Molecular and morphological analysis confirms two additional species of python (Antaresia) on Cape York Peninsula, Queensland

First report of a Trichinella papuae infection in a wild pig (Sus scrofa) from an Australian island in the Torres Strait region

A contextualised review of genomic evidence for gene flow events between Papuans and Indigenous Australians in Cape York, Queensland

Liriomyza sativae, the vegetable leafminer, is an important agricultural pest originally from the Americas, which has now colonized all continents except Antarctica. In 2015, L. sativae arrived on the Australian mainland and established on the Cape York Peninsula in the northeast of the country near the Torres Strait, which provides a possible pathway for pests to enter Australia and evade biosecurity efforts. Here, we assessed genetic variation in L. sativae based on genome‐wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) generated by double digest restriction‐site‐associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD‐seq), aiming to uncover the potential origin(s) of this pest in Australia and contribute to reconstructing its global invasion history. Our fineRADstructure results and principal component analysis suggest Australian mainland populations were genetically close to populations from the Torres Strait, whereas populations from Asia, Africa, and Papua New Guinea (PNG) were more distantly related. Hawaiian populations were genetically distinct from all other populations of L. sativae included in our study. Admixture analyses further revealed that L. sativae from the Torres Strait may have genetic variation originating from multiple sources including Indonesia and PNG, and which has now spread to the Australian mainland. The L. sativae lineages from Asia and Africa appear closely related. Isolation‐by‐distance (IBD) was found at a broad global scale, but not within small regions, suggesting that human‐mediated factors likely contribute to the local spread of this pest. Overall, our findings suggest that an exotic Liriomyza pest invaded Australia through the Indo‐Papuan conduit, highlighting the importance of biosecurity programs aimed at restricting the movement of pests and diseases through this corridor.

Introduction On ten of the 18 inhabited islands of Torres Strait, lying between Cape York Peninsula and the mainland of Papua New Guinea, and in the Cape York communities of Bamaga and Seisia, where Torres Strait Islanders predominate, the traditional languages are being or have been replaced by an English-based creole. Its speakers call this language Broken (from ‘Broken English’), Pizin (from ‘Pidgin English’), Big Thap (‘Big Piece’) or, among some younger speakers, Blaikman (‘Blackfellow’) or Ailan Tok (‘Island Talk’), but it is never called Langgus, a name reserved for the indigenous languages and English. Here I shall refer to it as Torres Strait Creole (TSC). Today, the children of Erub, Hammond Island, Masig, Mer, Moa, Purma, Thursday Island, Ugar, Waraber and Yam (see map 11.1) speak TSC as their first language, although in some communities the children can still understand their traditional language. On Masig, Mer, Moa, Purma and Waraber only elderly speakers of the traditional languages remain. The creole has been the first language of the majority of inhabitants of Erub, Ugar and St Paul's Community, Moa, for four generations. The number of first-language speakers of the creole in the Torres Strait islands and in the Cape York settlement of Bamaga is probably around 3,000 out of a total Islander population of about 4,000.

The butterflies of the Torres Strait Islands: A fauna in review

A palynological investigation of Holocene vegetation change in Torres Strait, seasonal tropics of northern Australia

This publication is part in an ongoing revision of the Australian species of the genus Lepanus Balthasar, 1966 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) and revises the three species groups with simple pygidia. Keys to species within the L. australis Matthews, 1974, L. monteithi Matthews, 1974, and L. villosus Matthews, 1974 species groups are provided and a total of 10 new species are described. Within the L. australis species group, L. australis Matthews, 1974 and L. latheticus Matthews, 1974 are redescribed and four new species are described: Lepanus burnetti new species and Lepanus oxleyi new species from southeastern Queensland; Lepanus eungella new species from coastal, central Queensland; and Lepanus dukungarri new species from Australian Wet Tropics, northern Queensland. Within the L. monteithi species group, L. monteithi Matthews, 1974 is redescribed and four new species are described: Lepanus geoffi new species from Cape York Peninsula, far north Queensland; Lepanus yorkensis new species from Torres Strait and Cape York Peninsula, far north Queensland; Lepanus reidi new species from the Australian Wet Tropics and Lepanus topend new species from the northern Northern Territory. Within the L. villosus species group, L. villosus Matthews, 1974 and L. vestitus Matthews, 1974 are redescribed and two new species are described: Lepanus pseudovillosus new species and Lepanus reticulatus new species from the Australian Wet Tropics, northern Queensland. Including these descriptions a total of 43 Lepanus species are now described from Australia.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus first appeared in Australia in 1995, when three clinical cases (two fatal) were diagnosed in residents on Badu Island in the Torres Strait, northern Queensland. More recently, two confirmed human JE cases were reported in the Torres Strait Islands and Cape York Peninsula, in northern Queensland in 1998. Shortly after JE virus activity was detected in humans and sentinel pigs on Badu Island in 1998, adult mosquitoes were collected using CO2 and octenol-baited CDC light traps; 43 isolates of JE virus were recovered. Although Culex sitiens group mosquitoes yielded the majority of JE isolates (42), one isolate was also obtained from Ochlerotatus vigilax (Skuse). Four isolates of Ross River virus and nine isolates of Sindbis (SIN) virus were also recovered from members of the Culex sitiens group collected on Badu Island in 1998. In addition, 3,240 mosquitoes were speciated and pooled after being anesthetized with triethylamine (TEA). There was no significant difference in the minimum infection rate of mosquitoes anesthetized with TEA compared with those sorted on refrigerated tables (2.8 and 1.6 per 1,000 mosquitoes, respectively). Nucleotide analysis of the premembrane region and an overlapping region of the fifth nonstructural protein and 3' untranslated regions of representative 1998 Badu Island isolates of JE virus reveled they were identical to each other. Between 99.1% and 100% identity was observed between 1995 and 1998 isolates of JE from Badu Island, as well as isolates of JE from mosquitoes collected in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 1997 and 1998. This suggests that the New Guinea mainland is the likely source of incursions of JE virus in Australia.

