

States and territories: Western Australia.

Regions: Bernier and Dorre Islands, Shark Bay.

Habitat: Dense Acacia ligulata scrub or other low and spreading shrubs (Prince 1995).

Habit: Ground-dwelling.

Avg. body weight: 1700 g (Prince 2008).

Activity pattern: Nocturnal.

Diet: Herbivore: grasses, shrubs and forbs (Prince 2008).

Breeding: Births have been recorded throughout the year, with a decline in frequency of births during the latter half of the year (Richards et al. 2001). Females produce between one and two young per year (Richards et al. 2001).

Description

The banded hare wallaby is the last species in the Sthenurinae subfamily, and has a range restricted to Bernier and Dorre Islands in Shark Bay (Prince 1995). It is a small macropod, with distinctive transverse bands marking the fur on its rump.

The banded hare wallaby overlaps in distribution with the rufous hare wallaby Lagorchestes hirsutus but the species tend to have spatially disjunct distributions, with the banded hare wallaby preferring dense Acacia species habitats, whereas the rufous hare wallaby is found in association with grasslands (Prince 2008). Within the acacia thickets, banded hare wallabies shelter within dense understorey vegetation during the day, but they forage in more open grassland habitats at night, making runways in the dense vegetation from regular movement patterns (Prince 2008).

Survey methods

On the basis of previous surveys, the following survey techniques are recommended to detect the presence of the banded hare wallaby in areas up to 5 hectares in size:

• 
  daytime searches for potentially suitable habitat resources, which includes dense Acacia species habitats (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.1)
  
• 
  daytime searches for signs of activity, including runways, tracks and scats (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.2). Tracks may be indistinguishable from other wallaby species present on Bernier Island
  
• 
  collection of predator scats, owl casts or remains, targeting predatory bird and mammal nests and dens (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.2).
  

If confirmation of the species is required from the presence of signs, then one or more of the following survey techniques should be employed:

• 
  observations conducted at dusk and early night at potential resource sites such as watering points according to the description of the technique and the recommended effort provided in Section 3.3.4
  
• 
  spotlight surveys conducted according to the description of the technique and the recommended effort provided in Section 3.3.3
  
• 
  possibly cage trapping surveys conducted according to the description of the technique and the recommended effort outlined in Section 3.3.10, using a mixture of fruit, peanut butter and rolled oats for bait.
  

The survey method recommended has been designed for surveys on Dorre and Bernier Islands where the banded hare wallaby is known to exist. Should surveys be required on the mainland then further expert advice should be sought from the relevant government authorities in Western Australia. Any signs of this species on the mainland should be reported immediately to the appropriate government authorities.

Similar species in range

On Dorre and Bernier Islands, there are a number of other macropodoidea species including the rufous hare wallaby and the burrowing bettong Bettongia lesueur lesueur, which may overlap in distribution with the banded hare wallaby.

References

Prince, R.I.T. 2008. The Banded hare-wallaby Lagostrophus fasciatus. In Mammals of Australia (Eds. S. Van Dyck and R. Strahan) pp. 406-408 (Reed Books: Sydney).

Richards, J.D., Short, J., Prince, R.I.T. and Courtenay, J.M. 2001. The biology of banded (Lagostrophus fasciatus) and rufous (Lagorchestes hirsutus) hare-wallabies (Diprotondontia: Macropodidae) on Dorre and Bernier Islands, Western Australia. Wildlife Research 28: 311-322.
Short, J. and Turner, B. 1999. Ecology of burrowing bettongs, Bettongia lesueur (Marsupialia: Potoroidae), on Dorre and Bernier Islands, Western Australia. Wildlife Research 26: 651-669.
Short, J., Richards, J.D. and B. Turner. 1998. Ecology of the western barred bandicoot (Perameles bougainville) (Marsupialia: Peramelidae) on Dorre and Bernier Islands, Western Australia. Wildlife Research 25:567-586.

Barrow Island euro

Macropus robustus isabellinus

States and territories: Western Australia.

Regions: Barrow Island.

Habitat: Deeply dissected, rugged, terrain featuring caves, watercourses and rocky ledges (Poole 1995; Short & Turner 1991).

Habit: Ground-dwelling.

Avg. body weight: Between 6.25–25 kg (females) and 7.25–46.5 kg (males) (Poole 1995).

Activity pattern: Nocturnal/partly diurnal.

Diet: Herbivore: mainly grasses.

Breeding: Females are probably capable of breeding all year and give birth to one offspring at a time (Poole 1995).

Description

The Barrow Island euro is one of four Macropus robustus subspecies, which has a range restricted to Barrow Island off the western coast of Western Australia. Other M. robustus subspecies have a widespread distribution and occur across most of mainland Australia, excluding southern Australia and the Cape York Peninsula. On Barrow Island, the euro prefers recently burned patches of Triodia and the lack of free water on the island may constrain its population there (Short & Turner 1991). Euros are preferential grazers (over 90 per cent of their diet comprises grasses) (Clancy & Croft 2008) and on Barrow Island, floodout flats where grasses other than Triodia occur are an important resource (Short & Turner 1991).

Survey methods

On the basis of previous surveys, the following survey techniques are recommended to detect the presence of the Barrow Island euro in areas up to 5 hectares in size:

• 
  daytime searches for potentially suitable habitat resources, such as areas of open eucalypt forest, woodland and brigalow scrub (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.1)
  
• 
  daytime searches for signs of activity, including tracks, scats and scrapes in the shade of trees, under large shrubs or under rock overhangs (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.2)
  
• 
  diurnal surveys for resting wallabies, conducted according to the description of the survey technique and effort recommended in Section 3.3.1
  
• 
  observations conducted at water points according to the technique and recommended effort provided in Section 3.3.4
  
• 
  baited camera traps may be of use in confirming the presence and identity of wallabies (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.6)
  
• 
  spotlight surveys conducted either on foot or from a vehicle according to the description of the survey technique and effort recommended in Section 3.3.3.
  

Capture techniques are not considered necessary to determine if the Barrow Island euro is present on a subject site.

Similar species in range

The Barrow Island euro occurs in sympatry with the smaller and distinctively marked black-footed rock wallaby Petrogale lateralis. Euros are distinguished by a naked rhinarium and, in this species, large rounded ears (Croft 1981). The scats of these two macropod species also differ in size and shape: Barrow Island euro scats are larger and squarer compared to the smaller and more elongated black-footed rock wallaby scats.

References

Clancy, T.F. and Croft D.B. 2008. Common Wallaroo Macropus robustus. In ‘The Mammals of Australia’ (Eds. S. Van Dyck and R. Strahan) pp. 346-348 (Reed New Holland: Sydney).

Croft, D.B. 1981. Social behaviour of the euro, Macropus robustus (Gould) in the Australian arid-zone. Australian Wildlife Research 8: 13-149.
Poole, W.E. 1995. Common Wallaroo Macropus robustus. In ‘The Mammals of Australia’ pp347-349 (Ed. R. Strahan). Reed Books, Sydney.
Short, J. and Turner, B. 1991. Distribution and abundance of Spectacled Hare-wallabies and Euros on Barrow Island, Western Australia. Wildlife Research 18: 421-429