Cravens Peak Scientific Study Report
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Geography Monograph Series No. 13 Cravens Peak Scientific Study Report The Royal Geographical Society of Queensland Inc. Brisbane, 2009 The Royal Geographical Society of Queensland Inc. is a non-profit organization that promotes the study of Geography within educational, scientific, professional, commercial and broader general communities. Since its establishment in 1885, the Society has taken the lead in geo- graphical education, exploration and research in Queensland. Published by: The Royal Geographical Society of Queensland Inc. 237 Milton Road, Milton QLD 4064, Australia Phone: (07) 3368 2066; Fax: (07) 33671011 Email: [email protected] Website: www.rgsq.org.au ISBN 978 0 949286 16 8 ISSN 1037 7158 © 2009 Desktop Publishing: Kevin Long, Page People Pty Ltd (www.pagepeople.com.au) Printing: Snap Printing Milton (www.milton.snapprinting.com.au) Cover: Pemberton Design (www.pembertondesign.com.au) Cover photo: Cravens Peak. Photographer: Nick Rains 2007 State map and Topographic Map provided by: Richard MacNeill, Spatial Information Coordinator, Bush Heritage Australia (www.bushheritage.org.au) Other Titles in the Geography Monograph Series: No 1. Technology Education and Geography in Australia Higher Education No 2. Geography in Society: a Case for Geography in Australian Society No 3. Cape York Peninsula Scientific Study Report No 4. Musselbrook Reserve Scientific Study Report No 5. A Continent for a Nation; and, Dividing Societies No 6. Herald Cays Scientific Study Report No 7. Braving the Bull of Heaven; and, Societal Benefits from Seasonal Climate Forecasting No 8. Antarctica: a Conducted Tour from Ancient to Modern; and, Undara: the Longest Known Young Lava Flow No 9. White Mountains Scientific Study Report No 10. Gulf of Carpentaria Scientific Study Report No 11. Safe, Sustainable and Secure Communities: a Geographer’s Perspective No 12. Queensland Geographical Perspectives The Botanical Drawings in this publication are reproduced by kind permission of the artist, Gwenda White. This publication has been prepared by Hayley Freemantle of RGSQ. ii Cravens Peak Scientific Study Report Contents Organization CravensPeakScientificStudy..........................................1 Paul Feeney and Hayley Freemantle Scientific Reports CravensPeakScientificStudyAquaticsurveyApril2007. 19 Bailey, Vanessa AridzoneaquaticecosystemsatCravensPeak,infarwesternQueensland . 21 Bailey, Vanessa ReportonWaterQuality.............................................30 Bailey, Vanessa CravensPeakBirds................................................32 Bailey, Vanessa and Cook, Don CravensPeakPlants ...............................................38 Bailey, Vanessa CravensPeakCharophytes............................................41 Casanova, Michelle and Powling, Joan CravensPeakAlgae................................................45 Powling, Joan CravensPeakzooplanktonandmicrofauna. 58 Powling, Joan identified by Shiel, Russell CravensPeakmacro-invertebrates. 64 Powling, Joan and Bailey, Vanessa General discussion on wetland survey – charophytes, algae, zooplankton andmicrofaunaandmacro-invertebrates. 68 Powling, Joan and Bailey, Vanessa Cravens Peak Fish Survey April 2007, Mulligan River Catchment, far western Queensland. 70 Kerezsy, Adam CravensPeakmicrobioticcrusts. 76 Williams, Wendy J., and Bailey, Vanessa Some observations on the temporal activity of nocturnal small vertebrates and large invertebrates inthreehabitatsatCravensPeakStationinsouth-westernQueensland . 83 Dennis G. Black and Peter A. Pridmore CravensPeak:ABotanicalSurvey. 95 Trevor Blake Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) of Cravens Peak Bush Heritage Reserve . 101 Ted Edwards and Michelle Glover Cicadas of the eastern segment of the Cravens Peak Reserve, northeastern Simpson Desert, S.W. Queensland;January/February2007 . 117 A. Ewart Soil invertebrate diversity of different landscape units at Cravens Peak with a focus on Collembola. 151 Penelope Greenslade AvertebratefaunasurveyofCravensPeakReserve,farwesternQueensland . 199 Ian Gynther, Harry Hines, Alex Kutt, Eric Vanderduys and Megan Absolon Assemblage pattern in the vertebrate fauna of Cravens Peak Reserve, far western Queensland . 235 Alex Kutt, Eric Vanderduys, Harry Hines, Ian Gynther, and Megan Absolon iii Baseline Studies of the Beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) of the Cravens Peak Station Area. 253 C. Lemann and T. Weir Baseline Studies of the Aquatic and Semi-Aquatic Hemiptera of the Cravens Peak Station Area. 273 C. A. Lemann & T. A. Weir Some observations on the biology of the desert shovelfoot frog (Notaden nichollsi) in south-western Queensland.................................................277 Peter A. Pridmore and Dennis G. Black The jumping spiders (Salticidae: Araneae) found or predicted to be found on Cravens Peak Station . 