An examination of the motivations, dynamics and activities of colonial exploring expeditions can provide valuable insights into the ways in which the colonial mindset shaped the development of natural history collections in colonised lands. The Indigenous Knowledge and the Hann Expedition: Re-examining scientific collections from colonial expeditions project is working to redress these omissions in the historical record by re-contextualising the botanical specimens collected on the 1872 Northern Expedition and re-connecting them with the Aboriginal Country from which they were collected (Dalley et al. 2024). The 1872 Northern Expedition, led by William Hann, sought to establish the mineral and agricultural potential of Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland, Australia. Alongside Hann, the expedition party included Jerry (Aboriginal guide), Dr Thomas Tate (botanist), Norman Taylor (geologist) and three other European men: Warner, Stewart and Nation. It was this expedition, with its reports of gold on the Palmer River, that triggered Queensland’s biggest goldrush and led to an influx of more than 20,000 settlers, with disastrous consequences for the Aboriginal people who occupied the area (Taylor and Huxley 2020). Between June and November, the expedition party travelled from Mount Surprise north to the Stewart River, before returning south via the coast at Cooktown and Weary Bay (Taylor and Huxley 2020). Geological specimens were collected by Taylor, and botanical specimens were collected by Tate and Taylor (Dowe and Taylor 2019). The botanical specimens collected by Tate and Taylor, now held at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (K) and the National Herbarium of Victoria (MEL), were enumerated by John Dowe and Peter Taylor (Dowe and Taylor 2019). It has since emerged that the Queensland Herbarium (BRI) holds an additional 18 botanical specimens collected by Tate during the expedition (Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria 2024). These specimens—along with expedition diaries and maps—will provide a stimulus for regional engagement that explores the intersection between the Hann expedition, colonial science, and the ongoing impacts of colonial violence on Indigenous peoples. The project is being led by three direct descendants of members of the expedition party: Nicole Huxley (descendant of Jerry); Peter Taylor (descendant of Norman Taylor) and Cameo Dalley (descendant of Thomas Tate), making the project uniquely—and powerfully—positioned to examine the personal, scientific and sociopolitical legacies of the expedition (Dalley 2021). It was co-designed with Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation and the three herbaria that house the expedition’s botanical collections. Through engaging in truth-telling with Aboriginal knowledge-holders on Cape York Peninsula to openly share and discuss historical truths around colonial violence and disposession—while highlighting the strength and resilience of First Peoples (ANTaR 2024)—the project team hope to correct historical omissions that have stood for more than 150 years and provide a more complete picture of the way in which colonial plant collections were made. Initial engagement is being undertaken with Aboriginal communities in Cape York will be undertaken to generate shared history-making and elevate Indigenous knowledge and memory to develop countervailing historical narratives and recontextualise the botanical specimens collected on the expedition. All engagement with Aboriginal communities will be held on-Country, i.e., on lands to which the Aboriginal peoples being consulted are connected via law, cultural practice, spiritual belief, language and/or custom (AIATSIS 2024). At the time of writing, the three descendants are continuing a series of region-specific engagements that are generating interest in—and support for—Indigenous-led knowledge-sharing and the documentation of untold stories. Based on this initial show of support, the project partners will likely seek funding for a broader Indigenous-led program of on-Country truth- and storytelling around key events that followed the 1872 Hann Expedition. Alongside the on-Country truth-telling, the project will help herbaria develop protocols for recording Indigenous Cultural Knowledge (ICK) shared by Aboriginal knowledge-holders in ways that uphold cultural safety and principles of Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Data Governance. Through two-way knowledge sharing, we hope to enrich the specimens both culturally and scientifically by: acknowledging the histories of specimens and the Traditional Owners of the lands on which they were collected; accommodating ethnobotanical enrichment of specimens by recording ICK alongside Western scientific knowledge in collection management systems, if requested by Traditional Owners; and connecting specimens to Country via enhanced georeferencing utilising Aboriginal knowledge of plants and place, and Expedition resources. acknowledging the histories of specimens and the Traditional Owners of the lands on which they were collected; accommodating ethnobotanical enrichment of specimens by recording ICK alongside Western scientific knowledge in collection management systems, if requested by Traditional Owners; and connecting specimens to Country via enhanced georeferencing utilising Aboriginal knowledge of plants and place, and Expedition resources. This symbiotic blending of botanical science and Indigenous Cultural Knowledge will 'give voice to Country' through knowledge partnerships, helping to heal the past, and to better understand and conserve the complex biodiversity of Cape York.

