THESYDNEY AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM SEPTEMBER 15, 1965 Registered at the General Post Office. Sydnev. for transmission by post as a periodical VoL. 15, No. 3 PRICE, THREE SHILLINGS CONTENTS Page WOMBATS-H. J. Mar/o1v 65 TilE UsEs OF SIIELLS BY PRIM ITIVE MA -Frederick. D. McCarthy 70 SPAW 1 G BEIIAVIOUR 1 TilE QuEENSLA D LUNGFISII. Neoceratodus Forsteri-Gordon C. Grigg 75 BuiLDING STo ES OF A GREAT CITv-R. 0. Chalmers 76 WIIITE-WI GED CIIOUGIIS-/an Row/ey 81 BLISTERING FRO� I BRI'>TLE-WORM-J. C. Ya/dwyn 86 TilE BEIIAVIOUR OF S110RE CRABS-D. J. G. Griffin 87 Jo11 LIIOTSKY AND TilE AUSTRALIA MuSEUM-G. 11. Whitley 92 • FRONT COVER: The Common Wombat. Vomhatus hirsurm. found in New South Wales, Victoria and eastern South Australia. This photo shows the Common Wombat's coarse fur, short ears and bare snout, compared with the fine and silky fur, Ion�: ears and hairy snout of the Hairy-nosed Wombats ( Lasiorhinus), which occur on the inland plains of South Australia and Queensland and which are illustrated in the article on wombats on pages 65-69. The cover photo (by H. Burrell) shows clearly the powerful foreclaws with which wombats dig their burrows. VoL. 15. No. 3 SEPTEMBER 15. 1965 *�*w**************. .. ,***********w**�***... .. .. ... ..· . ... · . ... ...· · ·'· ...· ....'l .• •. •••. .••• · • · • •· "�'...... 'l. .... .. .. ... .. .. ... .. , .. r· . .. ..· ·· ·· • • · . .. .. ··:� � . : :) .·* * ·. ,, ·�/ :�: ) � � 8 GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS to � � �'*' ('* ::' �*: =:= ·* . ''Australian Natural History'' . •. ::� � �: * : The order form below is to enable readers to send "AUSTRALIAN :* :i* NATURAL HISTORY" to friends as a Christmas gift. * '*: * · �=· = H the form is filled in, and this page tom out along the �_:: perforation and sent to the Government Printer, your friends will / ·. :: =·:.·= �: �, be informed by letter that the magazine is being sent to them as =;:'�'· ' ' a Christmas gift, with your good wishes. :*: * * � To : The Go1·ernment Printer, Harris Street, Ultimo, N.S. W. ( :: Please enrol as a subscriber to "AUSTRALIAN NATURAL HISTORY" ;� ·*· for one year (4 issues) @ 14/- posted '*' �:* =�:: ---······--·· * '*' for issues @ 3f6d. per issue posted : : (cross out line not required) . ·:*: .,... the person 11'110se name appears below: �;* Name of person to whom copies are to be sent: :*)' *:* ....'*' :· ·: .. .. "' M r. �� : : Mrs. -·--··-·-······-··---·--------···- ···-·-······--···-··-·-······--··-···--- : : :'; Miss * ' ' : : * Address of person to whom copies are to be sent: - ��=!:: :�i -·---·-·-······-······················-·····-·-···-·-·-··--········-·-·-···----·-·-··-·--·--·--··--······-·-·--···········-····-·-----··-·······-·-··-·--· ;:.; : :: :: :: Name and address of sender:-----------·---- =;.. :.= : : ·-·--·----···-- ·--- - * :*' · ) : ·: ::�:: Additional names and addresses should be sent on a separate sheet of paper. � : : :. .: Please send the appropriate payment with the order form. Postal notes and :.'*' :��: cheques should be made payable to THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING :!*:: ' ' OFFICE and exchange added to country and interstate cheques. *:�: :�: All Christmas Gift Subscriptions will start with the December, 1965, issue. � .. *:* . ·:�·: · ····� ··· ·" "•..t/· ·· ···� ··� ·· "'-" ·, ··� " ·· .·· �··�..:·· '*-'' ·"� ·" ·"·.,.· .� " " •'·� ··:._..t.,;.";, ''� ·· ·· ·"� " ": :· · �< •· v � �..t.t:. ;, � ;,.'f,; �� ;;; � * * ;;�/ * .�"'- "'- "'- � ,'1�. � .71<: .. � . .'1'-. ."?t/':..?1 • .• �.7F...?f- -...�.'f' ,;>i. :>�<:. ..;;;.I":' · ..· • .. · I •., ...� . ..I ..• • • ..•:ae --*• ;¥':..:¥: .. 'F.... • ..7f".. .71<:,7F...W. .. ;;;.F.. •, ..>t<:,;>i·� .. 71<: � • * .*7F.. / AUS IAN NATUR ISTORY Published Quarterly by the Australian Museum College Street, Sydne�· Editor: J. W. Evans, Sc.D. Annual Subscription, Posted, 14/- VoL. 15. o. 3 SEPTEMBER 15. 1965 WOMBATS By B. J. 'IARLOW HE marsupials or pouched mammals olestids and related forms are placed in the show a markedly discontinuous dis­ order Paucitubcrculata. The bandicoots Ttribution, since living members of this group are placed alone in the order Peramelina and arc found only in the Australasian region all the remaining marsupials, which are and the New World. Each of these areas Au tralasian, comprise the order Diproto­ possesses three main groups of marsupials, donta. the true opossums, opossum-rats and the The Diprotodonta arc characterized by extinct borhyacnids in America and the carnivorous dasyurids, bandicoots and the possession of long procumbent lower phalangcroids in Australia. lt has been incisors and embrace the phalangers or pos­ customary in the past to group this great sums. the large extinct diprotodonts. kansa­ assembly of extremely diverse marsupials roos and wombats. into one