PART III MAMMALS by N. L. McKENZIEI, W. K. YOUNGSONI, A. A. BURBIDGEI and A. CHAPMAN'. INTRODUCTION Gibson Desert Nature Reserve-Hairs identified in dingo scats. This paper is based on information collectedduring Rangeswith mulga (l.l); breakawaysand stony hills visits to four areas in arid Western Australia (see with mulga(3.5). McKenzie, this publication). All mammals collected have been lodged in the WesternAustralian Museum with accessionnumbers: M14384-14425(November Petrogale sp. 1975collection), M14618 14676(March 1976collection). Lake DisappointmentArea-Old scats in the Durba Techniquesof mammal survev were similar to those Hills. listed in Burbidgeet al. (1976)'althonghonly four types of trap were used: Large Elliott, Medium Elliott, Break-back and Dug Pit. Approximately 800 trap- FAMILY DASYURIDAE nights were effectedin each of the four areasvisited. Antechinus (Spencer) Within each area, trapping effort was approximately macdonnellensis Red-earerlAnte- chinus equally divided between the following habitats (see Burbidgeand McKenzie,this publication):l.l-1.6, Gibson Desert Nature Reserve 2 (1J, 1!); cranial 2.1.-2.6,3.13.10 (except 3.3 and3.7),4.14.7. fragmentsin owl pellets. (Todd Range;25"45'5, Bats were collectedby meansof a floodlighting tech- 12612'E-l?) nique (Youngson and McKenzie 1977), mist nets, Breakawayswith mulga (4.5). foraging in caves,shooting at dusk, and spotlight One female(M146701' 24 March 1976)had much larger shootingafter dark. uterinehorns than the other (M14669i 22 March 1976) In the annotatedspecies list, data are presentedin the and comparatively enlarged teats. Additional com- following order: paralive material needsto be examined. 1. Number of male and femalespecimens collected at Caughtby hand. Trapped. each site. Sitesoutside the proposed/ex isti ng re- servesare given in brackets. The Todd Range specimencame from similar habitat. 2. Description of habitats in which the specieswas collected. Thesehave been indexed into the area Ningauiridei Archer Ride'sNingaui (Colour Plate) descriptions (Burbidge and McKenzie, this pub- CarnarvonRange Area-l9. lication). Gibson DesertNature Reserve-19. 3. Female breeding information. For rodents and (12kmNNW of Mount Beadell;25'28'5,125'13'E-16.) bats this is summarizedin Table L Sandplainswith spinifex(1.4); plains and slopeswith 4. Method of capture. mulgaand spinifex(4. 8). 5. Notes on behaviour and ecolosv. The specimenfrom the Gibson Desert Nature Reserve (M14674;March 1976)is a sub-adultfemale. Neither the pouch nor the teats of the adult female from the ANNOTATED SPECIESLIST CarnarvonRange (M14673; 29 March 1976)are visibly FAMILY MACROPODIDAE developedand its uterinehorns are not visibly enlarged. Specimensof pregnant N. ridei zre not availablefor Megaleia ruy'a(Desmarest) RerI Kangaroo comparrson. CarnarvonRange Area-Reported by Agriculture Pro- Caughtby handin daytime;burnt from spinifextussocks tection Board Staf. (One seen15 km south of the at night. proposedreserve; 25'28'S, 120'37'E). The Yeo Lake Area-Many seen;16 (7J, Mt Beadell male was collectedin a low open- 9Q)recorded during bummockgrassland one 18 km daytimetansect. One craniumcollected. of spinifexwith sparseshrubl of Cork-wood (Eakea lorea) and Gidgee (Acaciapruino- Saltbush and bluebush plains (3.2); samphire flats carpa)on red sandplainwith a superficialcover of fine (3.3); sandplainwith spinifex(3.9); sanddunes with gravel (this country was similar to 4.1). The "Cunbarrel speci- shrubs(3. l0). men wasfirst seencrossing the Highway" Individuals,pairs and groups ol five or six. at 1230hrs on 23 March 1976. Macrcpusrobustus Gould Euro CarnarvonRange Area-Two seen,many scatsin range. FAMILY MURIDAE Yeo Lake Area-One seen at Stonv Point. scats in Leporillus sp. breakaways. Remainsof old sticknestswere found in a breakawav near Knob (4.5) 1 Charlies in the Gibson DesertNaturl WesterdAustalian Wildlife ResearchCentre- P.O. Box 51. Wan- Reserve.in cavesin the CarnarvonRange (1.2), neroo,W.A.6065. Area 2 Department of l,Iammals, Westem Austmlian Museum, Ftancis and near Point Sundayand Stony Point in the Yeo St., Perth, W.A, 6000, LakeArea (3.5). 16 A. M. Douglas (pers. comm.) identifled Leporillus Tulpesvulpes (Linnaeus) EuropeanFox apicalis bone matedal from similar concretions in Lake Disappointment Area Tracks thought to be WesternAustralia. thoseof the EurooeanFox. Yeo Lake Area-Tracks thought to be those of the Notomys alexis Thomas Spinifex Hopping-Mouse EurooeanFox. Gibson DesertNature Reserve-oneseen. CarnarvonRange Area-5 (19, 4t). Lake DisappointmentArea-2 (1j, 1Q). Sandplainswith spinifex (3.9); sandplainswith gravel Yeo Lake Area-1?. and spinilex (4. 