Survey guidelines for Australia’s threatened non-flying mammals

Mulgara

Dasycercus cristicauda
Note that the EPBC Act (as at July 2010) lists the ampurta Dasycercus hillieri as endangered and the mulgara D. cristicauda as vulnerable. In a recent taxonomic revision D. cristicauda has been split into two species: the brush tailed mulgara D. blythi occurring from Queensland to Western Australia, and the crest-tailed mulgara D. cristicauda which is currently confined to the Simpson, Tirari and Strzelecki Deserts (Woolley 2005). Further, the ampurta is no longer recognised as a distinct species and has been grouped with D. cristicauda, from which it is indistinguishable. Under the EPBC Act this latest taxonomic change has not been formally recognised (as at July 2010). Therefore, this species profile incorporates both D. blythi and D. cristicauda (excluding the D. cristicauda population that was previously referred to as D. hillieri; refer to the species profile for ampurta).
States and territories: Western Australia, Northern Territory and South Australia.

Regions: Widespread but patchy in central arid sandy regions.

Habitat: Hummock grass plains, sand ridges and mulga shrubland.

Habit: Ground-dwelling (burrows).

Avg. body weight: 115 g (Woolley 1995).

Activity pattern: Nocturnal.

Diet: Carnivorous: large invertebrates and small vertebrates. Rodents make up a greater proportion of their diet in winter and spring (Chen et al. 1998).

Breeding: May–June, five to eight young weaned in October–November (Masters 1998).

Description

This species profile combines two separate taxa: the brush-tailed mulgara D. blythi and crest-tailed mulgara D. cristicauda (see Woolley 2005). The two species are readily distinguished in the field by tail morphology: the former species lacks a tail crest while the black hairs of the tail in the latter species form a distinctive dorsal fin-like crest (Masters 2008, Woolley 2008).

Both species excavate burrows within which they shelter in during the day. Burrows are found aggregated in complexes that can cover up to a kilometre of suitable habitat. The burrows are constructed under the raised mound of a dead spinifex hummock, and have a number of entrances, with between six to ten pop-holes located around the periphery of the raised mound (C Dickman pers. comm.). When the burrows are active, scoops of sand are seen at the pop-hole entrances and scats will also be scattered randomly around the area, including near the burrow entrances (C Dickman pers. comm.).

There is evidence that the mulgara breeds seasonally and may have other seasonal activity patterns. Females with pouch young have been captured in September–October and lactating females without pouch-young have been captured in November (Dickman et al. 2001). If young become independent after November, then their recruitment into the population at that time may explain why capture rates have tended to be higher in summer in two studies (Masters 1998, Dickman et al. 2001).

The mulgara appears to be a sedentary species, with relatively small ranges compared to other Dasyurids. Individuals are capable of storing fat in their tails and of entering torpor, strategies that may enable them to survive within an environment of temporally unpredictable resources (Dickman et al. 2001). Another feature of their biology that demonstrates their flexibility to an unpredictable environment is their opportunistic breeding, with mulgara population increases recorded after rain, presumably in response to an increased availability of prey (Dickman et al. 2001).

Threatening processes are unclear, but are thought to include changes in fire regimes, introduced predators and grazing by introduced herbivores causing a reduction in available cover for prey items (Pavey and Cole 2002).

Survey methods

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

• 
  daytime searches for potentially suitable habitat resources (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is provided in Section 3.1)
  
• 
  daytime searches for signs including burrows, pop-holes, particularly those with freshly excavated earth, tracks and scats (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is provided in Section 3.2). Note that identification of these indirect signs needs to be confirmed by an expert (for example, through the provision of digital photographs)
  
• 
  collection of predator scats, owl casts or remains in predatory bird/mammal nests/dens (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is provided in Section 3.2)
  
• 
  possibly a hair sampling device survey as the mulgara are included among those known to be distinguishable from hair samples (see Table 2, Section 3.3.7)
  