Aedes albopictus is a container-breeding Stegomyia mosquito that has dispersed widely from its origins in Southeast Asia. Because Ae. albopictus is a known dengue vector and a potential vector of a variety of arboviruses and it can tolerate cooler climates than Aedes aegypti, Australian quarantine and health authorities have strategies to detect and eliminate it from international ports. Following the detection of 42 adult Ae. albopictus in BG-Sentinel traps set on Yorke island in the Torres Strait of Australia in April 2005, extensive surveys were conducted to determine the distribution of Ae. albopictus in the Torres Strait and adjoining Cape York Peninsula. A total of 17 islands and the northern peninsula area of Cape York Peninsula were surveyed by collection of larvae and pupae from flooded containers and human bait collections of adult mosquitoes with aspirators and sweep nets. Aedes albopictus was detected on 10 islands and comprised 100% of the day-biting container-breeding mosquitoes on Yorke and Stephens Islands. No Ae. albopictus were detected in the mainland sites on Cape York. Retrospective genetic analysis of larvae collected in April 2004 and April 2005 on Yorke Island indicated that Ae. albopictus was present in low densities in 2004 and that there were 3 genetically distinct mitochondrial haplotypes on Yorke Island in April 2005. Additionally, on Yorke Island there is evidence that Ae. albopictus is displacing Aedes scutellaris.

Pollen and diatom analyses of organic sediments from Three-Quarter Mile Lake, a perched lake on Cape York Peninsula, north Queensland, indicate that significant changes in vegetation and hydrology occurred during the Holocene. Early Holocene grass-dominated landscapes were replaced in mid-Holocene times by increasingly woody vegetation comprising tropical heathlands, savanna and rainforest. Early-Holocene lake levels fluctuated widely. From mid-Holocene times, lake levels stabilized and water became increasingly acidic as a mature swamp forest developed adjacent to the lake and contributed tannins to the lake water. The timing and character of changes are consistent with those described from the Atherton Tableland in wet tropical Queensland. Holocene dry phases described from the Northern Territory and the western shores of Cape York cannot be identified from Three-Quarter Mile Lake. Rainforest is currently close to its greatest Holocene extent, suggesting that the rainforest-dependent endemic fauna of northern Cape York have been isolated from rainforest blocks to the south throughout the last 10 000 years and, by inference, throughout at least the 120 000 years beyond that.

BackgroundAedes-borne disease risk is increasing in tropical and sub-tropical regions across the globe. While Aedes-borne disease continues to disproportionally affect low- and middle-income countries, parts of high-income countries, such as the Torres Strait region in Australia are also at risk. The Torres Strait is a group of islands located between Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland, Australia and Papua New Guinea. The Torres Strait has both Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti and is close to Papua New Guinea where dengue fever is endemic. Managing Aedes-borne disease risk requires a range of strategies, including community participation. Existing research shows that high-income countries tend to favour government-led (top-down) informing approaches when engaging communities in Aedes mosquito management. Little is known about the factors that influence the choice of community participation approaches in Aedes mosquito management particularly in a high-income country setting, such as Australia. This research contributes to filling this knowledge gap by exploring the community participation approaches used in Aedes mosquito management and the factors influencing these choices in the Torres Strait.Methods16 semi-structured interviews were conducted with local government and state government agencies working in Aedes mosquito management in the Torres Strait. Six key mosquito management plans and policies were also reviewed. Thematic analysis was used to identify, analyse and attribute meaning from the data collected.ResultsA range of community participation approaches were used within the two main Aedes mosquito management programs (Aedes albopictus Elimination Program and the Torres Strait Island Regional Council, Environmental Health Program) in the Torres Strait. These approaches included door-to-door inspections, awareness raising strategies, and community clean-up events. Approaches were chosen for reasons related to regulations, attitude and beliefs, and resourcing.ConclusionsThis study revealed the use of both top-down and bottom-up approaches to engaging the community in Aedes mosquito management in the Torres Strait. These findings contribute to a better understanding of why bottom-up approaches are used, which is valuable for shaping future policy decisions. This study also provides suggestions on ways to enhance community participation in the Torres Strait, which could also be considered in other similar tropical regions.

