Cape York Research Articles

Gene Flow Between Populations With Highly Divergent Mitogenomes in the Australian Stingless Bee, Tetragonula hockingsi.

Coadaptation of mitochondrial and nuclear genes is essential for proper cellular function. When populations become isolated, theory predicts that they should maintain mito-nuclear coadaptation in each population, even as they diverge in genotype. Mito-nuclear incompatibilities may therefore arise when individuals from populations with divergent co-evolved mito-nuclear gene sets are re-united and hybridise, contributing to selection against inter-population hybrids and, potentially, to speciation. Here, we explored genetic divergence and gene flow between populations of a stingless bee (Tetragonula hockingsi) that have highly divergent mitogenomes. We identified three distinct populations across the species' 2500 km range on the east coast of Queensland (Australia): 'Cape York', 'Northern', and 'Southern'. The mitogenomes of each population showed > 12% pairwise nucleotide divergence from each other, and > 7% pairwise amino acid divergence. Based on nuclear SNPs from reduced representation sequencing, we identified at least two zones of gene flow between populations: a narrow natural zone between Northern and Southern populations (coinciding with a biogeographic barrier, the Burdekin Gap), and an artificial zone at the southern edge of the species' distribution, where Cape York, Northern, and Southern mito-lineages have been brought together in recent decades due to beekeeping. In the artificial hybrid zone, we also confirmed that males of all three mito-lineages were attracted to the mating aggregations of Southern queens, consistent with inter-population hybridisation. Populations of T. hockingsi thus appear to be in the 'grey zone' of the speciation continuum, having strong genetic differentiation but incomplete reproductive isolation. Among the nuclear SNPs most differentiated between Northern and Southern populations, several were associated with genes involved in mitochondrial function, consistent with populations having co-diverged mito-nuclear gene sets. Our observations suggest that coadapted sets of mitochondrial and nuclear genes unique to each population of T. hockingsi may play a role in maintaining population boundaries, though more study is needed to confirm the fitness costs of mito-nuclear incompatibilities in hybrid individuals.

Indigenous Knowledge and the Hann Expedition: Re-Examining Scientific Collections From Colonial Expeditions

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.

An overview of the challenges and methods for defining the wildlife-disease interface in the context of disease spread modelling, including concepts of infectious diseases epidemiology

ABSTRACT The wildlife-domestic interface is a key concept helping us to understand how diseases affect both wild and domestic animal populations, yet how to define and measure it remains a challenge. One tool which can contribute to our understanding of the wildlife-domestic interface is disease spread modelling. This can provide insight into how diseases spread within and between populations, and guide decision-making for disease control, response and surveillance programs. Specifically, quantitative estimation of contact rates permits such disease spread models to be developed and used confidently. Here we present a case study of the potential spread of rabies (an exotic disease in Australia) within the wild dog-domestic dog (Canis familiaris) ecosystem of northern Australia to illustrate the concept of the wildlife-domestic interface and disease transmission. We summarise a decade of research conducted to understand one such interface, the wild-domestic dog interface at one site in northern Australia, for the purposes of exploring the impact of one specific disease, rabies. Over a period of 10 years, free-roaming domestic dogs and wild dogs in the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) of Cape York, Queensland were studied. Key findings included identification of a small but important group of domestic dogs which regularly roam in bushland areas; peri-urban wild dog activity, particularly in the dry season, likely driven by the availability of food sources; and the potential for interaction between hunting dogs and wild dogs in remote areas, particularly during the wet season. These observations can be used to inform disease spread models and identify strategies to mitigate the risks of disease transmission. However, the collection and incorporation of data into such models needs more consideration regarding what information is usable (such as contact rates) and the best ways to collect it. The scarcity of such models incorporating the wildlife-domestic interface suggests that integrated epidemiological-ecological studies are needed to fill this gap.

