NT Naturalist - Number 28, Published July 2018
ISSN: 0155-4093
Editor: Richard Willan
Pre-release Articles
| Download | 1. The restricted distribution of the Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) calls for a more nuanced understanding of traditional Aboriginal environmental management |
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| Authors | Hermes, Michael |
| Abstract | The historical absence of the Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) on a number of large northern Australian islands is speculated to be at least partially a result of overpredation by Aboriginal people in the late Holocene. If this observation is correct, the prevalent opinion, that traditional Aboriginal society had a totally benign impact on the Australian environment, needs to be reconsidered. |
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| Download | 2. Update on Myrtle Rust in the Top End |
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| Authors | Westaway, John O. |
| Abstract | Potential impacts of the plant pathogen Myrtle Rust (Austropuccinia psidii) on Myrtaceae in the Top End of the Northern Territory were discussed in the previous issue of the Northern Territory Naturalist (Westaway 2016). This note provides an update on the spread and effect of this disease in this part of the Northern Territory. Myrtle Rust is newly reported from Bathurst Island and, importantly, also from East Arnhem Land. The native host shrub Lithomyrtus retusa is highly susceptible to this disease, suffering serious dieback and ultimately plant mortality. |
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| Download | 3. Nest, eggs and breeding season of the Arafura Fantail (Rhipidura dryas) |
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| Authors | Noske, Richard A.; Johnstone, Ron E. |
| Abstract | The breeding biology of the monsoon-tropical Arafura Fantail (Rhipidura dryas) is poorly known. The only descriptions of the eggs of this species in Australia prior to 1998 were based on one full clutch and two partial clutches collected from the Top End of the Northern Territory about 100 years earlier. The Nest Record Scheme (administered by BirdLife Australia) contains records of only two nests, both found in Kakadu National Park during the late 1970s. Here we provide details of nine nests found in the Cambridge Gulf between 1998 and 2006, and of two more recent nests from the Top End. These records suggest that the breeding (egg-laying) season extends from September to March, a slightly longer period than that of the closely-related Rufous Fantail (R. rufifrons) of eastern Australia, but shorter and later than that of the sympatric Northern Fantail (R. rufiventris). The eggs are similar in colour to, but slightly smaller on average than, those of the Rufous Fantail. The nests of both species have long tapering ‘tails’, but while those of the Rufous Fantail typically hang below the middle of the cup, some nests of Arafura Fantails had ‘tails’ arising from the side of the cup. |
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| Download | 4. Mangrove Robins breeding outside mangroves on the Arafura Swamp, Northern Territory |
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| Authors | Noske, Richard A.; Estbergs, Johnny; Brady, Christopher |
| Abstract | Thought to be restricted to coastal mangrove forests in Australia, the Mangrove Robin (Peneothello pulverulenta) (formerly Peneonanthe pulverulenta), is also known to occur locally in subcoastal paperbark swamp forest in New Guinea, and less often further inland in riparian reed-beds mixed with shrubs. Here we report the existence of a population inhabiting dense thickets of vegetation surrounding a permanent billabong on the Arafura Swamp in central Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. The location is 25 km inland from the nearest coastline and 8.5 km from the nearest mangroves. The birds foraged in the litter on dry soil and were observed eating insect larvae. One pair had a recently-fledged young bird in October 2016, indicating that the population was sedentary and breeding. |
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| Download | 5. Distribution and abundance of migratory shorebirds in Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia |
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| Authors | Lilleyman, Amanda; Alley, Anthony; Jackson, Donna, O’Brien, Gavin; Garnett, Stephen T. |
| Abstract | Here we report the results of an aerial survey of migratory shorebirds in Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia, as part of a new project on strategic planning for the Far Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascarensis). On one day in January 2017 we surveyed the intertidal zone of a large part of upper and middle Darwin Harbour at low tide and counted all shorebirds and waterbirds present, and then we also surveyed all saltpans and potential roosting areas at high tide. There were 724 birds of 19 species recorded during the low tidal survey and 789 birds from 13 species recorded during the high tidal survey (i.e. a total of 24 species for the day). We found a total of 329 Far Eastern Curlews during the high tide survey, an increase in the Darwin Harbour maximum previously recorded. We will use these results to guide future monitoring work on the Far Eastern Curlew in Darwin Harbour, and to help mitigate the effects of coastal developments on shorebirds. |
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| Download | 6. Nematodes from northern Australian reptiles |
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| Authors | Barton, Diane P.; Jones, Hugh I. |
| Abstract | Twenty-one species of nematode were identified from the gastrointestinal tract or body cavity of 131 individual lizards and snakes comprising 26 species. In 13 host species, only a single individual specimen was available, and the aquatic Keelback snake (Tropidonophis mairii) comprised almost half the specimens examined. In general, nematode intensity was low, and only a single adult nematode specimen was present in most of the reptiles examined. Most nematode species showed specificity to one host family, except for Abbreviata bancrofti, which was recovered from six species across four families. A total of 21 new host-parasite records and one new locality record are listed, with a number of reptile species reported as a host for a nematode for the first time. |
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| Download | 7. Notes on the diet of the Black-spotted Croaker (Protonibea diacanthus) across northern Australia |
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| Authors | Barton, Diane P. |
| Abstract | This study has provided some baseline data on the diet of the Black-spotted Croaker (Protonibea diacanthus) in coastal waters off northern Australia. Black-spotted Croakers were found to be opportunistic predators, feeding on a variety of fishes and crustaceans. Larger individuals contained more fish remains, with prawns dominating the diet of smaller individuals. Seasonality of diet is suggested by the results, however a wider range of samples across all months of the year would be required to confirm this. |
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| Download | 8. First record of tree-climbing behaviour in the Striated Mudcreeper (Terebralia semistriata) (Gastropoda: Potamididae) |
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| Authors | Bourke, Adam. J. |
| Abstract | Amongst the gastropod family Potamididae, only Terebralia sulcata and the genera Cerithidea and Cerithideopsis are presently known to climb trees in mangrove forests. Here, treeclimbing behaviour is reported in another potamidid, the Striated Mudcreeper (Terebralia semistriata), from mangrove forests in the Northern Territory and the southern Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. Both observations were made during spring tidal cycles. These are the first cases of tree-climbing behaviour reported for this species. Given a semi-arboreal habit is already known in a congeneric Australian species, Terebralia sulcata, these observations suggest that tree-climbing in T. semistriata is a behavioural response to rhythmic tidal inundation and is likely ubiquitous. However, without further detailed studies this remains unconfirmed. |
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