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VERTEBRATE FAUNA N.L. McKenzie, lK. Rolfe and W.K. Youngson Background The philosophies underlying our approach to this vertebrate survey, the sampling strategy adopted, and the actual methods we employed are described in Biological Surveys Committee ofWestern Australia (1984). Specimens representing the array of reptile and mammal species encountered in the Sandstone-Sir Samuel and Laverton-Leonora Study Areas during our survey have been lodged in the Western Australian Museum within the following series of register numbers: R62735 62872, 70827-70877, 78545-78585, 79000, R114956-1149570, 114983-114985; M20395, 20396, 20404-20409, 20420, 20421, 20424, 20425, 20427, 20428, 20446-20448, 20461 20463, 20815, 20816, 20821-20823, 20825-20830, 20832-20834, 20837, 20838, 20840, Table 2 Faunal survey of the Sandstone-Sir Samuel (Wanjarri) and Laverton-Leonora (Erlistoun) Study Areas: sampling dates and methods*. 1. Wanjarri Survey Area. Fauna 14-21 Feb, 14-20 May, 24-29 Aug, Lithological Code** 1979 1980 1981 Surface 1W-01 Q(M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Qpv/Qqz 1W-02 Q(M,B,R) Q (M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Qqc 1W-03 Q(M,B,R) Q (M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Qps/Qqz 1W-04 Q(M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Czo+Qpv lW-OS Q(M,B,R) Q (M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Qqz 1W-06 F,B,R F,M,B,R F,M,B,R Qps 1W-07 F,B,R F,B,R Qps 1W-08 F,B,R F,B,R Qps 2. Erlistoun Survey Area. Fauna 22-28 Feb, 8-13 May, 18-23 Aug, Lithological Code** 1979 1980 1981 Surface lE-01 Q(M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Qpk 1E-02 Q(M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Qrm lE-03 Q(M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Qrd 1E-04 Q(M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Qps/Qqz lE-OS Q(M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Q(M,B,R) Qpv lE-06 F,B,R F,B,R Qps *M = Mammal trapline (9 Elliotts, 9 Break-backs, 3 Cages) B = Bird searches R = Reptile searches F = Fenced pit line of six pits (4 shallow, 2 deep) with ca. 50 m drift fence Q = Fauna quadrat (fenced pit lines and, adjacent, a 200 metre x 200 metre bird quadrat) that was sampled daily for five days as described in Biological Surveys Committee of Western Australia (1984). ** The inventory prior to Appendix 1 lists the vegetation site codes and corresponding fauna sites. 51 20844, 20845, 20865-20867, 20886, 20904-20910, 23501-23610, 38654-38660 and 39968. Species nomenclature in this report follows that of the Western Australian Museum. The quadrats within the Erlistoun survey area in the Laverton-Leonora (LL) Study Area (Figures 3 and 5) allowed lithological units low in the landscape to be sampled, whereas the quadrats in the Wanjarri survey area (within Wanjarri Nature Reserve) in the Sandstone-Sir Samuel (SS) Study Area were positioned to sample units high in the landscape (Figures 2 and 4). Table 1 lists the surface lithology and associated "vegetation types" known from the two Study Areas, while Appendix 1 indicates those that were sampled for vertebrates, cross references the vertebrate and vegetation sample site codes, and describes the location, vegetation, floristics and substrate ofeach vertebrate site sampled. Only the main vegetation types of the most extensive landform units were surveyed for vertebrates (Broad Valleys, Sal.t Lake Features, Sandplains, Dunefields and Breakaways). This meant, for instance, that we sampled red sandplains (surface lithology = Qps) in the context of Broad Valleys, Dunefields as well as Sandplains (Appendix 1). It also meant that less extensive landforms such as Granitic, Banded Ironstone and Greenstone Hills were not surveyed at all, even though they are prominent in the Study Areas. We surveyed the vertebrate assemblage from at least one site in five of the 13 landform .units, eight of more than 70 surface lithologies, and in 12 of over 70 vegetation types known in the two Study Areas (Tables 1 and 2). Much of the floristic diversity of these surface-types was remote from our quadrats. Considering how poorly the vertebrate sampling addressed the environmental heterogeneity of the Study Areas, and how geographically localised