A new species of Nactus gecko from boulder-pile habitat on Dauan Island, Torres Strait, Australia

The Torres Strait Islands lie between Cape York Peninsula, north-east Australia, and the southern coast of Papua New Guinea. The vertebrate fauna of these islands is a relatively depauperate mix of Australian and New Guinean species, with only two endemic species described to date. Here we describe a new species of Nactus gecko discovered during a targeted survey of Dauan Island in the northern Torres Strait. Nactus simakal sp. nov. is a genetically (ND2 mtDNA) and morphologically highly distinct species, with a banded pattern and a slender, elongate form. It is saxicoline, living on deeply piled boulder habitat, and is likely to be restricted to Dauan Island. Nactus simakal sp. nov. is currently known from a very small area and further surveys, and assessment of current and potential threats, are required to assess the conservation status of this species. Nactus simakal sp. nov. is similar in general appearance to N. galgajuga (Ingram, 1978), which is restricted to boulder-pile habitat 750 km to the south in mainland north-east Queensland but is readily distinguished from that species morphologically and genetically.

Four years of targeted surveys across northern Queensland failed to detect any evidence of Buff-breasted Button-quail Turnix olivii

ABSTRACT It is nearly a century since the Buff-breasted Button-quail Turnix olivii was last definitively recorded, resulting in the species being recently classified as one of Australia’s most imperilled species. However, conservation action to recover the species has been hampered by an inability to locate an extant population. To overcome this problem we conducted extensive surveys across the species’ presumed distribution. We surveyed historical sites where the species was collected, and also where habitat deemed suitable for the species occurred on Cape York Peninsula. We also surveyed sites on the northern Atherton Tablelands where a contemporary population has been reported. Surveys were conducted from 2018 to 2022 and employed a variety of survey methods known to be suitable for detecting button-quail. No evidence of Buff-breasted Button-quail was detected. However, Painted Button-quail Turnix varius where found to be widespread at sites surveyed in the Wet Tropics and Einasleigh Uplands bioregions as well as in southern areas of Cape York Peninsula. We discuss the implications of these results including the likely effectiveness of the different survey methods for detecting the Buff-breasted Button-quail specifically, and button-quail generally.

Ancient iron and slags in Greenland

The bloomery iron production method, which was in general use in medieval time, is presented in some detail. It is discussed how slags are formed, and how production slags and purification slags may be distinguished. The slag-analytical method is introduced and is applied on a large number of iron objects from ancient Norse and Inuit sites. Particular emphasis is placed on scanning electron microscopy and microanalysis of the minute slag inclusions in the artefacts. It is shown that a major part of the iron objects on Norse sites was probably made from Norwegian iron ores, and arrived as finished products from Norway. The presence of a few purification slags in the Eastern and Western Settlements prove, however, that raw blooms were sometimes shipped from Norway and afterwards finished by smithing in Greenland. The present study does not support the theory that primary iron production took place in the Norse settlements. A number of iron tools on Inuit sites are shown to be of Walloon origin, having arrived on whaling and expedition ships since the late 16th century. It is argued that many of the harpoon heads and knives were forged by the ships' blacksmiths according to the desires of the Inuit. Walloon iron was also present in Haabetz Colonie in 1721 AD. Some puddled iron nails were identified in Washington Land. They are probably relics from some 19th century American expedition. Finally, the northernmost and largest iron meteorite tool ever found, a lancehead, was identified in Washington Land. Also, a meteoritic arrowhead was identified in the Western Settlement. The arrowhead was made from Cape York meteoritic iron and must have been traded to the Norsemen before 1350 AD.

History and historical DNA: Identity of Chelodina intergularis Fry, 1915 and type localities of C. intergularis and C. rugosa Ogilby, 1890

Based on the phylogenetic placement of a near-complete mitogenome sequence of the holotype of Chelodina intergularis Fry, 1915 generated with hDNA approaches, we present evidence for the synonymy of this nominal species with Chelodina rugosa Ogilby, 1890. The type specimens of both taxa are housed in the Australian Museum, Sydney. Scrutinizing historical records, we conclude that the type locality of both taxa is most likely the vicinity of Somerset, at the northern extremity of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia. We figure and describe both type specimens. Our results support the earlier conclusion that the exceptional arrangement of intergular and gular scutes in the holotype of C. intergularis is an individual aberration.

