tssN 0085-8129 ODC151:146 VertebrateFauna in The SouthernForests of WesternAustralia A Survey P. CHRISTENSEN,A. ANNELS, G. LIDDELOW AND P. SKINNER FORESTS DEPARTMENT OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA BULLETIN94, 1985 T:- VertebrateFauna in The SouthernForests of WesternAustralia A Survey By P. CHRISTENSEN, A. ANNELS, G. LIDDELOW AND P. SKINNER Edited by Liana ChristensenM.A. (w.A.I.T.) Preparedfor Publicationby Andrew C.A. Cribb B.A. (U.W.A.) P.J. McNamara Acting Conservator of Forcsts 1985 I I r FRONT COVER The Bush R.at (Rattus fuscipes): the most abundantof the native mammals recordedby the surueyteams in WesternAustralia's southernforests. Coverphotograph: B. A. & A. C. WELLS Printed in WesternAustralia Publishedby the ForestsDepartmeDt of WesternAustralia Editor MarianneR.L. Lewis AssistantEditor Andrew C.A. Cribb DesignTrish Ryder CPl9425/7/85- Bf Atthority WILLIAM BENBOW,Aciing Cov€mmenaPrinter, Wesrern Ausrralia + Contents Page SUMMARY SECTION I-INTRODUCTION HistoricalBackground. Recent Perspectives SECTION II-DESCRIPTION OF SURVEY AREA Boundariesand PhysicalFeatures 3 Geology 3 Soils 3 Climate 6 Vegetation 6 VegetationTypes. 8 SECTION III-SURVEY METHODS 13 SECTION IV-SURVEY RESULTSAND LIST OF SPECIES. l6 (A) MAMMALS Discussionof Findings. l6 List of Species (i) IndigenousSpecies .17 (ii) IntroducedSpecies .30 (B) BIRDS Discussionof Findings List of Species .34 (C) REPTILES Discussionof Findings. List of Species. .49 (D) AMPHIBIANS Discussionof Findings. 55 List of Species. 55 (E) FRESHWATER FISH Discussionof Findings. .59 List of Species (i) IndigenousSpecies 59 (ii) IntroducedSpecies 6l SECTION V-GENERALDISCUSSION 63 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 68 REFERENCES 69 APPENDICES I-Results from Fauna Surveys 1912-t982 72 II-Results from Other ResearchStudies '74 Within The SurveyArea 1970-1982. III-Plant SpeciesCollected In The Survey Area since1968 76 IV-List Of VertebratesRecorded On Surveys Page (A) Mammals 92 (B) Birds 93 (C) Reptiles. 97 (D) Amphibians 98 (E) Freshwater Fish 98 V-Ve ebrates recorded in each of the Faunal Zones (A) Mammals 99 (B) Birds 100 (C) Reptiles. 106 (D) Amphibians. 108 (E) FreshwaterFish 109 Plates 1 High open forest of karri (Eucalyptusdiversicolor). Note the denseunderstorey. 2 High open forest of red tingle (E. jacksonii) with a denseunderstorey of kafir wattle (Acacia pentadenia) near Walpole 3a Open forest of jarrah (E. morginala) and marri (E. calophllla) near Manjimup. Note comparativelyopen understorey 9 3b Open forest of jarrah on infertile greysand 9 4 Wandoo /E. wandoo) woodland. 9 5 Flat-topped yate (E. occidentalr/ woodland, found only in restricted areas of the south near the Hay River. 9 Casuarinafraserana and Banksia attenuatqwoodland on deep sandysoils in the south of the sulvey area. ll '7 Woodland of Banksia illicifulia on sandysoils in the south of the surveyarea 11 8 Low open woodland of Melaleucapriessiqza on swampyground. Note the flowering Beaufortia spars(l in the foreground. 11 Closedscrub of Melqleucsviminea on shallow soils in the upper reachesof the Perup River. Coloniesof Tammar Wallabies(Mauopus eugenii)live in thesethickets ll l0 Low, closedscrub of Agonis paryiceps,Beoufortia sparsa,and. Leptospermum firmum on moist peaty flats in the Mitchell River area ll 1l Open coastal heath on the south coast 1l 12 Sedgeland or south-coastal flat. Low woodland occurs as a fringe to these flats. 12 Granite outcrop and Eucqlyptus megacarpa, Ml. Lindesay. 12 l4a Coastal lake near Yeagarup, on the south coast t2 14b Wetlands: a pool on the Frankland River t2 15 Pinus radiata plantations in the Blackwood Valley . 1,2 "Box" "Possum" 16 or trap with a Western Qt:.oll (Dasyurus geoffroii) caught in the Perup 15 17 Collapsiblebat trap constructedafter the design of Tiedemann and Woodside (1978). t5 18 Survey team searching woodland and closed heath for frogs, small fish, and other vertebrates l5 19 Nest of the Common DrJnnart (Sminthopsis murina), constructed with the soft bark of the paperbark (Melaleuca preissiana/, inside the hollow stem of a dead blackboy (Xqnthorrheq preissii) 15 20 Spotlight surveyteam searchingfor nocturnal animals t5 Extensivethickets of heartleafpoison bush (Gastrolobiumbilobum) 22 WesternPygmy-poss]um (Cercartetus concinnus) Honey-possum(Tarsipes rostratus) on Bqnksiq qttenusts. Common D\nnart (Smint hopsis murina) 27 25 Tawny Frogmouth(Podorgus strigoides) on its nestin coastallow open woodland. zo Red-earedFiretail (Emblemaoculala) 27 SplendidFairy-wren (Malurus splendens). 33 28 Golden Whistler /Pachycephala pectoralis). 44 29 RedJeggedSkink (Ctenotuslabillardieri). 48 Page 30 Mourning Skink (Egernia luctuoss). 48 JI Sphenom o rp hus austr d lis 48 Little Brown Snake(Elapognathus minor). 