• 
  Elliott A trapping surveys using a mixture of rolled oats, peanut butter and tuna oil for bait, and conducted according to the technique and the recommended effort described in Section 3.3.9. However, this survey technique may not be effective in the Simpson Desert or at other sites yet identified, and should not be used on its own
  
• 
  pitfall trapping surveys (with trap depth recommended to be 60 centimetres) conducted according to the technique and recommended effort described in Section 3.3.8., but with double the survey effort (that is, use four instead of two sampling sites within a 5 hectare area) if the survey is not conducted in conjunction with Elliott trapping
  
• 
  spotlighting for active individuals on foot or from a moving vehicle, particularly at times when densities are higher following several consecutive good seasons
  
• 
  consultation with local people, particularly investigating potential Indigenous knowledge of this species’ presence in an area
  
• 
  consider the placement of baited camera traps (same as for predator pads) in suitable habitat as this technique is ideal for cryptic species occurring at low densities, particularly as this species can be relatively easily separated from other sympatric species (description of technique in Section 3.3.6).
  

While not previously reported to have been used to detect the mulgara, it may be worthwhile trialling the kowari predator pads (Brandle et al. 2002) (see kowari species profile), especially if the investigator believes the species is present but cannot confirm their presence through trapping techniques.

Similar species in range

The only other similar species is the kowari, which can be distinguished from the mulgara by its lighter colour and the presence of black, denser tail fur on the tail tip and white fur at the base of the tail.

References

Adams, M., Cooper, N. and Armstrong, J. 2000. Revision of Dasycercus systematics. An unpublished report to the South Australian Department of Environment and Heritage.
Brandle, R., Canty, P., Pilman, S., Jay, J. and Lang, P. 2002. Kowari Population monitoring report. Unpublished report by National Parks and Wildlife South Australia.
Chen, X., C.R. Dickman, M.B. and Thompson, M.B. 1998. Diet of the mulgara Dasycercus cristicauda (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae), in the Simpson Desert, central Australia. Wildlife Research 25: 233-242.
Dickman, C. (2003). University of Sydney. Personal communication regarding the Mulgara.
Dickman, C. R., Haythornwaite, A.S., McNaught, G.H., Mahon, P.S, Tamayo, B. and Letnic, M. 2001. Population dynamics of dasyurid marsupials in arid central Australia: a 10-year study. Wildlife Research 28: 493-506.
Masters, P. 1998. The Mulgara Dasycercus cristicauda (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) at Uluru National Park. Australian Mammalogy 20: 403-407.
Masters, P. 2008. Crest-tailed Mulgara Dasycercus cristicauda. In ‘Mammals of Australia’ (Eds. S. Van Dyck and R. Strahan) pp. 49-50. (Reed New Holland, Sydney).
Paltridge, R. and Southgate, R. 2001. The effect of habitat type and seasonal conditions on fauna in two areas of the Tanami Desert. Wildlife Research 28: 247-260.
Pavey, C. and Cole, J. 2002. Threatened species of the Northern Territory - Mulgara Dasycercus cristicauda. Available from: www.nt.gov.au/nreta/wildlife/animals/threatened/pdf/mammals/cresttail_mulgara_vu.pdf. Accessed 2009-03-24 T12:50:40
Triggs, B. 1996. Tracks, scats and other traces: a field guide to Australian mammals. (Oxford University Press: Melbourne).
Woolley, P.A. 1990. Mulgaras, Dasycercus cristicauda (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae); their burrows, and records of attempts to collect live animals between 1966 and 1979. Australian Mammalogy 13: 61-64.
Woolley, P.A. 1995. Mulgara Dasycercus cristicauda. In ‘The Mammals of Australia’ (Ed. R. Strahan) pp 55-56. (Reed Books: Sydney).
Woolley, P.A. 2005. The species of Dasycercus Peters, 1875 (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae). Memoirs of Museum Victoria 62(2): 213-221.
Woolley, P.A. 2008. Brush-tailed Mulgara Dasycercus blythi. In ‘Mammals of Australia’ (Eds. S. Van Dyck and R. Strahan) pp. 47-48. (Reed New Holland, Sydney).