1); sand-duneswith shrubs(2.5). Gibson DesertNature Reserve-lQ. Sandplainswith spinifex(1 .4); sanddunes with shrubs FAMILY CAMELIDAE (1..6, 2.s, 2.10,4.2). Camelusdromedan'asLinnaeus Camel Trapped. Caught by hand while spotlighting. CarnarvonRange Area-Tracks. Lake DisaooointmentArea-Tracks. Pseudomyshermannsburgansis (Waite) Sandy Mouse Yeo Lake Area-Nine seen. CarnarvonRange Area--4 (3J, 1t). Samphire flats (3.3); sandplainswith spinifex (1.4, Lake DisappointmentArea-l (damaged). 2.6). Yeo Lake Area-3 (2d, 19). Seenin groupsof 4 and 5 individuals. Gibson DesertNature Reserve-5 (lil, 4?). Samphireflats (3.6); plains and slopeswith mulga and FAMILY TACHYGLOSSIDAE (1.4, spinifex (1.5); sandplainswith spinifex 3.8); Tachyglossusaculeatas(Shaw) Echidna sandplainswith gravel and spinifex (4.1); sand dunes with shrubs(1.6, 2. 5, 4.2). CarnarvonRange-Characteristic scats. Yeo Lake Area-Characteristic scats and an Echidna Trapped. quill. Gibson Desert Nature Reserve-Characteristic scats. Mus musculusLrnnaeus House Mouse Rangeswith mulga (1.1); stony hills and breakaways CarnarvonRange Area-ld. with mulga(3 .5, 4.4, 4.5), Yeo Lake Area-3$. Butler (1971)records "fresh Echidna trails" from the Gibson Desert Nature Reserye-Cranial fragmentsin Durba Hills (Lake Disappointment Area, 2. l) in owl pellets. August1971. Saltbushand bluebushplains (3.4); mulga woodlands (3.1); sandplainswith spinifex (3.9); ranges with FAMILY EMBALLONURIDAE mulga(1. 1). Taphozousgeorgianw Thomas Common Sheath-tailerl Trapped. Bat Lake DisappointmentArea-l2 (4J, 8!). Gibson DeseriNature Reserve-2?. FAMILY LEPORIDAE (Todd Range;25"45'5, 126"12'8 19.) Oryctolagus cuniculus(Linnaers) Euopean Rabbit Rangesand breakawayswith mulga (2.2, 4.4, 4.5); watercourseswith river gums(2.4). Yeo Lake Area-Characteristicwarrens and moundsof rabbit scat. Collectedby hand in caves,shot at night in floodlights (1930-2100hrs). Samphire flats (3.3); sandplainswith spinifex (3.8). A single female was taken in a mist net set acrossa scat Rabbit fur was identified from a dingo collected at cave entranceon the mesaformface of the Todd Ranse the Todd Range. in a similarsituation to habitat4.5. FAMILY CANIDAE Canisfamiliaris dingo Meyer Dingo CarnarvonRange Area-Tracks. Yeo Lake Area-Scats. Gibson Desert Nature Reserue-One seen,scats and tracksrecorded. Mulga woodlands(3. l); sandplainswith spinifex(l .4); sandplainswith gravel and spinifex (4.I); sand dunes with shrubs(4.2); breakawayswith mulga (4.5). Scats from Yeo Lakes contained Megaleia rufa bone and hair material; scatsfrom the Gibson DesertNature Reserve (Young Range) contained Macropus robustus hair material and thosefrom the Todd Range(25"45'5, 126'12'E)contained Rabbit and Mauopus robustushair material. Fiture l-Taphozousflaviyentris from the Durba Hills. t7 Taphozousflavhentris Petels Yellow-bellied Sheath- DISCUSSION tailedBat (Figure 1) CarnarvonRange Area-1t. The distribulions of mammals in the deserts of Western Lake DisappointmentArea-4 (3d, 19). Australia (as defined by Beard 1969) are poorly docu- (Karri Karri Pool; 25"29'S,120"37,E-ld.) mented. Early specimens(1931 and before) were mostly collected along the only two Watercourseswith river gams(1 .2, 2.4). accessroutes available- the Canning Stock Route and the road between Layerton Shot at night in floodlights(1915 hrs-2205 hrs). and Warburton-or from aboriginal missions and The Karri Karri Pool specimenwas collectedafter dark pastoral stations situated around the frinses of the on 19 November 1975. It was flying along- a water- de(efls. These specimensoften have impre-cirecollec- coursefringed with Eucalyptusmicrothbca. tion localities and no habitat data. By the time the Gunbarrel Highway (1958) and Gary FAMILY MOLOSSIDAE Highway (1963) had penetrated the Gibson Deseft and the Rawlinna-Warburton Road (1961) had crossed the Tadari^dqaustralis (Gray) White-stripedBat Creat Victoria Desert.thereby improring access.many CarnarvonRange Area lt. mammals indigenous to these deserts had apparently Watercourseswith river gums(1.2). disappeared. Shot at night in floodlights(2150 hrg. Modern mammal records from these areas are still restricted to the main accessroutes and, with the ex- Tadarida sp. ception of a few rodent and bat species,are still relatively few. Information published here and in a previous CatnarvonRange (4d, Area-l4 109). publication in this series (Burbidge et Lake DisappointmentArea-l al. 19'76)has rm- ?. proved knowledge of the habitats and distributions of Watercourseswith river gtms (1.2, 2.4). many desefi mammals and, in addition, increased the Shot in floodlightsbetween 1945 hrs and 2100hrs. number of mammal species known to live in these qeserts. A total of sixteen extant speciesof native mammal were FAMILY VESPERTILIONI DAE recorded during the November 1975 and March 1976 surveys (see Table 2). Field observations and trapping Nyctophilusgeofroyi