The Volume 128 (3) June 2011 Published by The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria since 1884 From the Editors Over the long history of The Victorian Naturalist the journal has continued to provide a record of studies by both scientifically-trained and amateur researchers of what was observed at a given time and place. These records have often provided a valuable basis, through comparison, for observing change over time in aspects of natural history. The current issue maintains these traditions, with the papers illustrating such changes. We publish here the first study of the decapods of the Pilliga Scrub in New South Wales, details of an extension of the Victorian range of a species of skink, and observations on an undescribed species of fungi. The range of subject matter in these papers also highlights, once again, the diversity that exists of both interest and study regarding the natural world. 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Email: [email protected] Editors: Anne Morton, Gary Presland, Maria Gibson Editorial Assistant: Virgil Hubregtse From the Editors 94 Research Report A field survey of the decapod crustaceans (Malacostraca: Decapoda) of the Pillaga Scrub in northern inland New South Wales by Michael J Murphy 96 Contributions A record of Spencers Skink Pseudemoia spenceri from the Victorian Volcanic Plain by Peter Homan 106 Preliminary observations on an undescribed yellow Pluteus species by Jurrie Hubregtse and Virgil Hubregtse Ill Naturalist Note A note on predation of Eastern Grey Kangaroo in the eastern Otway Ranges by Simon Townsend 116 Book Review Australian Bustard by Mark Ziembicki, reviewed by Michael Weston 118 A guide to the Beetles of Australia by George Hangay and Paul Zborowski, reviewed by John Wainer 119 Rainforest Restoration Manual for south-eastern Australia by Bill Peel, reviewed by Maria Gibson 121 Dingo by Brad Purcell, reviewed by Angus Martin 122 ISSN 0042-5184 Front cover: Pluteus sp. yellow’ fruit-body. Photo by Jurrie Hubregtse. See page 111. Back cover: Freshwater Crab Austrothelphusa transversa from West Pilliga Scrub. Photo by MJ Murphy. See page 96. Research Reports A field survey of the decapod crustaceans (Malacostraca: Decapoda) of the Pilliga Scrub in northern inland New South Wales Michael J Murphy NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, PO Box 105, Baradine NSW 2396 Abstract The Pilliga Scrub is a large semi-arid woodland area in northern inland New South Wales with limited fresh- water habitats and a frequent scarcity of surface water. A survey of the areas decapod crustacean fauna in 2009-2010 identified live species: the crayfish Cherax destructor (Parastacidae), crab Austrothelphusa trans- versa (Parathelphusidae), shrimps Caridina rnccullochi and Paratya australiensis (Atyidae) and prawn Macro- brachium australiense (Palaemonidae). The decapod diversity is low at the species level but relatively high at the family level, and reflects the location of the Pilliga Scrub in a transitional zone between faunal assemblages of southern and northern Australia. Cherax destructor and Austrothelphusa transversa are well suited to the variable aquatic conditions in the Pilliga Scrub and can survive prolonged drought in burrows. Caridina mc- surface at and Macrobrachium australiense , in contrast, are dependent on water cullochi , Paratya australiensis all life cycle stages, and their survival in the Pilliga Scrub relies on the few small permanent waterholes along larger intermittent streams or, if these dry out, re-colonisation from downstream perennial river channels dur- ing occasional stream flow events. An increase in aridity due to anthropogenic climate change could result in the local extinction of these three species, representing a 60% reduction in local decapod species diversity. ( The Victorian Naturalist 128(3) 2011, 96-105) Keywords: decapod diversity, Pilliga Scrub, Murray-Darling Basin, intermittent streams Introduction Australia is one of the worlds driest continents, ditional bush food. Freshwater decapod faunas with relatively limited freshwater habitats are of conservation concern in many parts of (Jones and Morgan 1994). Despite this, Aus- the world (Martin and Wicksten 2004; O’Brien tralia has a diverse range of freshwater crusta- 2007; Crandall and Buhay 2008; Cumberlidge ceans, many with specialised life history traits et al. 2009). The present study examined the enabling them to survive and even thrive under decapod crustacean fauna of the Pilliga Scrub extremely variable conditions. The decapod in northern inland New South Wales (NSW). crustacean fauna (Malacostraca: Decapoda) This is the first published study of the decapods found in Australian freshwater habitats consists of this area. The aim of the study was to identify of crayfish (Parastacidae), shrimps (Palaemoni- the species present and document information dae and Atyidae) and crabs (Parathelphusidae on local distribution, habitat preferences and and Hymenosomatidae) (Jones and Morgan status. 1994; Davie 2002a and b). The biogeographical Study area and methods origin of this fauna is varied, ranging from an- The Pilliga Scrub is a 450000 ha area of semi-ar- cient Gondwanan relicts such as the parastacid id woodland in Gamilaraay Aboriginal Country crayfish (Merrick 1993) to relatively recent col- in the Brigalow Belt South bioregion in northern onisers from south-east Asia, such as the Para- inland NSW (Fig. 1). The landform ranges from thelphusid (potamid) freshwater crabs (Bishop low sandstone hills and wide sandy valleys in the 1963). Decapod crustaceans play a key ecologi- east to a flat outwash sand plain in the west and cal role in many freshwater ecosystems, often north, and has an elevation range of 160-640 m comprising a significant part of the macroin- above sea level (Australian Fleight Datum). The vertebrate biomass, feeding at multiple trophic Pilliga Scrub is within the Murray- Darling Ba- levels and forming an important food source sin: most of the area drains north to the Namoi for fishes and waterbirds (Sheldon and Walker River while the southern and south-western 1998; Richardson and Cook 2006; Giling et al. fringes drain south or west to the Castlereagh 2009). Larger species are also of cultural signifi- River. Rainfall is generally low and irregular cance to Australian Aboriginal people as a tra- 96 The Victorian Naturalist Research Reports and the intermittent streams in the Pilliga Scrub area, and were stratified between the eastern represent an extremely variable and unpredict- sandstone country and the outwash sand plain able aquatic environment, fluctuating between a and between natural streams/waterbodies and few small isolated waterholes along dry stream constructed ground tanks (Appendix 1). Oppor- beds for most of the year and temporarily flow- tunistic records from additional sites were also ing streams and shallow ephemeral wetlands fol- documented; generally based on observations lowing rare heavy rain events. Small earth-wall of exoskeleton material but also including some ground tanks used as a fire fighting resource pro- opportunistic trapping and dip-netting. Taxo- vide some additional aquatic habitat. nomic nomenclature in this paper follows Davie A field survey of the decapod crustacean fauna (2002a, 2002b). Voucher specimens of all species of the Pilliga Scrub was done between Septem- recorded in the study were deposited in the col- ber 2009 and June 2010. Considerable rainfall lection of the Australian Museum (Sydney). over the summer and autumn of 2010 resulted Results in strong stream flow events during part of the In total, 58 records of decapod Crustacea were study period. Survey methods comprised fun- documented in the Pilliga Scrub study area, nel-type yabby traps baited with tinned cat food comprising five species from four families or chicken, dip-netting using a hand-held net, (Table 1). Overall site richness, based on the lifting timber debris and loose rocks around wa- 20 primary survey sites, averaged 1.3 species ter edges, spotlighting at night along water edges per site (range 0-3 species). Site richness and and searching water edges and dry water bodies species occurrence varied between the eastern for exoskeleton material. Twenty primary survey sandstone country