Survey guidelines for Australia’s threatened non-flying mammals

Long-footed potoroo

Potorous longipes

States and territories: Victoria and NSW.

Regions: There are three known disjunct sub-populations of the long-footed potoroo, Potorous longipes, (Vic DNRE 2000):

• 
  east Gippsland (north-east of Orbost Victoria)
  
• 
  south-eastern NSW (South-East Forests National Park and Bondi, Nungutta and Yambulla State Forests), and
  
• 
  north-eastern Victoria (West Buffalo, East Riley and Tea Tree Range areas of the Barry Mountains).
  

There is possibly a fourth location in north-western Victoria (east of Mount Drummer) (Claridge 2002).

Habitat: Temperate rainforest, riparian forest and damp or wet sclerophyll forest, with a mixed species overstorey and a dense understorey (Victoria DNRE 2000). These areas are usually sheltered gullies with deep moist soils, with the dense groundcover providing protection from predators (Menkhorst & Seebeck 2008).

Habit: Ground-dwelling (nest in ferns or wire-grass).

Avg. body weight: 2100 g (males) and 1700 g (females) (Menkhorst & Seebeck 1995).

Activity pattern: Nocturnal.

Diet: Omnivorous but primarily mycophagous; over 90 per cent of diet comprises fungi (mostly mycorrhizal sporocarps), invertebrates and plant roots (Menkhorst & Seebeck 2008).

Breeding: Monogamous mating system (Menkhorst & Seebeck 1995).

Description

The long-footed potoroo was only described in 1980 (Seebeck & Johnson 1980) and since then extensive survey effort has been made to determine the species’ range, abundance and aspects of its biology. Low density populations (Menkhorst & Seebeck 1995) in combination with difficulty in detecting the species means that there is still much to learn about the long-footed potoroo. For instance, in 1995 the remains of an individual were found 170 kilometres west of the closest known record from East Gippsland, in an area that previously had not been identified as potential habitat from climate modelling predictions (Claridge 2002).

Studies so far have shown that adult long-footed potoroo home ranges vary in size between populations (22–60 hectares East Gippsland and 14–23 hectares north-eastern Victoria), with males ranging over a greater area than females (Green et al. 1998; Vic DNRE 2000). Home range size probably relates to available resources of fungi and other habitat characteristics (Green et al. 1998; Green et al. 1999), which is similar to the long-nosed potoroo and, like that species, the long-footed potoroo is probably capable of breeding at any time of the year, particularly in response to resource availability (Vic DNRE 2000).

Survey methods

Survey techniques recommended to detect the presence of the long-footed potoroo in areas up to 5 hectares in size are the same as those recommended for the long-nosed potoroo, which are as follows:

• 
  daytime searches for potentially suitable habitat resources, such as areas with a dense understorey (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.1)
  
• 
  daytime searches for signs of activity, including diggings, tracks and nests (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.2). However, where the long-footed potoroo occurs in sympatry with the long-nosed potoroo, tracks and diggings cannot be distinguished between the species
  
• 
  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)
  
• 
  soil plot surveys conducted according to the description of the technique and the recommended effort provided in Section 3.3.2. However, where the long-footed potoroo occurs in sympatry with the long-nosed potoroo or small wallaby species, tracks cannot be distinguished, or may be difficult to distinguish between species
  
• 
  baited camera traps using universal bait (peanut butter and rolled oats) with truffle, pistachio or walnut oil (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in section 3.3.6)
  
• 
  community liaison to identify new populations and increase awareness of this species.
  

An integrative approach is recommended for this species, whereby direct detection surveys like spotlighting (Section 3.3.3), cage trapping (3.3.10) or hair sampling surveys (3.3.7) should be conducted in conjunction with searches for traces like diggings, scats and tracks, baited camera traps and predator scat surveys etc. Also, given the mixed results of past trapping efforts, different techniques may work better in some locations than others and a variety of methods should be attempted for any given survey program.

To help distinguish the tracks of different species in the field, NSW State Forests have prepared foot casts of potoroos and bandicoots (S Ingleby pers. comm.) although, as indicated above, there are difficulties associated with identifying tracks of this species.

Given the paucity of information about the geographic distribution of this species, consultation and engagement with the community is likely to provide researchers with a starting point for further search efforts and may generate interest and awareness of this species in the community.

Similar species in range

The long-footed potoroo overlaps in distribution with the long-nosed potoroo, the long-nosed bandicoot Perameles nasuta and the southern brown bandicoot Isoodon obesulus. The hindfoot of the long-footed potoroo is longer than the head and the species has 24 chromosomes, unlike the long-nosed potoroo with shorter hindfeet and 12 and 13 chromosomes for females and males respectively (Menkhorst & Seebeck 1995).

The long-nosed potoroo is sympatric with at least two species of bandicoot. However, tracks made by potoroos differ to those made by bandicoots by the presence of five clawed digits on the forepaws of long-nosed potoroos, compared with three clawed digits on the forepaws of bandicoots.

References

Claridge, A.W. 2002. Use of bioclimatic analysis to direct survey effort for the long-footed potoroo (Potorous longipes), a rare forest-dwelling rat-kangaroo. Wildlife Research 29: 193-202.

Claridge, A.W. and Barry, S.C. 2000. Factors influencing the distribution of medium-sized ground-dwelling mammals in southeastern mainland Australia. Austral Ecology 25: 676-688.
Green, K., Mitchell, A.T. and Tenant, P. 1998. Home range and microhabitat use by the long-footed potoroo, Potorous longipes. Wildlife Research 25: 357-372.
Green, K., Tory, M.K., Mitchell, A.T., Tennant, P. and May, T.W. 1999. The diet of the long-footed potoroo, Potorous longipes. Australian Journal of Ecology 24: 151-156.
Ingleby, S. (2003). Australian Museum. Personal communication regarding the Long-footed Potoroo.
Menkhorst P.W. and Seebeck, J.H.2008. Long-footed Potoroo Potorous longipes. In Mammals of Australia. (Eds. S. Van Dyck and R. Strahan) pp. 299-300 (Reed New Holland: Sydney).
Scroggie, M. (2009). Personal communication regarding the Long-footed Potoroo.
Seebeck, J.H. and Johnson, P.G. 1980. Potorous longipes (Marsupialia: Potoroidae); a new species from eastern Victoria. Australian Journal of Zoology 28: 119-134.
Vic DNRE 2000. Long-Footed Potoroo (Potorous longipes) Recovery Plan. Produced by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Victoria. National Parks and Wildlife Service, New South Wales, Parks Victoria and State Forests of New South Wales.