48 33 Mueller's Snake(Rhinoplocephalus bicolor) 48 34 Greenand Gold Tree Frcg (Litoria moorei) )o 35 Geocrinialutea 56 36 Salamanderfish (Lepidogalaxias salamandro ides) 60 Nightfish q'Eosrockidpo ross). 60 38 Brush-tailedBettong or Woylie /Bellongiapenicillata). 64 39 N\mbat (My r mecob ius Jasciatus) 64 Figures I Location of surveys 4 2 Land use in the surveyarea , 4 3 Major geologicalformations. 5 4 Distribution of rainfall in the suryevarea 7 'l 5 Major vegetation formations. 6 Mean numbersof Brush Wallabies(Macropus irma) and Grey Kangaroos(Mocropus Juliginosus) seenon lwo eveningtransecrs. l9 'l Known distributionof the Quokka (Setonix brachlurusl and Tammar Wallaby (Macropus eugenii) 20 8 Capturepercentages of the Brush-tailedBettong (Bettongia penicillata) attwo locationsin the Perup forest. 20 9a Possumsightings on spotlight surveys:Yendicup Block 2l 9b Possumsightings on spotlightsurveys: Boyicup Block. 2l l0 Capture percentagesof Isoodon obesulusat two locationsin the Perup forest 25 ll Capture percentagesof Dasyurusgeolfroii at two locationsin the Perup forest . 25 12. Incidental sightingsof the Numbat (MyrmecobiusJasciatus) in the north-eastof the survey area 27 13 Mean numbersof Emru's(Dromaius novaehollandiae/ seen on two eveningtransects JJ 14a Diagrammaticrepresentation of the resultsof ordination of 25 surveys,based on data for all vertebratespecies. 66 l4b Diagrammatic representation of the results of ordination of 25 surveys, based on mammal data 66 l4c Diagrammatic representation of the results of ordination of 25 surveys, based on reptile data 66 Tables I Gazettedrare flora in the surveyarea (Rye and Hopper, 1981). 6 2 Percentageof surveytime allocatedto eachmajor vegetationtype Surveysallorted to faunalzones 65 4 Comparisonbetween faunal zones:total speciesnumbers 5 Comparisonbetween faunal zones: species in common 67 6 Comparisonbetween faunal zones:numbels of restrictedspecies 6'7 APPENDICES '12 A.I (a) Number of trap nights for all trap typesin eacharea surveyed A.I (b) Fauna type and capturerate per trap type '73 A.I (c) Time spenton typesof surveywork. A.ll (a) Numberof trapnights for all traptypes in eachstudy. A.II (b) Number of capturesfor eachfauna type, and total capturerate for all studies. '75 A.U (c) Spotlight surveyresults from other researchstudies in the surveyarca, 19'70-1982 A.II (d) Resultsof eveningvehicle transects, from other researchstudies in the surveyarca, 1970-1982 75 '75 A.II (e) Time spent on bird counts in the suryeyarea, 1919-1982 Summary The forestedland to the south of the BlackwoodRiver, including the Donnybrook Sunklandto the south and eastof Busseltonwas surveyedfor flora and fauna over a lz-year period between1970 and 1982.A total of 19 surveyswere carried out during the period. Resultsof thesesuneys indicatethat the areacontains a rich and varied flora and fauna, a high proportion of which are speciesendemic to the south-west.Some of thesespecies are entirely restrictedto the surveyarea. Severalareas of outstandingflora and fauna valuesare identified. Distinct trendsin the distribution of fauna, which were relatedto climatic factors, were recognized,but no faunal regionsor zonescould be identified. The area, consistinglargely of StateForest, is an outstandingreserve for many plants and animalsunique to the south-west. SECTION 1 Introduction HISTORICAL BACKGROUND coastal sand dunes. Theseremains, bone and tooth material, occur along with those of other, extant, species Since European colonization, many changeshave such as the Quokka, the Common Ringtail Possum affected the fauna and flora of the southernforests. (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) and the Western Quoll Clearing of the forests for farming, townships and (Dasyurus geoffroii)i they appear fairly recent. plantations,as well as the introduction and spreadof exotic speciesthroughout the area, have all had their Another mammal species,the Burrowing Bettong, effect. Few recordsof fauna numbersand distribution which was noted in the Lake Muir district, east of havebeen kept, ald there are few data on thesechanges; Manjimup is now also extinct in the survey area what few that are available,however, provide some (Kitcheneret al., 1978).Two others, theBilby (Macrotis backgroundinformation to our survey. lagotis) and the Red-tailed Phascogale (Phoscogale calura) appear to have occurred in the alea and are no The widespreaddisappearance of native mammals longer present. following European settlementis an Australia-wide phenomenon,from whichthe forestareas have suffered Two bird speciesmay have becorneextinct: the lessthan havethe more arid woodland areas.Masters Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) and the Noisy 'Ihe recorded impressivenumbers of mammals from the Scrnb-bird.(Atrichornis clsmosus). former occurred south-west of Western Australia between 1866-69 on the southern coastal flats,