Planigale Maculata Research Articles

Diet of an Eastern Grass Owl Tyto longimembris in northern New South Wales

A single Eastern Grass Owl Tyto longimembris was observed in Bundjalung National Park, New South Wales, in September 2019. Pellets (n = 17) collected from its roost contained the remains of House Mouse Mus musculus, Grassland Melomys Melomys burtoni, Black Rat Rattus rattus, Swamp Rat R. lutreolus, Fawn-footed Melomys Melomys cervinipes, Common Planigale Planigale maculata, Eastern Blossom Bat Syconycteris australis and honeyeater Phylidonyris sp. The most interesting findings were the Eastern Blossom Bat (the first published record of a bat in the diet of an Eastern Grass Owl in Australia) and that one of the Grassland Melomys specimens had pink bones.

The occurrence and relative abundance of small terrestrial mammals on Theda Station in the Northern Kimberley, Western Australia

Significant gaps in knowledge currently exist regarding the small mammal fauna of the Northern Kimberley (NOK) bioregion. Theda Station is a previously unsurveyed pastoral lease in the NOK. The aim of the current study was to determine the presence of small mammals (non-volant, <2 kg) on Theda Station and to compare these findings with those recently obtained on the adjacent Doongan Station. Between 2006 and 2014, 226 site surveys were conducted across 69 sites, with over 26 000 trap-nights encompassing a range of habitats. Thirteen of the 27 small mammal species known to occur in the NOK were detected. Four species (Pseudomys nanus, Rattus tunneyi, Zyzomys argurus and Sminthopsis virginiae) were common, five (Pseudomys delicatulus, Pseudantechinus ningbing, Dasyurus hallucatus, Isoodon macrourus and Petropseudes dahli) were detected less frequently, and four (Leggadina lakedownensis, Hydromys chrysogaster, Planigale maculata and Petaurus breviceps) were occasionally recorded. Our study provides important baseline data for small mammals in this region. It highlights the lack of detailed knowledge of both the presence of, and temporal fluctuations in, the region’s small mammal fauna. This study supports a non-uniform distribution of the small mammal fauna across the NOK, with Theda Station lying within a transition zone between the high rainfall rugged coastal and near-coastal areas and the lower rainfall areas of the east.

Complex mammal species responses to fire in a native tropical savannah invaded by non-native grader grass (Themeda quadrivalvis)

Invasive non-native grasses can greatly alter habitat structure. Land managers use fire to reduce invasive grass infestations, a strategy which is intended, at least in part, to reduce the impact of wildfires on fauna. The response of fauna to fire in invasive grass environments may be complex. To examine the responses of fauna to fire and invasive grass we compared mammal richness and abundance in a group of 24 replicated sites in north Queensland, Australia. Our sites were characterised by native kangaroo grass, native black spear grass, or invasive, non-native grader grass, and we surveyed them at three times in relation to fire. First, when they had remained unburnt for 2 years (pre-burnt), just after burning (post-burnt), and up to 15 months after burning (revegetated, i.e., the grass had naturally regrown). Therein, we monitored vegetation structure and mammal richness, abundance and assemblage composition. The lowest overall mammal abundances occurred in sites revegetated after fire (40–55 % lower abundances in revegetated compared to pre-burnt sites), but rufous bettongs (Aepyprymnus rufescens) and tropical short-tailed mice (Leggadina lakedownensis) increased in abundance following fire. Abundance of eastern chestnut mice (Pseudomys gracilicaudatus) and common planigales (Planigale maculata) decreased after fire, but returned with returning grass cover. We detected a gradual decline in northern brown bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus) over the course of the study, with no recovery. We found no evidence that mammals showed stronger responses in invasive than native grasses after fire. Mammal responses to fire were distinctive, some species were more abundant following fire, some less, and some species returned to their prior abundances. Thus, in tropical savannahs, a naturally fire-prone system, overall mammal abundance, but not richness, decreased after fires, in both native and non-native grass, but the responses of individual species varied greatly. Decisions to burn invasive grasses for biodiversity conservation should include an awareness of the likelihood of enhancing certain species while discouraging others.