A mixed-methods evaluation: COVID Care in the Home, a public health response to the first omicron wave across the Torres and Cape region, Queensland

ObjectiveThe purpose of this article is to evaluate the COVID-19 Care in the Home (CCITH) program during the first COVID-19 omicron wave across Torres Strait and Cape York region of Far North Queensland in 2022. MethodsA mixed-method study: An online survey and semi-structured interviews of CCITH internal and external stakeholders and participants was utilised to develop a greater understanding of perspectives of the program. ResultsSurvey participants n=140. Most survey respondents did not attend hospital, emergency, or primary healthcare centre during isolation for medical assistance (82%, 115/140) and most strongly agreed/agreed (87%, 122/140) that the CCITH program cared for their health needs. Interview participants n=14. Thematic analysis of interviews verified survey responses and identified successes of this program including improved community relationships and primary healthcare centres and community members felt supported. Limitations included rapid changes to policies and roles and limited food availability during isolation. ConclusionsThe CCITH program highlights the resilience and self-determination of First Nations communities and primary health staff across the Torres Strait and Cape York throughout the first COVID-19 outbreak in the region. Implications for Public HealthThis virtual model of care could be employed in similar settings to improve service provision in both primary and public health to increase community safety and achieve good health outcomes.

On some silverfish taxa from the Cape York region of northern Australia (Zygentoma: Lepismatidae: Ctenolepismatinae)

ilverfish (Zygentoma) are an ancient, but poorly studied group of primitively wingless insects. Species definition based on morphology alone is complicated by variations arising from the continuous moulting, even after reaching sexual maturity. In recent studies the use of molecular data has supported the identification of consistent morphological character traits, however only a small fraction of the species have been investigated. Eight species of the large silverfish genus Acrotelsella, collected by the first author from the Cape York Peninsula of northeastern Australia, are described and named as new species. Molecular data (COI and 28S) are presented that reinforces previous suggestions that the genus will eventually need to be split into two.

A seat at the table? Planning, meetings and the ‘stable relation’ of a joint managed National Park in northern Australia

Over the last fifteen years, most national parks in Cape York Peninsula, far north-east Australia, have been transferred to Aboriginal ownership and are now jointly managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and the relevant Aboriginal traditional owner groups. The park in which this research was conducted has been jointly managed for just over a decade, but the transition to joint management is entwined with challenges related to the bringing together of different knowledge and management systems. The main forum for discussing and implementing change is in the mutual space of formal joint management meetings. However, this mutual space is not co-produced on equal terms. Joint management meetings and the production of management plans function as a way for Queensland Parks to fulfil their obligations to Aboriginal traditional owners while simultaneously reaffirming their status as the more powerful co-managing institution. Rather than fostering a space of indeterminacy, in which management partners could co-create new forms of managing and caring for land, meetings and management plans function to construct a ‘stable relation’ between Aboriginal traditional owners and Queensland Parks.

CATEGORISING CATFISH, JEWFISH AND EEL MOTIFS IN LAURA (QUINKAN) ROCK ART, CAPE YORK PENINSULA, AUSTRALIA

Fish motifs in Aboriginal rock art of the Laura area (Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia) include a heterogenous group that has been imprecisely classified by rock art researchers. By analysing motif attributes, style and contexts (including natural populations), we characterised three categories: fork-tailed catfish (Neoarius paucus), eel-tailed catfish (Neosilurus spp.) and eel (Anguilla reinhardti). We label the categories with the local names ‘catfish’, ‘jewfish’ and ‘eel’. The catfish cohort has a relatively naturalistic style, while the eel exhibits anatomical trends of eels, distinctive arrangements, and stylistic overlaps with jewfish that may denote shared meanings. Ambiguity is confirmed as a cultural value and communication mode of the rock art system.

Healthy ageing in remote Cape York: a co-designed Integrated Allied Health Service Model.

Allied health services in rural and remote hospitals often work in siloed and solo discipline-specific positions. They are often part of general multi-disciplinary teams without a clearly articulated service model that integrates care for individuals and addresses broader community health needs. Integrated care service models for clients with complex disabilities or chronic health needs have demonstrated improved outcomes, but feasible service models are rarely described in the context of rural, remote and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Integration can support primary health care in remote communities where resources are thin, and the breadth of multidisciplinary service providers is not available. A remote health service, in collaboration with a University Department of Rural Health and community partners, developed a community rehabilitation and lifestyle service for adults who experience chronic disease, disability or were at risk of functional decline due to frailty. Using an integrated approach, this model of care improves access to specialist and primary healthcare services, delivers targeted group-based rehabilitation and preventative activities, and addresses community and workforce capacity to meet the needs of the remote community. This paper describes a remote primary health care, Integrated Allied Health Service Model, developed with a focus on the co-ordination and integration of care and resources between the health service, education and community.

