FAUNA Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program 2009 73

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BIODIVERSITY - FAUNA Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program 2009 73

Yellow-throated honeyeater (Lichenostomus flavicollis). Illustrations Brett Littleton.

Clare E. Hawkins, that was confirmed as cat hair (for Philips) and suspected as Nick Mooney, cat hair (for Cat). A sea eagle’s Natasha Wilson and nest was found on Philips Island. Briar Hill It is recommended that cat eradication is considered, and that disturbance on Philips Island Summary is avoided during eagle breeding species season (July to February). Fauna surveys were carried out if they were closer to the coast across 8 islands in Macquarie or larger in area (MacArthur & Harbour in December 2009: Introduction Wilson 1967). Nonetheless it Bonnet, Cat, Elizabeth, Entrance, remained possible that one or Prior to the survey described Magazine, Neck, Philips and more islands might host relict in this report, very limited data Soldiers Islands. Of one hundred populations of species which had were available on the fauna of the and sixty fauna taxa identified been lost from the nearby coast. Macquarie Harbour islands, apart by the survey, one hundred and Cat, Magazine and Neck Islands, from those available from two thirty-two (primarily invertebrate) since they had similar geology and reports for Sarah Island (Phillips taxa had not been previously were close neighbours, would be 1992; Mallick 2000). Almost all recorded. These included forty- expected to show a great deal of data were confined to the birds nine taxa identified to the level overlap in species compositions. of the area. of known species and thirty- Philips and Soldiers were also expected to host similar species three taxa identified as distinct Natural Values Atlas data on due to their similar geology, while morphospecies, while the rest fauna on the islands were almost the same assumption held for were identified less precisely. exclusively confined to a bird list Bonnet, Elizabeth and Sarah Island. A species of the isopod genus for the Harbour (Table 2), with However, the level of disturbance Notoniscus appeared to be new no precise location provided for would be expected also to affect to science, though this could the majority of the records. The species number and composition. not be confirmed at the time of exception to this was for Sarah writing. Numerous bird species Island, where two studies (Phillips had previously been recorded 1992; Mallick 2000) provide bird Methods in ‘Macquarie Harbour’, but the records specifically for this island. survey provided more specific While some fauna groups, such locations for many of these It was therefore timely to survey as birds, can easily be identified species. The findings particularly the fauna of the other large from calls and sightings during a extended the known distribution islands in the Harbour, to guide simple traverse of a survey area, of two invertebrates: the land snail their management by the Parks & others, such as many mammal Stenacapha vitrinaformis and the Wildlife Service. species, are difficult to identify weevil Mandalotus subterraneus. to species level without trapping. A few exotic species were It was expected that islands would Within the available time (9th - identified: most significantly, host a subset of the species 11th December 2009), and given hair tubes laid on Philips Island as found on the nearby coast, the unreliable weather conditions, and Cat Island collected hair hosting a greater number of trapping was not possible since each island could not be visited 74 Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program 2009

for trap-checking each day. Island traverses, hand islands and approximately four Instead, other techniques were collection, direct hours in the case of the larger used which required only a single observation, call surveys, islands. A second opportunistic return visit. Eight islands were field signs traverse was possible for Neck surveyed, of which four were Island. During these traverses visited twice (Table 1). Additionally, During the first visit to each of (and where possible on the Sarah Island was visited for a the eight islands, four people four islands re-visited to collect geological survey, and some fauna walked independently across equipment), all fauna species data were provided from this. it for approximately one hour observed were recorded, along in the case of the smallest with all identifiable bird calls and mammalian field signs. Small numbers of each species of invertebrate observed which could not be immediately identified were collected by hand and stored in alcohol for subsequent identification by specialists.

Hair-tubes, camera traps, pitfall traps

For the four islands which were to be re-visited, various arrangements of hair tubes, camera traps and pitfall traps were placed.

Hair-tubes were made of polypropylene tubes, 90 mm in diameter and 400 mm in length, with stiff plastic netting, containing peanut butter mixed with oats,

Hair-tube in place, Elizabeth Island. A peanut butter bait is placed within netting in the centre of the tube. Three strips of double-sided sticky tape are evenly spaced around the inside of the tube, oriented from each end towards the centre, to catch hairs of visiting mammals. Photo Clare Hawkins Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program 2009 75

wired into the centre of each. At disposable plastic food container were identified by Kevin Bonham both ends of each hair tube, lid supported by wooden skewer (molluscs and collembolans), three strips of double-sided sticky pieces placed above each cup to Lynne Forster (spiders and gaffer tape were placed at 60° limit falling vegetation and rain beetles) and Alastair Richardson angles to one another, to catch entering the trap. Invertebrates (amphipods and isopods). the hair of visiting mammals. Hairs collected by hand or pitfall trap subsequently collected were identified by expert consultant Barbara Triggs. These were scattered widely across Elizabeth and Soldiers Islands, and a small number were also put in areas where rodent signs (digging and scats) were observed on Cat and Magazine Islands.

A small number of video camera traps were set across Philips Island, and also on Soldiers Island and Magazine Island where signs of rodent digging were observed. A bait of walnut oil mixed with water in which mushrooms had been soaked was dribbled in a position in front of each camera such that visiting animals would trigger filming. Michael Driessen assisted with identifying filmed mammals.

Pitfall traps were scattered widely across Soldiers Island, and small numbers were also placed in areas of Cat and Magazine Islands. Each trap comprised a disposable plastic drinking cup half filled with alcohol, with a little

Top: Signs of rodent digging on Cat Island.