Small terrestrial mammals on Doongan Station, in the Northern Kimberley bioregion, Western Australia

There are significant gaps in knowledge of the small terrestrial mammals (<2 kg) in the Northern Kimberley bioregion (NOK). There have been no known extinctions of small mammals in the NOK, despite broad-scale declines being observed across much of northern Australia. The few studies in the NOK have focussed largely on three major national parks and NOK islands and thus may not be fully representative of the region. Mammal surveys were undertaken on Doongan Station, a pastoral property adjacent to these national parks to determine the presence/absence of small mammals. Five species were found to be common (Pseudomys nanus, P. delicatulus, Rattus tunneyi, Zyzomys argurus and Sminthopsis virginiae), two species were detected less frequently (Leggadina lakedownensis and Isoodon macrourus), and four species were scarcely detected (Melomys burtoni, Hydromys chrysogaster, Planigale maculata and Dasyurus hallucatus). Two species were detected only opportunistically outside of the survey effort (Petropseudes dahli and Petaurus breviceps). The trap success was consistently low, with levels in most years being below those regarded as critically low elsewhere in northern Australia.

Behavioural responses of carnivorous marsupials (Planigale maculata) to toxic invasive cane toads (Bufo marinus)

AbstractThe arrival of a toxic invasive species may impose selection on local predators to avoid consuming it. Feeding responses may be modified via evolutionary changes to behaviour, or via phenotypic plasticity (e.g. learning, taste aversion). The recent arrival of cane toads (Bufo marinus) in the Northern Territory of Australia induced rapid aversion learning in a predatory marsupial (the common planigale, Planigale maculata). Here, we examine the responses of planigales to cane toads in north‐eastern Queensland, where they have been sympatric for over 60 years, to investigate whether planigale responses to cane toads have been modified by long‐term exposure. Responses to toads were broadly similar to those documented for toad‐naïve predators. Most Queensland planigales seized (21 of 22) and partially consumed (11 of 22) the first toad they were offered, but were likely to ignore toads in subsequent trials. However, unlike their toad‐naïve conspecifics from the Northern Territory, the Queensland planigales all survived ingestion of toad tissue without overt ill effects and continued to attack toads in a substantial proportion of subsequent trials. Our data suggest that (i) learning by these small predators is sufficiently rapid and effective that selection on behaviour has been weak; and (ii) physiological tolerance to toad toxins may be higher in planigales after 60 years (approximately 60 generations) of exposure to this toxic prey.

A native dasyurid predator (common planigale, Planigale maculata) rapidly learns to avoid a toxic invader

Abstract Interactions between invasive species and native fauna afford a unique opportunity to examine interspecific encounters as they first occur, without the complications introduced by coevolution. In northern Australia, the continuing invasion of the highly toxic cane toad Bufo marinus poses a threat to many frog‐eating predators. Can predators learn to distinguish the novel toxic prey item from native prey (and thus, avoid being poisoned), or are longer‐term genetically based changes to attack behaviour needed before predators can coexist with toads? To predict the short‐term impact of cane toads on native predators, we need to know the proportion of individuals that will attack toads, the proportion surviving the encounter, and whether surviving predators learn to avoid toads. We quantified these traits in a dasyurid (common planigale, Planigale maculata) that inhabits tropical floodplains across northern Australia. Although 90% of naïve planigales attacked cane toads, 83% of these animals survived because they either rejected the toad unharmed, or killed and consumed the prey snout‐first (thereby avoiding the toxin‐laden parotoid glands). Most planigales showed one‐trial learning and subsequently refused to attack cane toads for long time periods (up to 28 days). Toad‐exposed planigales also avoided native frogs for up to 9 days, thereby providing an immediate benefit to native anurans. However, the predators gradually learnt to use chemical cues to discriminate between frogs and toads. Collectively, our results suggest that generalist predators can learn to distinguish and avoid novel toxic prey very rapidly – and hence, that small dasyurid predators can rapidly adapt to the cane toad invasion. Indeed, it may be feasible to teach especially vulnerable predators to avoid cane toads before the toads invade, by deploying low‐toxicity baits that stimulate taste‐aversion learning.

Observation and recording of a vocalisation by the Common Planigale (Planigale maculata) (Gould 1851) in Northern NSW.