Rapid southward range expansion of the Fairy Gerygone – a consequence of climate change?

Until the 1920s, the Australian range of the Fairy Gerygone Gerygone palpebrosa was thought to extend south from Cape York to Cardwell (18.3°S), Queensland. However, by 1981 the species was known to occur as far south as Tin Can Bay (25.9°S), and, by 1990, the Sunshine Coast (26.6°S). Sightings of individuals in the Brisbane region (27.5°S), 170 km south of Tin Can Bay, during 2011 and 2012 prompted a review of the southern range limits of the species, and consideration of causes for its southward range expansion. I collated records south of the 26°S parallel using three databases (eBird, WildNet and Atlas of Living Australia), then selected 30 sites that represented their spatial and temporal extent, noting their elevation, distance to the nearest coastline or watercourse, and vegetation according to the Regional Ecosystem classification. Sightings in the Brisbane region have been mostly along rivers or creeks emptying into Moreton Bay, suggesting that dispersal occurs southward along the coast, then inland via watercourses. Rather than being gradual, range expansion in this species has been characterised by ‘leaps’ of 45–59 km at intervals of 6–16 years. Since the early 1970s, at least five other tropical bird species have expanded their range southwards to Coastal Central Queensland. The most likely explanation for such range expansions is birds exploiting ‘new’ areas with suitable thermal regimes that have become available due to global warming. In the Fairy Gerygone, this process may be facilitated by (1) this species’ partiality for forest edge and riparian habitats, and (2) reduced competition with other gerygone species due to differences in preferred habitats and bill morphology.

Nasal high flow therapy in remote hospitals: guideline development using a modified Delphi technique.

In remote Australian hospitals there are no onsite paediatric intensive care units (PICUs), increasing the reliance on aeromedical retrieval to access tertiary care. Nasal high flow (NHF) therapy is an oxygen therapy used in tertiary hospitals to treat paediatric patients with respiratory conditions. In rural and remote Queensland, Australia, the use of NHF therapy is inconsistent and there are no guidelines on how this therapy should be implemented in practice. Therefore, three remote hospitals within the Torres Strait and Cape York commenced a project to improve consistent and equitable access to NHF therapy. Implementing NHF therapy in remote hospitals may improve health and social outcomes for children with acute respiratory distress. A clinical guideline for the use of NHF therapy in the three participating remote hospitals was published on 28 October 2021. This study aimed to develop a clinical guideline for the use of NHF therapy in three remote hospitals. A modified Delphi technique was used to develop the guideline. Remote medicine and nursing clinicians at the three study sites, retrieval experts, a receiving tertiary-based paediatrician, PICU specialists and NHF therapy experts made up the expert panel of participants. These experts participated in an iterative round table discussion to develop remote-specific guidelines for the use of NHF therapy. Prior to the meeting, panellists were provided with an executive summary of the current literature on NHF therapy implementation with key questions for consideration. Participants were able to add relevant issues ad hoc. A final guideline representing the panellists' recommendations was submitted to the Torres and Cape Health Service for ratification. Remote-specific decisions on the following topics were produced: environment of care, nasogastric tube usage, timings of chest X-ray, automatic approvals to arrange courier services for pathology, medication use, staff training; staff ratios, observations regimes, both tertiary and local medical consultation frequency and the experience level of the medical officer required to attend to these consultations, location of the on-call medical officer, documentation, escalation of care considerations and disposition of the patient in relation to retrievals. Decisions were made to mitigate two highly representative remote factors: delays in the workplace practices, such as time to arrange treatment locally and delays in retrievals; and burden of the lack of access to services, such as lack of access to trained staff, staffing levels on-shift, adequate oxygen and equipment/consumable supplies. The aim was to develop a clinical guideline that was contextualised to the remote hospital. This outcome was achieved by using a modified Delphi technique, with a panel of experts providing the decision-making for the guideline. Consistency and safety were addressed by reducing delays in workplace practices; examples were time to arrange treatment locally and mitigate delays in an unknown time to retrievals, access to trained staff, staffing levels, and communication between remote and tertiary teams.