295 B.J. Richardson Vascular plants collected during the Cravens Peak Scientific Study, 2nd–7th April 2007 . 301 M.B. Thomas and G.P. Turpin A vegetation communities and regional ecosystem survey and mapping of Cravens Peak. 311 G.P. Turpin and M.B. Thomas Report on the geology of parts of the Cravens Peak area, Georgina Basin, north–west Queensland . 329 Stuart R. Watt TheBirdsoftheBushHeritageCravensPeakReserve . 369 Dezmond. R. Wells Index Indexofscientificnames............................................393 Map OverviewMap(Foldout) ...........................................403 iv Cravens Peak Scientific Study Report Acknowledgements Acknowledgements The Royal Geographical Society of RGSQ Office Staff Queensland Inc. very much appreciates the Projects such as the expedition series rely support given by individuals and groups, who verymuchonacompetent‘office’backup.Our played a vital role in the success of the 2007 staff of Kath Berg and Keith Smith gave their Cravens Peak Scientific Study. unstinting support. Keith, as on previous expe- ditions, provided the sound financial basis on which the project ran. Helen Duckworth han- Volunteers dled the day to day communication with re- Paul Feeney, David and Kathryn Carstens, searchers and the multitude of other detail Mary Comer, Alan and Judith Dalzell, Helen involved in organising people, travel, permits Duckworth, George Haddock, Keith Hall, and publicity. Her dedication to the job was Tony Hillier, Howard and Ruth Jones, Sally very much appreciated. Many thanks go to Jensen, Gerry Keates, Brian and Heather Hayley Freemantle, our current Project Offi- McGrath, John and Mary Nowill, Col and Jane cer, for the organising of reviewers, reporting Portley, Kev Teys, Bruce Urquart, Kevin and publication of this study. White and Gwenda White, Stuart Watt, Sue Pullman and Doreen Worth. Australian Bush Heritage Fund Scientific Advisory Our thanks to Australian Bush Heritage Committee Fund for allowing the use of Cravens Peak. Al- though the site was originally selected on rec- Mr Paul Feeney (convenor), Dr Alan Cribb, ommendation it proved to be ideal. To Julian Mrs Joan Cribb, Em. Prof. John Holmes, Dr Fennessy our thanks for guiding us through the Bob Johnson, Mr Geoff Wharton, Mr David approval process. The on site manager, Len Carstens, Mrs Kath Berg and Mrs Hayley Rule and his wife Jo, were a pleasure to work Freemantle. The Scientific Advisory Commit- with. Nothing was too much trouble for them, tee is the body, comprised of people suitably offering both advice and physical assistance. accredited to advise the Society on its Scien- Their friendliness contributed significantly to tific Expedition programme. This Committee the comfortable atmosphere of the expedition. suggests possible locations for research atten- Our thanks also to the managers of neigh- tion, selects a site following survey reports, bouring properties, ‘Glenormiston’ to the makes a selection of projects to be included in North and ‘Carlo’ to the South. The expedition the expedition and oversees the refereeing of made significant use of a ‘Glenormiston’ track papers following the expedition. This work, in accessing S Bend out-station. This diverted much of it taking place twelve months or more considerable traffic from the sand dune route prior to the actual field work, is very important making that track much safer for those who had for the overall success of the project. The suc- no choice but to use it. cessofeachofthesixexpeditionsconductedso far and the enthusiasm with which the reports Financial contributions have been received indicates the value of the work of this Committee. The Society wishes to acknowledge the De- partment of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. A grant was given to the Society for Reviewers consultancy services that contributed to: “The Field survey and Data-basing of vascular Dr Stephen Balcombe, Dr Alex Kutt, Eric plants, Vertebrates and Invertebrates at Cra- Vanderduys, Dr Geoff Montheith, Prof Angela vens Peak, Queensland”. Arthington, Dr Robert Raven, Dr Walter Boles, Dr Max Moulds, Dr Owen Seeman, John Thompson, Dr Michael Braby, Gregory Czechura, Harry Hines, Tony Bean and Dr Alex Cook provided valuable assistance in ref- ereeing the papers published in this volume. v vi Cravens Peak Scientific Study Cravens Peak Scientific Study Paul Feeney and Hayley Freemantle The Royal Geographical Society of Queensland Inc. The Cravens Peak Scientific Study was a environmental research and education in project of the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland. Queensland. The field work component took place from 27 March to 23 April 2007, where a Origins multi-disciplinary team of scientists and assis- tants (Table 1) were on site to undertake