Several, not fully mobile, ,juvenile Planigale maculata, a small terrestrial marsupial, were observed calling from exposed positions near to where they had emerged from their nests. This is the first record of an audible vocalization of the planigale. An oscillogram of their call is presented. At the same time several tawny frogmouth (Podargus stringoides) were calling from surrounding trees. Many P. stringoides were observed picking off the P. maculata from the tree trunks throughout the night.

Vertebrate fauna survey of White Mountains National Park in the Desert Uplands Bioregion, central-north Queensland

The patterns of composition and distribution of vertebrate fauna in Queensland's tropical savannas are poorly known. The sandstone landscapes of White Mountains National Park are considered to be significant for fauna given its geographical position on the Great Dividing Range. A survey at White Mountains National Park was undertaken in order to determine the species present, and place them in the context of the assemblages recorded within the Desert Uplands Bioregion. Standardised trapping and incidental data collection techniques were used and a total of 122 vertebrate fauna species (53 being new to the park) were identified. The fauna assemblage contains a mix of vertebrates with some affiliation to north-eastern Queensland tropical savannas (e.g. Anomalopus gowi, Uperoleia lithomoda, Chaerephon jobensis), more mesic east coastal environments (e.g. Glaphyromorphus punctulatus, Planigale maculata, Rattus sordidus) and species distributed generally within and west of the Desert Uplands (e.g. Pseudomys desertor, Ctenotus rosarium, Gehyra variegata, Lerista wilkinsi).

Molecular Phylogeny of the Marsupial Genus Planigale (Dasyuridae)

Phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene from all species of the dasyurid marsupial genus Planigale reveals several key differences with morphology-based estimates of relationship. Planigale maculata is the most divergent member of the genus, possibly forming a separate clade with Sminthopsis. Planigale ingrami, Planigale gilesi, and Planigale novaeguinea form a clade in which the latter two are probably sister species. The position of Planigale tenuirostris is less well resolved, but it appears to be related to the P. ingrami clade. Cytochrome-b sequences from two specimens collected in the Pilbara region of western Australia are highly divergent from other planigales and from each other and may represent previously unrecognized species.

Demonstration of the X-linkage and order to the genes GLA, G6PD, HPRT, and PGK in two vole species of the genus Microtus.

Using a variety of genetic methods, it is shown in this paper that the genes GLA, G6PD, HPRT, and PGK are X-linked in the vole Microtus subarvalis. The order of these genes has been investigated in two vole species, M. subarvalis and M. kirgisorum, by using the mapping technique of Goss and Harris (1977a, b), which depends on the analysis of gamma-ray-induced gene segregation. The experimental data were processed with the computer programme RHMAP (Ginsburg et al., 1993). The analysis indicated that the correct gene order in M. subarvalis is PGK-HPRT-G6PD-GLA, and the same gene order was found to be the most probable for M. kirgisorum. The relative distances between the genes in the two vole species are apparently the same. The RHMAP programme has also been applied to data previously reported for the same set of X-linked genes in the American mink (Zhdanova et al., 1988), the Australian marsupial Planigale maculata (Dobrovic and Graves, 1986), and man. The evolutionary conservation of the linear order of these X-linked genes in different mammalian taxa is discussed.

Dicrocoeliidae (Trematoda: Digenea) of Australian mammals with description of Dicrocoelium antechini n. sp., Athesmioides aiolos n. g., n. sp. and Platynosomum burrman n. sp.

Dicrocoelium antechini n. sp. is described from the bile ducts of Antechinus swainsonii and A. stuartii (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) from New South Wales. The species differs from all others in the genus in that the caecal bifurcation is well posterior to the ventral sucker and testes. Athesmioides aiolos n. g., n. sp. is described from Rattus fuscipes and R. lutreolus from New South Wales and from R. norvegicus, R. lutreolus and Pseudomys higginsi from Tasmania (all Rodentia: Muridae). The genus Athesmioides is characterised by the presence of unilateral vitelline follicles and an undivided caecum. Platynosomum burrman n. sp. is described from Isoodon macrourus (Marsupialia: Peramelidae) from the Northern Territory. It differs from other species in a combination of characters regarding the shape of the forebody, the arrangement of the gonads, the disposition of the uterus and the size of the eggs. The taxonomic status of Platynosomum australiense (Sandars, 1958), Brachylecithum insulare Angel & Pearson, 1977 and Brachylecithum hydromyos Angel & Pearson, 1977 are summarised. Records are presented of undescribed dicrocoeliids from the marsupials Petaurus breviceps, Planigale maculata and Dasyurus hallucatus and the murids Rattus fuscipes and Melomys sp.