Making Waves: The Role of Indigenous Water Beings in Debates about Human and Non‐Human Rights

ABSTRACTRejecting nature‐culture dualism, contemporary anthropology recognises the mutually constitutive processes that create shared human and non‐human lifeworlds. Such recognition owes much to ethnographic engagement with diverse indigenous cosmologies many of which have, for millennia, upheld ideas about indivisible worlds in which all living kinds occupy a shared ontological space and non‐human species and environments are approached respectfully, with expectations of reciprocity and partnership. As many societies confront the global chaos caused by the anthropocentric prioritisation of human interests, anthropologists and indigenous communities are therefore well placed to articulate alternative models in which the non‐human domain is dealt with more equitably and inclusively. This paper is located comparatively in long‐term ethnographic research with indigenous communities in Australia, alongside the Mitchell River in North Queensland and the Brisbane River in South Queensland. It draws more specifically on involvement in legal claims for water rights by Māori iwis in New Zealand; in land claims by the Kunjen language group in Cape York; and in a recent ‘sea country’ case brought against a major multi‐national by the Tiwi Islanders in Australia's Northern Territory. It also makes use of a major comparative study of water beings in diverse cultural and historical contexts, and considers the central importance of water beings such as Māori taniwha and the Australian Rainbow Serpent in such legal conflicts, and in broader debates about human and non‐human rights. Like other water deities around the world, these beings personify the generative (and potentially punitive) powers of water and its co‐creative role in shaping human and non‐human lives. They are resurfacing today with an important representational role in contemporary conflicts over land and water.

The Wet: Shifting Seasons, Climate Change and Natural Cycles in Cape York Peninsula, Queensland

ABSTRACTLand managers in Cape York Peninsula, far northeast Australia, hold different ideas around the causes of climate variability. Understandings of changes in climate are underpinned by particular environmental knowledges, values, and practices. These understandings are articulated in the context of the wet season, when land managers must adapt to the changing duration and intensity of the rainfall each year. The wet and dry seasons function as cyclical agents that precipitate different modes of living and working among different groups of people in Cape York. Where settler‐descended cattle graziers tend to frame climate variability as ‘natural cycles’, Aboriginal rangers link climate variability to anthropogenic climate change. The tendency among Aboriginal rangers to link these changes to anthropogenic climate change is a result of the interpenetration of a Western scientific land management model with an Aboriginal land management model in the formal co‐management of protected areas. From this context, a ‘spatial vernacular’ of interculturally produced climate‐related knowledge emerges. The explanatory models different land managers draw on to understand climate variation in relation to seasonal water, changes to the wet season, and the increased frequency of extreme weather events are linked to their livelihoods, lifeways, and the forms of environmental knowledge they value.

Revisions of Australian ground-hunting spiders VI: five new stripe-less miturgid genera and 48 new species (Miturgidae: Miturginae).