our quadrats were (Figures 2 and 3), we encountered a surprisingly high proportion of its vertebrates (Table 3). This coverage was achieved for passerine birds (61 %) and small ground-dwelling mammals (81 %) because most species occurred on a variety of lithologies. For instance, the "average" passerine bird occurred in a mean of 3.7 (S.D. =2.3, n =44), and an "average" small ground- Table 3 Proportion of the Sandstone-Sir Samuel and Laverton-Leonora Study Areas' known vertebrate species recorded on quadrats. Number ofSpecies Total On quadrats' (%) Birds passerines 72 44 (61) non-passerines 78" 19 (24) Reptiles snakes 16 1 (6) lizards 59c 39 (66) Amphibians 4C 3 (75) Smallb ground-mammals 11 9 (81) * lWOl-05 (Wanjarri) & lEOl-05 (Erlistoun), excluding additional sample sites lW06-8 & lE06 (see Table 2). " Includes 30 water birds. b Indigenous species with an average adult body weight of less than 35 g (see Burbidge & McKenzie 1989). c Excluding species that only reach the periphery of the Study Areas (see reptile text). 52 (a) WANJARRI 10 9 9 8 ~ 7 U ~ 6 (f) LLo 0:: u.J ID ~ ~ 3 2 8 (f) 7 u.J U u.J a.. 6 (f) LL 5 0 5 0:: u.J ID 4 ~ :::l Z 2 22 23 24 25 26 27 8 10 11 12 18 19 20 21 22 DATE FEB 1979 MAY 1980 AUG 1981 No OF DAYS Figure 8 Species accumulation curves for small ground mammals recorded at sample sites in the a) Wanjarri (I WO I-I W06) and b) Erlistoun (I EO I-I E06) survey areas. 53 Table 4 Species of mammals recorded in the Laverton-Leonora (E) and Sandstone-Sir Samuel (W) Study Areas indicating number of records at each vertebrate quadrat and sample site during each survey period. The three survey periods - Summer (February 1979), Autumn (May 19S0) and Winter (August 19SI) are indicated in columns I, 2 and 3 respectively for each quadratlsite'. Vertebrate QuadratlSite lE' IEOI IE02 IE03 IE04 IEOS IE06 Vegetation Site' LLI LL2 LL3 LL4 LLS LL6 Stratigraphy Qpk Qnn Qrd Qps/Qqz Qpv Qps Drift Fence Nights SSSSSSSSS S ** S S S 0 2 S TACHYGLOSSIDAE Tachyglossus aculeatus X' X'O DASYURIDAE Antechinomys laniger Ningaui ridei 2. 0 .3. 010 Pseudantechinus wooleyae Sminthopsis crassicaudata o 0 S. hirtipes 020 S. macroura 2. 0 0 (2) I 0 S. ooldea 010 002 MACROPODIDAE Macropus robustus M. rufus 200 001 MOLOSSIDAE Mormopterus planiceps' Tadarida australis VESPERTILlONIDAE Chalinolobus gouldii Eptesicus finlaysoni Nyctophilus geoffroyi :1 0 0 Scotorepens balstoni MURIDAE Leporillus ?apicalis NO/omys alexis 001 Pseudomys hermannsburgensis 0 0 1 010 (4):1 2 S 2 1 o 0 001 Mus musculus 2.0142.2 111 200 I 1 CANIDAE Vulpes vulpes o 0 X' FELIDAE Felis ca/us 200 BOVIDAE 80S taurus Ovis aries CAMELlDAE Camelus dromedarius 00 X' o X'O EQUIDAE Equus caballus LEPORIDAE Oryctolagus cuniculus 300 x' 0 0 Sampling methods and dates for quadrats (IEOI-OS, IWOI-OS) and sample sites (IE06, IW06, IW07 and IWOS) are outlined in Table 2. See Appendix l. Opportunistic records (not on quadrats). Total observations during F79 (February 1979), MSO (May 19S0) and ASI (August 19SI). * These should read 10 because an additional fenced pit line was set adjacent to the bird quadrat (IE04 and IW04). 54 lW' IWOI IW02 IW03 IW04 IW05 IW06 IW07 IW08 SSI8 SS20 SS21 SS 1,2 S519 SS22 SS23 Qpv/Qqz Qqc Qps/Qqz Czo+Qpv Qqz Qps Qps Qps TOTALOBS.' 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 • 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 0 2 5 0 3 5 F79 M80 A81 ----~~~ X'O 0 X' X' 0 0 0 2 () fl () () I 2 0 () ..2 () () 2 0 7 9 0 0 1 2 () 0 1 0 0 ..2 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 2 0 1 12 4 7 0 I 0 0 1 0 7 4 1 0 Q 2 - 1 0 0 9 2 2 5- ..2 I 4 5 2 4 9 12 12 () II () 1 0 I 1 3 6 8 4 0 0 0 () 0 0 6 () 0 () () 8 10 8 la 6 0 0 3. () () () 0 () 0 29 22 25 Q) 0 0 4 1 0 0 6 3 0 7 4 (7) 311 0 0 I 0 0 9 3 16 0 1 2 () 0 1 1 2 ~) 0 H 9 0 13 (la) 1 2 () 0 19 1 8 X' X' 0 0 I 0 0 ..2 I 2 Q 2 0 - 0 1 1 4 10 1 0 0 0 2 3 I 5- 2 2 2 0 2 0 I 4(2) () 1 I 17 19 25 0 0 10 4 6 X' 0 2 0 0 0 ~ 0 0 ~ 0 10 0 0 o 30 () 10 30 0 0 X'O 0 1 0 0 X' 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 Faeces (Tachyglossus). Den (Vulpes). Warren in use (Oryctolagus). Tracks (Camelus). lS Sample includes sub-adults. (,) Sample includes post-partum, lactating or pregnant individuals. The form that ranges across southern Australia. Remains of old nest under breakaway.