order. the Marsupialia, but many modern workers have advocated their sep­ The Classification And Distribution Of aration into different orders since they Wombats show comparable diversity with the placen­ When compared with other families in tal mammals. the Diprotodonta. the wombats show very In a recent revised classification of mar­ little diversity since there are only three supials. Ride has erected four orders which gener:1. one of which. Phascolonus, is ex­ more adequately halance the two infra· tinct. Of the living genera, Vombatus classes Metatheria and Eutheria which com­ comorises two living and about six extinct prise the marsupials and placental mammals pecies. while Lasiorhin11s contains two respectively. The true American opossums living and two extinct species. Wombats or didelphids. the extinct American borhy­ in the genus V nmbatus arc known popularly aenids and the Australian dasyurids are all as Common Wombats, while those in the included in the order Marsupicarnivora. genus Lasiorhinus are the Hairy-nosed while the American opossum-rats or caen- Wombats. September, 1965 Par:e 65 Hairy-nosed Wombats. Lasiorhi11us lati/ro11s. The Ion!! ear; and "hite hairy muzzle can be readily distinguished. [From a painting by John Gould.] Common Wombats are confined to the reduced. but in its external appearance and eucalypt forests of eastern Australia and the in other anatomical features it is closely islands of Bas Strait. The mainland species. related to Lasiorhimts and d:>cs not merit Vomba!us hirsutus, extends from northern generic separation. New South Wales, south through southern Although wombats arc widely distributed Victoria to the eastern part of South Aus­ in southern and eastern Australia. this i tralia. The smaller lsland Wombat, V. the only living family of the Diprotodonta ursimts, is now confined to Tasmania and which is absent from cw Guinea. Flinders Island. although it formerly occur­ red on several other islands in this area. The Morphology Of Wombats The Hairy-nosed Wombats are found in t�e inland plains. The Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats are heavy thickset bear-like WombJt, Lasiorhinus /a�ifrons . extends from animals with a vestigial tail. Adult animals the westcm bank of the Murray River in may measure about 4 feet in total length and South Australia across the Nullarbor Plain to weigh up to 60 pound . The head is short the bordo;r of Western Australia. This and blunt with rather small eyes. The limb,; are short and thick and each foot bears five a,imal hows a remarkable discontinuity of digits. In the forelimb cash digit ha a stout distribution. since the ubspccics. L. I. bar­ nardi, occurs in central Queensland at Cler­ claw, while in the hind foot all the digits except the big toe bear claws. The second mont. The second species of Hairy-nosed and third toes of the hind foot are joined as Wombat, L. gi/lespiei, i confined to Queen'\­ land in the plain country between St. in the other Diprotodont:t and bandicoot . George and Clcrmont. This latter specie but to a lesser degree. has been placed in a separate genus. Wom­ The hair of Common Wombats ( Vom­ batula. by som:: mammalogists. incc the batus) is very dark brown or black and frontal bones of the kull are greatly extremely coar e and thick, while in Hairy- Page 66 A IIHraliall Natural History Above: Typical habi­ tat of Common Wombats, Vombarus hirsurus. in dry eucalyptus forest in the Great Dividing Ran!!e of e\\ South Wale . Below: Habi­ tat of Hairy-nosed Wombats, Lasiorhinus /arifrons. in the lime- tone plains on the "eM bank of the M urray River at Blanchetown. South Au tralia. [Photos: Author.l nosed Wombats ( Lasiorhinus) it is mottled The teeth of wombats present many in­ grey and very fine and silky. The cars of tcrcstin� p.::culiaritics when compared with the latter genus arc much longer than those those of other marsupials. The majority of of Common Wombats. The snout of Corn· marsupials have a different number of in­ mon Wombats is covered with naked granu­ cisor teeth in the upper and lower jaws, but lated skin. while in the Hairy-nosed in the wombats these teeth arc reduced to a Wombats the snout is covered with short sin�le pair in each jaw. Moreover, wombats velvety hairs. a·c the only marsupials in which all the In the skull, the n::1sal bones of Vombatus teeth have persistent pulps which allow them are relatively long. while those of Lasior­ to grow continuously throughout the life of hinus are short and very broad. 1 n addition. a postorbital process is present in Lasior­ the animal. hin us. which is completely lacking in Like the majority of marsupials, Hairy­ Vombatus. nosed Wombats have 13 pairs of ribs ; in SepTember, 1965 Page 67 the Common Wombats. however, the Many mar upials show the phenomenon number of rib i incrca ed to 15 pairs. of convergence