TROPICANA GOLD PROJECT PUTATIVE SHORT-RANGE ENDEMIC INVERTEBRATE SURVEY REPORT 1025 Wellington Street WEST PERTH WA 6005 ・ phone: 9322 1944 ・ fax: 9322 1599 ・ ACN 088 821 425 ・ ABN 63 088 821 425 www.ecologia.com.au TROPICANA GOLD PROJECT PUTATIVE SHORT-RANGE ENDEMIC INVERTEBRATE SURVEY REPORT Tropicana Joint Venture 27 July 2009 TROPICANA GOLD PROJECT Operational Area SRE Invertebrate Survey Document Status Approved for Issue Rev Author Reviewer/s Date Distributed No. Name Date To Erich S. 1 N.F Thompson 11/09/2008 Volschenk Karen 2 N.F Thompson 26/09/2008 Condon 3 N.F Thompson M. Davis 24/11/2008 M. White, M. 4 N.F Thompson 5/03/2009 M. Davis B. Bastow 5/03/2009 Davis 5 N.F Thompson M. Davis 19/03/2009 M. Davis B. Bastow 19/03/2009 P. Roberts, Final 25/03/2009 M. Davis B. Bastow 26/3/2009 C. Taylor ecologia Environment (2009). Reproduction of this report in whole or in part by electronic, mechanical or chemical means including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, in any language, is strictly prohibited without the express approval of AngloGold Ashanti Australia Pty Ltd and/or ecologia Environment. Restrictions on Use This report has been prepared specifically for AngloGold Ashanti Australia Pty Ltd. Neither the report nor its contents may be referred to or quoted in any statement, study, report, application, prospectus, loan, or other agreement document, without the express approval of AngloGold Ashanti Australia Pty Ltd and/or ecologia Environment. ecologia Environment 1025 Wellington Street WEST PERTH WA 6005 Phone: 08 9322 1944 Fax: 08 9322 1599 Email: admin@ecologia.com.au i TROPICANA GOLD PROJECT Operational Area SRE Invertebrate Survey Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY………………………………………………………………………….iv 1.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................1 1.1 Project Background.................................................................................................1 1.2 Survey Objectives....................................................................................................1 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................................................4 2.1 Review of Short-range Endemism in Western Australia......................................4 2.2 Processes Promoting Short-range Endemism .....................................................4 3.0 BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT...............................................................................6 3.1 Climate......................................................................................................................6 3.2 Biogeography.........................................................................................................10 3.3 Flora and Vegetation .............................................................................................10 4.0 METHODS...............................................................................................................11 4.1 Survey Timing ........................................................................................................11 4.2 Site Selection .........................................................................................................11 4.4 Sampling Methods.................................................................................................15 4.4.1 Systematic Sampling: Pitfall Trapping.......................................................15 4.4.2 Opportunistic Data: Hand foraging and Sifting..........................................15 4.5 Survey Team ..........................................................................................................16 4.6 External Support....................................................................................................16 5.0 RESULTS ................................................................................................................18 5.1 Overview.................................................................................................................18 5.2 Taxonomy...............................................................................................................18 5.2.1 Arachnids (Phylum Arthropoda, Subclass Arachnida) ..............................18 5.2.2 Crustaceans (Phylum Arthropoda, Subphylum Crustacea) ......................29 5.2.3 Myriapods (Phylum Arthropoda, Subphylum Myriapoda)..........................30 5.2.4 Molluscs (Mollusca)...................................................................................31 5.3 Completeness of Survey Set ................................................................................36 6.0 DISCUSSION ..........................................................................................................38 7.0 MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................39 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................40 ii TROPICANA GOLD PROJECT Operational Area SRE Invertebrate Survey Tables Table 1 Climatic Statistics for Balgair* ....................................................................8 Table 2 Climatic Statistics for Laverton* ..................................................................9 Table 3 Summary of Survey Effort........................................................................16 Table 4 Ecologia Staff involved with Survey Effort................................................16 Table 5 Taxonomic Experts used for Specimen Identification ..............................17 Table 6 Summary of All Species Collected Inside and Outside the Mining and Infrastructure Footprint..............................................................................33 Table 7 Species of Conservation Interest Collected within the Operational Area..35 Figures Figure 1 General Location Plan of Tropicana Joint Venture Operational Area in Western Australia........................................................................................3 Figure 2 Mean Rainfall (mm) for Balgair from 1983 – 2008 ......................................7 Figure 3 Mean Annual Maximum and Minimum Temperature for Balgair from 1983 – 2008 .........................................................................................................7 Figure 4 Mean Rainfall for Laverton 1899 – 2008.....................................................8 Figure 5 Mean Maximum and Minimum Temperature for Laverton Aero (2.5kms from Laverton) 1991 – 2008........................................................................9 Figure 6 Tropicana 2006 SRE Pitfall Trap Sites......................................................12 Figure 7 Tropicana 2006 SRE Foraging Sites.........................................................13 Figure 8 Tropicana 2008 SRE Pitfall Trap Sites......................................................14 Figure 9 The Distinctive Curtain-web of Cethegus ischnotheloides ........................20 Figure 10 Cethegus ischnoltheloides Coaxed from its Web......................................20 Figure 11 Aganippe sp. 1 ..........................................................................................22 Figure 12 Aname sp. 2..............................................................................................24 Figure 13 Kwonkan sp. 2...........................................................................................24 Figure 14 Scorpion from the Genus Cercophonius ...................................................26 Figure 15 Passive Dispersal of Chernetid Pseudoscorpions Using a Fly Host .........28 Figure 16 Isopod from the Genus Pseudolaureola....................................................29 Figure 17 Millipede from the Order Polyzoniida ........................................................31 Figure 18 Rarefaction Curves of Species Diversity; Blue – Inside, Red – Outside ...36 Figure 19 Species Accumulation Curve for ‘Inside’ Area ..........................................37 Figure 20 Species Accumulation Curve for ‘Outside’ Area .......................................37 iii TROPICANA GOLD PROJECT Operational Area SRE Invertebrate Survey EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Tropicana JV (TJV) is currently undertaking a pre-feasibility study on the viability of establishing the Tropicana Gold Project (TGP), which is centred on the Tropicana and Havana gold prospects. The proposed TGP is located approximately 330 km east north-east of Kalgoorlie, and 15 km west of the Plumridge Lakes Nature Reserve, on the western edge of the Great Victoria Desert (GVD) biogeographic region of Western Australia (Figure 1). The Tropicana and Havana prospects represent the first gold resource discovered in this remote portion of Western Australia. Ecologia Environment (ecologia hereafter) was contracted to conduct a literature review of short-range endemism in Western Australia, and to undertake surveys for short-range endemic invertebrates (SRE) in the proposed operational area. SRE species are recognised from mostly flightless arthropod groups such as arachnids (i.e. trap door spiders, scorpions, pseudoscorpions), myriapods (i.e. specific millipedes and centipedes) and snails. This report documents the findings of the literature review and field surveys. A conventional trapping and foraging programme was conducted over 30 days between September and October 2006 (one phase) and over five months (five phases) between April and September in 2008.
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