Bottom: Successful hair-tube. Photos Clare Hawkins 76 Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program 2009

The various traps and hair-tubes made available to the Tasmanian would be reported for recording were left on each island for 2-3 Museum and Art Gallery in on the Natural Values Atlas. days. Hobart and the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Results After identification for the Launceston, with the request purposes of this report, all that any samples subsequently The results of the fauna survey invertebrate samples were identified to species level are presented in Table 2. One hundred and sixty fauna taxa were identified during the survey, of which one hundred and thirty-two had not been previously recorded in Macquarie Harbour in the Natural Values Atlas, Phillips (1992) or Mallick (2000) (Table 2). Forty-nine of these newly recorded taxa were identified with confidence to species level, with thirty-three additional taxa identified as separate morphospecies. The rest were identified less precisely. One hundred and fifteen taxa were invertebrates, including 32 spiders, 19 beetles and 14 gastropods identified to species level as well as 14 collembolans identified at least to genus level.

Top: Pitfall trap in place: a plastic cup half filled with ethanol, protected from the rain by a lid suspended with cocktail sticks.

Bottom: Setting up a video camera trap. Walnut oil and mushroom- soaked water is dribbled on the ground one to two metres in front of the camera, such that movement in that area will trigger the video camera to start operating for one minute. Photos Clare Hawkins Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program 2009 77

Scarlet Robin (Petroica multicolor). Illustration Brett Littleton.

Isopod specimens of the genus Eighteen spider morphospecies with many being common and Notoniscus found on three of were named during the survey by widespread across Tasmania. the islands were exceptionally Lynne Forster. Morphospecies are Similarly, most of the named large and also likely to be a new taxa which are morphologically spider species are not only species. However no Australian distinct from currently known widespread in Tasmania, but taxonomist is currently working species; they may therefore also found on the mainland on onoscideans, and those constitute separate species, eg Novodamus nodatus and elsewhere in the world were but await formal description to Prostheclina amplior. Even the currently unavailable to examine confirm this. However, none endemics (Ommatauxesis the specimens. of these were newly identified, macrops, Stanwellia pexa) have a

Table 1. Dates on which each island was visited (bold = main visit)

Maximum Position in Island Size (Ha) elevation Geology Date Method harbour m (ASL) Bedrock Meta- Bonnet 0.17 10 Entrance 10 Dec 2009 Traverse sedimentary Traverse, 4 hair- 9 Dec 2009 Poorly consolidated tubes, 4 pitfalls Cat 27.26 4 Lower sediments Collect pitfalls, hair 11 Dec 2009 tubes Bedrock Meta- Elizabeth 2.12 23 Middle 10 Dec 2009 Traverse sedimentary not Entrance 0.61 Entrance no information 11 Dec 2009 Traverse recorded Traverse, set 2 hair 9 Dec 2009 Poorly consolidated tubes, 1 camera Magazine 2.37 5 Lower sediments Collect hair tube, 11 Dec 2009 camera Weakly consolidated 7 Dec 2009 Traverse Neck 18.22 6 Lower Pebble conglomerate 9 Dec 2009 Traverse Traverse, set 3 8 Dec 2009 cameras, 20 hair- Semi-consolidated Philips 8.99 41 Upper tubes sandstone/ siltstone Collect cameras & 11 Dec 2009 hair-tubes Inter-bedded siltstone/ Sarah 8.29 18 Upper 11 Dec 2009 Traverse sandstone sediment Traverse, set 3 8 Dec 2009 cameras,15 hair- Semi –consolidated Soldiers 12.98 21 Upper tubes, 10 pitfalls sandstone sequence Collect cameras, 11 Dec 2009 hair-tubes, pitfalls 78 Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program 2009

White-bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster). Illustration Brett Littleton.

widespread distribution across and it is quite surprising that they In addition to the cat records, Tasmania. Similarly, the beetle were not already recorded on the introduced species newly morphospecies and species Natural Values Atlas. At least four recorded in Macquarie Harbour identified on the islands have in species of rodent were identified included the black rat, rabbit, general been found fairly widely by the hairtubes and on one of four land snails, one collembolan, across the state. the video cameras. Cat hairs were an amphipod and a spider. The found on Philips Island; hairs found earwigs, which were not identified The four bird species newly on Cat Island were also suspected to species, were also likely to be recorded were all common to be cat. A sea eagle nest was exotic. species well known from the area, newly identified on Philips Island. The highest numbers of fauna taxa were identified on Cat and Soldiers Islands, and the lowest on Bonnet Island. Island area could explain almost 65% of the variation in number of fauna and flora taxa identified on each island (Fig. 1a), though correlations were weaker when vertebrate and invertebrate taxa were considered independently (Fig. 1b), especially in the case of the vertebrates.

No taxon was found on all of the islands, although the black currawong and forest raven were recorded on seven of them.

Setting off for Cat Island. Photo Clare Hawkins Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program 2009 79

Top: Sea eagle nest, Philips Island. Eagle nests should not normally be approached so closely during the breeding season; this nest was identified for the first time at the time the photograph was taken. Photo Clare Hawkins

Bottom: Tree ferns Cyathea australis, Philips Island. Photo Clare Hawkins 80 Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program 2009

Table 2 Taxa recorded on the islands of Macquarie Harbour. Unless marked with a grey diamond, all taxa were recorded during the present survey. Data from ‘Macquarie Hbr (pre Dec 2009)’ are taken from the Natural Values Atlas. Data from previous surveys on Sarah Island are from Phillips (2000) and Mallick (2000).

Phylum Arthropoda Class Acari (mites and ticks) Bonnet Cat Elizabeth Entrance Magazine Neck Philips Sarah Soldiers (pre Dec09) Macquarie Hbr