Dna-Dna Hybridization Studies of Carnivorous Marsupials .2. Relationships Among Dasyurids (Marsupialia, Dasyuridae)

A suite of comparisons among ten radiolabelled dasyurid species and one outgroup bandicoot was generated using the hydroxyapatite chromatography method of DNA-DNA hybridisation; comparisons were also made with four other dasyurid taxa. Square matrices of DELTA-T(m)s, DELTA-Modes, and DELTA-T50H's were complied and corrected for reciprocity, additivity, and, in the case of DELTA-T(m)'s, normalised percentages of hybridisation. These matrices were analysed using the FITCH algorithm in Felsenstein's PHYLIP (Version 3.1), and all distinct topologies were jackknifed to test for internal consistency. Additionally, uncorrected DELTA-T(m), DELTA-Mode, and DELTA-T50H datasets were bootstrapped and subjected to phylogenetic analysis to assess measurement imprecision. FITCH trees from folded matrices including unlabelled species or those for which heteroduplex comparisons were incomplete were also calculated and jack-knifed, both before and after correction. With the exception of limited measurements to Dasyuroides byrnei and Dasykaluta rosamondae, which showed affinities with Dasyurus spp., the final tree was fully resolved: Sminthopsis crassicaudata and S. murina, together with the more distant Planigale maculata, are the sister-group to all other dasyurids examined, which in turn comprise two clades. One of these includes Dasyurus, Dasyuroides, and Dasykaluta; the other, 'true' Antechinus (A. flavipes, A. stuartii, A. swainsonii) as a sister-group to Antechinus melanurus plus Murexia longicaudata, with Phascogale tapoatafa representing a probable sister-group to all Antechinus with Murexia. DNA-DNA hybridisation provides no support for the genus Satanellus: most of the trees linked Dasyurus albopunctatus with D. maculatus instead of D. hallucatus. Similarly, Antechinus flavipes and A. stuartii appear to be closer to each other than either is to A. swainsonii. The historical biogeographic significance of the adopted phylogeny is considered, and it is concluded that the putative early Miocene separation of Australia and New Guinea was probably too early to account for the independent evolution of the New Guinean clade.

An Assessment of the Potential Target Specificity of 1080 Predator Baiting in Western-Australia

The potential hazard of 1080 baiting for predators to 14 species of non-target mammals in the pastoral areas of Western Australia and a further six from Western Australia's Fitzgerald River National Park, was assessed by comparing projected doses of 1080 (based on consumption of non-toxic bait by captive animals in the absence of alternative food) with the approximate lethal dose of 1080 for each species. These figures suggested that individuals from 12 species were potentially at risk from crackle baits, while only individuals from Dasyurus hallucatus, Ningaui spp., Sminthopsis crassicaudata, Planigale maculata, one population of Leggadina forresti and one population of Sminthopsis ooldea were potentially endangered by meat baits. Tests using the native mammals Zyzomys argurus and Pseudomys hermannsbergensis and laboratory mice (Mus musculus) and laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus) showed that individuals of all species reduced their consumption of toxic bait relative to non-toxic bait, although this did not prevent three of five rats and one of three P. hermannsbergensis from being killed.

Consumption of dingo baits by non-target fauna from the pastoral areas of Western Australia.

Consumption of wild dog baits made from beef crackle by the native mammal species Pseudomys hermanmbwgensis, P. delicatulus and Zyzomys argurus, (Rodentia), and Dasyurus hallucatus, Ningaui timealeyi, Planigale maculata and Sminthopsis macroura (Dasyuridae) was determined in the laboratory. Dasyurus.hal1ucatus and all three rodents were also exposed to baits made from meat. In the presence of alternative food only P. hermannsburgensis and D. hallucatus ate non-toxic wild dog baits. Their projected dose rates if the baits had been poisoned ranged from 25 mgkg to 40 mgkg (P. hermannsburgenris) and 0.32 mgkg to 9.70 mgkg (D. hallucatus). Non-toxic meat bait was also eaten by D. hallucatus and the projected dose rates ranged from 0.18 mgkg to 1.25 mgkg. All the rodents ate toxic meat bait in the presence of alternative food, but showed no symptoms of poisoning.