Adult mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) were collected in January and February 2000 from Saibai Island in the Torres Strait of northern Australia, and processed for arbovirus isolation during a period of Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus activity on nearby Badu Island. A total of 84 210 mosquitoes were processed for virus isolation, yielding six flavivirus isolates. Viruses obtained were single isolates of JE and Kokobera (KOK) and four of Kunjin (KUN). All virus isolates were from members of the Culex sitiens Weidemann subgroup, which comprised 53.1% of mosquitoes processed. Nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the pre-membrane region of the genome of JE isolate TS5313 indicated that it was closely related to other isolates from a sentinel pig and a pool of Cx. gelidus Theobald from Badu Island during the same period. Also molecular analyses of part of the envelope gene of KUN virus isolates showed that they were closely related to other KUN virus strains from Cape York Peninsula. The results indicate that flaviviruses are dynamic in the area, and suggest patterns of movement south from New Guinea and north from the Australian mainland.

Amartya Sen’s capability approach has been gaining influence as both an evaluative and a prescriptive framework for improving human well-being. Most recently, a ‘deeper’ articulation of the capability approach has been presented by Sen in terms of Development as Freedom. He presents this as a more comprehensive approach to development, with the intention of it being universally applicable. Therefore, Sen’s approach has also been promoted as a framework for understanding, evaluating and achieving development in cross-cultural contexts. An important instance of its implementation is by Noel Pearson in an Australian Indigenous context. Pearson frames his approach to Indigenous development in terms of the capability approach. His project – the Cape York welfare reform trials – has been implemented through the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership and Cape York Partnerships in the Cape York Peninsula. Pearson and these organisations have the aim of creating further opportunities to extend policy trials to other Indigenous contexts in Australia. In this thesis, I compare and contrast Pearson’s use of the capability approach based framework with my interpretation of an ideal-typical version of Sen’s capability approach and Development as Freedom. This ‘ideal-type’ is reconstructed from Sen’s theoretical work and wider debates about it and allows me to demonstrate that Pearson reconceptualises and alters Sen’s framework, changing the conditions within which capability is to be realised with important social and political consequences. In particular, this thesis shows how Sen’s central development goals, which are oriented towards enhancing individual capabilities and expanding freedoms, are reframed and realigned by Pearson. His adaptations have the effect of inadvertently shoring up the premises of neoliberal political economic ideals at the expense of Indigenous cultural values and practices, a result of the central importance Pearson assigns to problems he associates with ‘passive welfare’ and welfare dependency. A critical engagement with the problems entailed in Pearson’s reframing of the CA also magnifies what critics have argued to be the unfreedoms and contradictions associated with liberalism in Sen’s work too (although in Sen’s work this is corrected through the provision of social safety-nets). In light of these findings, I argue that Pearson’s use of the language of the capability approach is rhetorical rather than substantive. It serves the purpose of justifying the development project of the Cape York Institute and Cape York Partnerships, and is typical in embodying problematic assumptions of mainstream, global Indigenous development paradigms.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) appears nearly annually in the Torres Strait in far northern Queensland, Australia, and is a threat to invade the Australian mainland. Surveillance has involved the use of sentinel pigs that develop detectable viremias and antibody titers to JEV. However, pigs are amplifying hosts for JEV, and thus pose a health risk to the public and to pig handlers who bleed the pigs. A remote mosquito trap system would not have these risks. We report on trials using a remote mosquito trap system for the surveillance of JEV in the Torres Strait. The Mosquito Magnet (MM) Pro, MM Liberty Plus, and a novel updraft trap, the NAQS Mozzie Trap, were run at Badu and Moa islands in the Torres Strait and at Bamaga in the northern Cape York Peninsula from 2002-2005. TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect JEV nucleic acid in weekly mosquito collections. Sentinel pigs located at Badu were also bled and the serum processed by reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR for JEV antigen and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for anti-JEV antibodies. JEV was detected in mosquito collections each year but not in each trap. No JEV was detected in trapped mosquitoes before detection in sentinel pigs. The mosquito trap system cost ca. AU$10,000 per site, about AU$5,000 less than a pig-based system. However, trap failures caused by mosquito-clogged motors, electrical faults, and blocked gas lines reduced the efficacy of some mosquito traps. Nonetheless, a remote mosquito trap system, employing stand alone traps and PCR for viral antigen detection, can be a safe, economical way to detect arbovirus activity in remote areas.