Survey guidelines for Australia’s threatened non-flying mammals

Spectacled hare wallaby (Barrow Island)

Lagorchestes conspicillatus conspicillatus

States and territories: Western Australia.

Regions: Barrow Island.

Habitat: Spinifex hummock grassland (Burbidge & Johnson 2008).

Habit: Ground-dwelling (shelters in grass hummocks).

Avg. body weight: 1600–4650 g (Burbidge & Johnson 2008).

Activity pattern: Nocturnal.

Diet: Herbivore; grazes on shrubs and spinifex tips on Barrow Island (Burbidge & Johnson 2008). On the mainland the diet comprises forbs, grasses and succulents (Ingleby & Westoby 1992).

Breeding: Breeding has been recorded throughout the year with peaks in March and September (Burbidge & Johnson 1995).

Description

Spectacled hare wallabies are small macropods, which inhabit tropical grasslands, open woodlands and shrublands across central and northern Australia. The Barrow Island subspecies is isolated but its population is stable, and was estimated to be approximately 10 000 in 1988 (Burbidge & Johnson 2008). This species has the largest range among the extant hare wallabies, but its abundance is declining. The decline is probably in response to predation by introduced predators and land use changes, including possible changes in burning patterns (Ingleby & Westoby 1992).

Spectacled hare wallabies are solitary, and shelter in tunnels among the spinifex grass on Barrow Island (Burbidge & Johnson 2008). This species is well adapted to high ambient temperatures and does not drink even when free water is available. On Barrow Island it grazes on colonising shrubs and spinifex leaf tips (Burbidge & Johnson 2008). On Barrow Island, Short and Turner (1991) found that this species may have an advantage over a sympatric macropod, the euro Macropus robustus isabellinus, in its ability to survive without free water and its use of both long unburned areas and areas of moderate disturbance.

Survey methods

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

• 
  daytime searches for potentially suitable habitat resources, which includes spinifex grasslands (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.1)
  
• 
  daytime searches for signs of activity, including shelter sites, tracks and scats (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.2). Tracks may be indistinguishable from other kangaroo and wallaby species present on Barrow Island. Spectacled hare wallaby scats have a distinctive flattened tubular shape that should be distinguished from other macropod scats
  
• 
  collection of predator scats, owl casts or remains, targeting predatory bird/mammal nests/dens (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.2)
  
• 
  camera traps baited with universal bait and added almond, walnut or truffle oil (see Potoroo profiles for further information) are likely to prove useful for positively identifying and minimising impact on animals and are also cost-effective (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in section 3.3.6)
  
• 
  searches at shelter sites or the use of hair collecting devices to collect hair samples for identification (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in section 3.3.7).
  

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/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
  
• 
  a survey conducted on the central Queensland population of the mainland subspecies, L. c. leichardti, captured wallabies using a technique (devised by Robertson & Gepp, 1982), whereby an animal was spotted and stunned (no further sedatives were administrated due to the likelihood of predation once released), before being captured in a hessian bag where the animal was processed and radio-collared (McCosker, 1997)
  
• 
  cage trapping surveys using universal bait conducted according to the description of the technique and the recommended effort outlined in Section 3.3.10. Consideration should be given to minimising the handling of animals and non invasive techniques should be used where possible.
  

Similar species in range

The spectacled hare wallaby is the only hare wallaby species on Barrow Island. However, a number of other macropod species occur on the island, including the burrowing bettong Bettongia lesueur, the golden bandicoot Isoodon auratus, the black-flanked rock wallaby Petrogale lateralis lateralis and the Barrow Island euro Macropus robustus isabellensis. The tracks of these species may be indistinguishable.

References

Burbidge, A.A. and Johnson, P.M. 2008. Spectacled Hare wallaby Lagorchestes conspicillatus In Mammals of Australia. (Eds. Van Dyck, S. and Strahan R.) pp. 314-316 (Reed New Holland: Sydney).

Ingleby, S (1991). Distribution and status of the Spectacled Hare wallaby, Lagorchestes conspicillatus, Australian Wildlife. Research. 18: 501-519
Ingleby, S. (2003). Australian Museum. Personal communication regarding the Spectacled-hare Wallaby.
Ingleby, S. and Westoby, M. 1992. Habitat requirements of the Spectacled Hare wallaby (Lagorchestes conspicillatus) in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Wildlife Research 19: 721-741
McCosker, J.C 1997. The ecology and Conservation of Spectacled hare-wallabies (Lagorchestes conspicillatus) in Central Queensland. Thesis, University of Queensland, Australia.
Robertson, G.G. and Gepp, B. 1982. Capture of kangaroos by ‘stunning’. Australian Wildlife Research 9, 393-6.
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.