A group of Australian miturgines that are common in widespread areas of mostly dry landscapes are revised. Five new genera (Miturgopelma, Knotodo, Xistera, Miturgiella and Xeromiturga) and 48 new species are described. Three species presently included in three families are placed in these groups in the Miturgidae: Uliodon ferrugineus (L. Koch, 1873) is transferred from the Zoropsidae to Miturgopelma gen. nov.; likewise, Odo australiensis Hickman, 1944, from Central Australia, is transferred from an otherwise South American genus presently in the family Xenoctenidae to Miturgopelma gen. nov.; and Argoctenus gracilis Hickman, 1950 is transferred to Knotodo gen. nov. Miturgopelma gen. nov. is a very diverse genus found throughout much of drier Australia but not yet in Cape York, Queensland, although one species is taken from Tasmania. Besides Miturgopelma ferruginea (L. Koch, 1873) comb. nov. and Miturgopelma australiensis (Hickman, 1944) comb. nov., the new genus Miturgopelma includes 31 new species: M. alanyeni sp. nov., M. archeri sp. nov. M. baehrae sp. nov., M. bandalup sp. nov., M. biancahilleryae sp. nov., M. bogantungan sp. nov., M. brachychiton sp. nov., M. brevirostra sp. nov., M. bungabiddy sp. nov., M. buckaringa sp. nov., M. calperum sp. nov., M. caitlinae sp. nov., M. couperi sp. nov., M. culgoa sp. nov., M. echidna sp. nov., M. echinoides sp. nov., M. harveyi sp. nov., M. hebronae sp. nov., M. kinchega sp. nov., M. maningrida sp. nov., M. minderoo sp. nov., M. oakleigh sp. nov., M. paruwi sp. nov., M. rangerstaceyae sp. nov., M. rar sp. nov., M. rixi sp. nov., M. seida sp. nov., M. spinisternis sp. nov., M. watarrka sp. nov., M. woz sp. nov., and M. yarmina sp. nov. Knotodo gen. nov., a predominantly western and southern group, includes Knotodo gracilis (Hickman, 1950) comb. nov., and seven new species: K. coolgardie sp. nov., K. eneabba sp. nov., K. narelleae sp. nov., K. shoadi sp. nov., K. muckera sp. nov., K. nullarbor sp. nov., and K. toolinna sp. nov. Xistera gen. nov., another predominantly Western Australian and southern group, includes five new species: Xis. auriphila sp. nov., Xis. barlee sp. nov., Xis. coventryi sp. nov., Xis. jandateae sp. nov., and Xis. serpentine sp. nov. Xeromiturga gen. nov., another predominantly western and southern group, includes four new species: Xer. gumbardo sp. nov., Xer. mardathuna sp. nov., Xer. bidgemia sp. nov., and Xer. pilbara sp. nov. A widespread, monotypic eastern Australian genus, Miturgiella vulgaris gen. et sp. nov., is also described. Zoroides Berland, 1924, presently in Miturgidae, is considered a junior synonym of the phrurolithid Dorymetaecus Rainbow, 1920 syn. nov., thus making Dorymetaecus dalmasi (Berland 1924) comb. nov. Miturga whistleri Simon, 1909 and Miturga splendens Hickman, 1930 are both placed in Mituliodon tarantulinus syn. nov..

Valuing Hard Work: ‘Station Times’, the Pioneer Complex and Settler-Descended Graziers’ Views on Work in Cape York Peninsula

The historically unequal grazing industry in Cape York Peninsula, far northeast Queensland, gave rise to intercultural relationships between Aboriginal stock workers and settler-descended graziers. However, in recent decades, Aboriginal employment on cattle stations has fallen. Nowadays, many younger Aboriginal people work in government-funded jobs which settler-descended graziers frame as ‘hand-out style’ work. Settler-descended graziers have come to value an ethic of hard work related to both the Protestant work ethic and aspects of pioneer mythology which are entwined with graziers’ senses of belonging. Contemporary Aboriginal people are positioned by settler-descended graziers as having a ‘different’ relationship to work and lacking the valuation of hard work that graziers deem a moral good. In their discussions of Aboriginal people as lacking a valuation for ‘hard work’, graziers seek to critique what they perceive as government overreach in the form of land rights and government-funded jobs.

How indigenous australians try to preserve themselves

The article discusses personal and collective life ways of native people residing in remote settlements of the Cape York Peninsula, Australia, and offers a number of observations on the native population of Central Australia. It is drawn on the authors’ field materials collected in 2005, 2007-2009, 2015, and 2022. If set against the backdrop of the likewise framed project exploring the Evens and Evenkis of Eastern Siberia, the situation in faraway settlements of Australian Aboriginal people manifests both substantial similarities and important differences. Neither in the past when the colonization began to unfold, nor in the present did the Aboriginal people, for the most part, willingly join the commercial and entrepreneurial activities of the Australian mainstream circles or get involved in trade and economic relationships with the newcomers. They rather resisted, and still do, the authorities' and entrepreneurs' attempts at getting them involved in such relationships. We argue that the underlying reason behind that is the very character of the local traditional culture, the key aspects of which are consciously and resiliently preserved - even if sometimes in a transformed or deviant manner - by the native people.

Factors influencing the community participation approaches used in Aedes mosquito management in the Torres Strait, Australia

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.