Carpentarian antechinus
Pseudantechinus mimulus
States and territories: Northern Territory and Queensland.
Regions: Known from North, Vanderlin, Centre and South West Islands in the Sir Edward Pellew Islands in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Mt Isa region, including the Selwyn Range approximately 140 km southeast of Mt Isa (Woinarski 2002; Woinarski 2004; Sanders and Slater 2004; Johnson et al. 2008). First recorded from the Alexandria Station area of the Barkly Tablelands (1905), with no subsequent records.
Habitat: Inhabits rocky areas and shelters among pebbles, boulders and stony hillsides or outcrops with shrubby open woodland and hummock grass understorey (Johnson et al. 2008).
Habit: Ground-dwelling.
Avg. body weight: 16 g (males), 18 g (females) (Johnson et al. 2008).
Activity pattern: Nocturnal.
Diet: Insectivorous.
Breeding: Poorly known. None of the seven island females captured in July and August 1988 had pouch young, while four females captured in October 2003 had enlarged teats (Johnson et al. 2008). Individuals trapped in November 1997 near Mt Isa were recently weaned juveniles (Johnson et al. 2008).
Description
There is very little information available on the Carpentarian antechinus. It is the smallest of the Pseudantechinus species, but is otherwise similar to the sandstone antechinus P. bilarni, which is found in the surrounding mainland gulf country, and the fat-tailed antechinus P. macdonnellensis, with which it was once considered to be conspecific (Kitchener 1991).
The distribution of this species is poorly understood. The Carpentarian antechinus was first detected on mainland Northern Territory in 1905 but no specimens have been subsequently collected in this region. The species has since been collected from a number of islands in the Sir Edward Pellew Islands and from near Mt Isa (Woinarski 2004). However, recent fauna surveys in apparently suitable habitat to the north of these records have failed to detect the species (Woinarski 2004).
Survey methods
The small amount of information available for the Carpentarian antechinus suggests that an intensive survey effort, using pitfall and Elliott traps, consistent with the Northern Territory standard survey guidelines (NT DIPE 2005) is required for the detection of this species. The nature of the subject site is likely to dictate what survey method can be used, and given that the Carpentarian antechinus has previously been recorded in habitats characterised by boulders, rocks or rock crevices (Woinarski 2002), the habitat may not be suitable to dig pitfalls. An Elliot A trap successfully trapped one individual (Sanders & Slater 2004), and Elliott E traps have previously been used to trap the closely related fat-tailed antechinus in similar rocky habitats (see Gilfillan 2001). It is likely that both of these trap types would be appropriate for the Carpentarian antechinus.
Note that given the poorly understood and highly disjunct distribution of this species, surveys in potentially suitable habitat throughout north-western Queensland and the Barkly Tablelands region of the Northern Territory should consider the possibility of this species potentially occurring and therefore incorporate a targeted survey strategy into any fauna surveys conducted.
On the basis of previous surveys, the following survey techniques are recommended to detect the presence of the Carpentarian antechinus in areas up to 5 hectares in size:
-
daytime searches for potentially suitable habitat resources, including, but not limited to, habitats characterised by boulders, rocks or rock crevices (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is provided in Section 3.1)
-
daytime searches for signs of activity, such as tracks or scats among rocks and rock ledges (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is provided in Section 3.2)
-
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)
-
pitfall trapping surveys conducted according to the technique and effort recommended in Section 3.3.8
-
Elliott A/E trapping survey conducted according to the technique and effort recommended in Section 3.3.9
-
consider the placement of camera traps in suitable habitat as this technique is ideal for cryptic species occurring at low densities.
Should the habitat of the subject site prove to be unsuitable for establishing pitfall traps, use twice the recommended survey effort for the Elliott trapping survey.
Hair sampling device surveys are not recommended because the Carpentarian antechinus is not included among those species known to be distinguishable from hair samples (see Table 2, Section 3.3.7). Should this situation change for this species, then hair sampling may provide an appropriate alternative detection technique.
Similar species in range
The distribution of the Carpentarian antechinus could potentially overlap with that of the sandstone antechinus P. bilarni, which is found in the surrounding mainland gulf country, and the fat-tailed antechinus Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis, which could potentially overlap in the southern limits of this species’ range. The Carpentarian antechinus can be distinguished from these other species by its smaller size, relatively shorter tail and skull characteristics (Johnson et al. 2008). Identification should be confirmed by competent field investigators. Since there are very few specimens of the Carpentarian antechinus, taking of hair or tissue samples should be considered for future identification and/or molecular analysis, provided that the appropriate permission and licensing has been granted by the relevant state or territory government organisations.
References
Gilfillan SL. 2001. An ecological study of a population of Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) in central Australia. 1 Invertebrate food supply, diet and reproductive strategy. Wildlife Research 28: 469-480.
Johnson, K.A., Woinarski, J.C.Z. and Langford, D.G. 2008. Carpentarian Pseudantechinus Pseudantechinus mimulus. In ‘Mammals of Australia’ (Eds. S. Van Dyck and R. Strahan) pp. 71-72. (Reed New Holland, Sydney).
Kitchener D.J. 1991. Pseudantechinus mimulus (Thomas 1906) (Marsupialia, Dasyuridae): rediscovery and redescription. Records of the Western Australian Museum 15(1): 191-202.
NT DIPE. 2005. Guidelines for the Biodiversity Component of Environmental Impact Assessment. Prepared by the Biodiversity Conservation Division, for the NT Department of Infrastructure Planning & Environment (DIPE), NT.
Sanders, M.G. and Slater, L. 2004. New distribution and habitat data for the Carpentarian False Antechinus (Pseudantechinus mimulus). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 49(2): 740.
Woinarski, J.C.Z. 2002. Threatened species of the Northern Territory. Carpentarian Pseudantechinus (Pseudantechinus mimulus). Threatened Species Fact Sheet. Department of Infrastructure and Environment.
Woinarski, J.C.Z. 2004. National Multi-species Recovery Plan for the Carpentarian Antechinus Pseudantechinus mimulus, Butler’s Dunnart Sminthopsis butleri and Northern Hopping-mouse Notomys aquilo, 2004 - 2009. Northern Territory Department of Infrastructure Planning and Environment, Darwin.
Dostları ilə paylaş: |
