OTWAY BIOSCAN Great Otway National Park July 2018–June 2019 OTWAY BIOSCAN Great Otway National Park July 2018–June 2019 Edited by Genefor Walker-Smith and Kate Phillips We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which this Bioscan was conducted and pay our respects to Elders past and present. CONTENTS Executive Summary 6 Objectives 6 Project Benefits 6 Scope 6 Deliverables 7 Participants 7 Introduction 8 Reports 01 Bio-acoustic surveys of birds across burnt and unburnt sites 20 02 Freshwater fishes 32 03 Freshwater insects 36 04 Moss Bugs (Peloridiidae) 52 05 Moths 55 06 Reptiles and Amphibians 69 07 Smoky Mouse remote camera monitoring 81 08 Palaeontology 89 Narratives Artillery Rocks 98 Fantastic Fossils 100 Freshwater Insects: The Caddisfly 102 The Mayfly 104 The Stonefly 105 Frogs 106 Glow-worms 108 Land Molluscs: Slugs – Have you seen this slug? 110 Snails – Be careful what you squash! 111 Moss Bugs – Time Lords of the Otway forests 112 Moths: George Lyell and the moths of the Otway ranges 100 years ago 114 Ghost Moths 116 The effect of fire on moths 118 Mountain Dragons 120 Native Bees 122 Native Fish – Otway river travellers 124 Smoky Mouse 126 Tektites 128 Public Engagement 130 Publications 132 Acknowledgements 132 Picture Credits 132 Species Lists Freshwater Fish 133 Freshwater Insects (Caddisflies, Mayflies and Stoneflies) 133 Frogs 134 Mammals 134 Molluscs (Land Snails and Slugs) 135 Reptiles 136 Birds 137 Moths 142 Native Bees 154 use to promote the natural values of the Otway Executive Summary Region. The Otway Bioscan incorporated a range On December 19, 2015, lightning strikes ignited two of opportunities for community participation and bushfires in the Barwon Otway Region, one near engagement. These events allowed for knowledge Delaneys Road and the other near Jamieson Track. transfer and exploration of the natural world at a In the early stages, these fires, which became known local level, while at the same time building and as the Wye River–Jamieson Track fire, were largely strengthening community relationships, particularly in controlled and contained but the combination of the Wye River and Separation Creek areas. strong winds, heat, and dry conditions resulted in the fire jumping containment lines on December 25 and by Boxing Day 98 houses in Wye River and 18 in Objectives Separation Creek had been destroyed. The major objectives of the Otway Bioscan were: The Otway Ranges are characterised by steep • To improve ecosystem knowledge and terrain and complex gully systems that are difficult understanding of biodiversity values of the GONP. to access and thus difficult to defend from fire. The Wye River–Jamieson Track fire lasted for 34 days and • To encourage community involvement. approximately 2500 hectares of land was burned, • To provide opportunities to establish citizen including areas within the Great Otway National Park. science initiatives. Bushfires often have devastating direct and indirect • To support the recovery of fire-affected communities. consequences for people living and working in fire affected areas. In addition to the loss of homes • To work collaboratively to provide opportunities for and belongings, businesses are often affected by knowledge sharing and skills transfer, and identify a reduction in the number of tourists visiting the avenues for future collaboration. region. This may be due, in part, to the loss of tourist infrastructure (e.g. holiday rentals) or the perceived loss of nature and natural beauty. Project Benefits As part of the Wye River Recovery Project, a The Otway Bioscan has the potential to benefit collaboration between Museums Victoria (MV) and Parks Victoria, Museums Victoria, local communities, Parks Victoria (PV) was established and the Otway local businesses, the scientific community and the Bioscan project was born. In spite of the devastating environment. Some specific benefits are listed below. effects of the 2015/16 fires, the Great Otway National Economic: This project enhanced the knowledge of Park (GONP) remains an area of important biological, biodiversity assets in the GONP. This knowledge has the geological and cultural value and the main aim of the potential to assist PV in relation to the allocation and Otway Bioscan was to further investigate, discover and targeting of PV resources. showcase (to locals and tourists) the national park’s rich and resilient environment. Social: This project engaged local communities and provided access to expert advice and skills (MV and From September 2018 to March 2019 MV and PV PV). This project will help to increase community staff, scientists and volunteers carried out a series of understanding of the environment, which may, in turn, biological surveys within the GONP. The groups covered assist in creating a shared vision for the management of included birds, freshwater fish, insects (i.e. aquatic the GONP. species, moss bugs and moths), small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. In addition, geology and Environmental: Through an increased understanding palaeontology pilot surveys were conducted in the of the environment, PV will be able to better inform western part of the park. park planning and management, with an emphasis on the long-term preservation of biota. The combined expertise of MV and PV staff resulted in the collection of important data that adds to our knowledge and understanding of the biological Scope diversity within the park, which in turn contributes The scope of the project focused on the expertise of to conservation management. In addition, the rich Museums Victoria’s staff, with agreement between PV imagery, data and knowledge captured during and MV. The details of the investigations undertaken these surveys will be a shared resource that PV can during this project can be found in this report. 6 Otway Bioscan Great Otway National Park July 2018–June 2019 Deliverables Ken Walker (bees and moss bugs) Kevin Rowe (small mammals) • Species lists for the areas surveyed Kylea Clarke (reptiles and amphibians) • Distribution of biodiversity data and images, via Maggie Haines (reptiles and amphibians) MV’s Collections On-line website and the Atlas of Maik Fiedel (reptiles and amphibians) Living Australia, with attribution to ‘The Museums Victoria–Parks Victoria Great Otway National Mark Nikolic (birds and moths) Park Bioscan’. Martin Gomon (freshwater fish) • Three hundred high and low-resolution digital Melanie Mackenzie (public engagement) images and associated, relevant metadata. Photo Nish Mohamed Nizar (birds and moths) subjects include species encountered, natural Richard Marchant (aquatic invertebrates) habitats and other features found within the park. Ricky-Lee Erickson (reptiles and amphibians) • Three to four minutes of professionally produced Robert Zugaro (photography and videography) video footage. For example, a short documentary Rod Start (photography) promoting the survey highlights and the natural Rolf Schmidt (palaeontology and geology) assets of the GONP. Sakib Kazi (small mammals) • Ten 1-page narratives containing biodiversity/ Simon Hinkley (moths) biological/geological information that could be Steph Versteegen (small mammals) used for PV promotional material. Stephen Dixon (photography and videography) • A final written report, which consolidates the work Steve Sparrey (preparator) carried out during the Otway Bioscan. Tim Ziegler (palaeontology and geology) • Three public engagement events, including at least Museums Victoria Volunteers, one in the Wye River/Separation Creek/Kennett Honouries and Research Associates River area. Cathy Powers (moths) Dean Hewish (moths) Participants Marilyn Hewish (moths) Museums Victoria Staff Matthew McGee (freshwater fish) Anna McCallum (frogs) Molly Watchorn (small mammals) Ben Healley (photography) Peter Marriott (moths) Brigette Bell (small mammals) Rudie Kuiter (freshwater fish) Chris Rowley (snails) Other Volunteers Claire Keely (public engagement) Andrew O’Grady (reptiles and amphibians) Dermot Henry (tektites) Caroline Dong (reptiles and amphibians) Dani Measday (public engagement) David Mules (moths and lacewings) Dianne Bray (freshwater fish) Frank Pierce (moths and lacewings) Erich Fitzgerald (palaeontology and geology) Ken Harris (moths and lace-wings) Genefor Walker-Smith (project leader, final report) Till Ramm (reptiles and amphibians) Heath Warwick (photography & image management) Jane Melville (reptiles and amphibians) Parks Victoria Staff Joanne Sumner (reptiles and amphibians) Jani Demetrious John Broomfield (photography) Katrina Lovett Julian Finn (aquatic invertebrates & photography) Kieran Lieutier Kate Phillips (final report and public engagement) Karen Rowe (birds) Katie Date (frogs) Otway Bioscan Great Otway National Park July 2018–June 2019 7 The Otway Ranges are characterised by steep INTRODUCTION terrain and complex gully systems that are difficult to access and thus difficult to defend from fire. The Wye River–Jamieson Track fire lasted for 34 days and The Great Otway National Park (GONP, Fig. 1) was approximately 2500 hectares of land was burned, established in 2005 and is the product of amalgamation including areas within the Great Otway National Park of the former Otway National Park and Melba Gully (IGEM, 2016). State Park, most of Angahook-Lorne State Park and Coastal villages and towns border the national park Carlisle State Park, a number of former State forest in many areas and the winding Great Ocean Road areas, many smaller reserves and other areas of public enables thousands