Small Mammals of the Mitchell Plateau Region, Kimberley, Western-Australia

This paper presents the background for a series on the biology of small mammals in the Mitchell Plateau region, an area characterised by a wet-dry tropical climate. From June 1981 to December 1982, 19 species of small terrestrial mammals were captured at Mitchell Plateau. Of 17 species captured on eight mark-release grids, 13 clustered into four significant groups which reflected the major habitats of the region: (1) Sminthopsis virginiae, Leggadina sp. and Pseudomys nanus in riparian and plateau escarpment sites; (2) Phascogale tapoatafa, Trichosurus arnhemensis and Pseudomys laborifex in plateau open forest; (3) Conilurus penicillatus and Mesembriomys macrurus in open woodland and coastal mosaics; (4) the commoner species Dasyurus hallucatus, Isoodon macrourus, Melomys sp. cf. burtoni, Zyzomys argurus and S. woodwardi in an array of habitats. Rattus tunneyi, Pseudantechinus sp., Wyulda squamicaudata and Planigale maculata did not cluster significantly with other species. Two species, Pseudomys delicatulus and Mesembriomys gouldii, were represented by single specimens captured outside the capture-mark-release grids, in sandstone and plateau woodland respectively. Open forests, particularly on the lateritic plateau surfaces, had the richest and most diverse mammal assemblage over the entire study period. The vine thickets and sandstone contained relatively stable populations of fewer species, and several habitats had seasonally variable populations and species.

Confirmation of a New Species of Small Dasyurid Marsupial by Electrophoretic Analysis of Enzymes and Proteins

Eight species of dasyurid marsupials have been typed for the electrophoretic mobility of 18 of their enzymes and proteins. The species were the Ningbing antechinus (Pseudantechinus sp.), Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis (formerly Antechinus macdonnellensis), Parantechinus apicalis (formerly Antechinus apicalis), Parantechinus bilarni (formerly Antechinus bilarni), Antechinus stuartii, Dasykaluta rosamondae (formerly Antechinus rosamondae), Dasycercus cristicauda and Planigale maculata. The results show that the Ningbing antechinus is a probable new species. The data suggest that its nearest relative is Dasycercus cristicauda. Analysis of the results by calculation of a modified x2 and an approximation to Nei's genetic distance indicates that all species have been the product of one radiation, possibly in the late Miocene or early Pliocene. Two races of P. macdonnellensis probably exist, separable by their transferrin types.

Field and Laboratory Studies of Water Metabolism in Sminthopsis Crassicaudata (Marsupialia : Dasyuridae).

S. crassicaudata is a small insectivorous marsupial which inhabits xeric to mesic habitats in southern Australia. Field and laboratory studies of the water metabolism of this species were carried out to determine the extent to which physiological adaptations contribute to its ability to inhabit arid environments. S. crassicaudata can subsist without drinking water when fed a diet of insects; this independence is made possible primarily by the high water content of the food, and not by physiological restriction of the rate of water usage as in many granivorous desert-dwelling rodents. Mean daily water turnover rates in the laboratory were 50-75% body water, and in the field were 110-190% body water. These high rates are interpreted in terms of lack of selection for water conservation in an animal subsisting on a moist diet; in such animals water turnover rate primarily reflects metabolic rate. These conclusions were supported by comparative studies of the water and energy metabolism of Planigale maculata. This species withstood water deprivation better than did S. crassicaudata, even though it inhabits much wetter environments; this was almost certainly due to its lower metabolic rate and, therefore, lower water turnover rate. These studies suggest that use of insect food by a desert-dwelling small mammal virtually removes the physiological problem of water conservation.

On the demography of Rattus sordidus colletti in monsoonal Australia

Results of a mark-release study of Rattus sordidus colletti (Gould) on sub-coastal, treeless plains in the monsoonal north of the Northern Territory of Australia are given for 5 years. R. s. colletti is the dominant component of the small mammal fauna of these plains, with only small numbers of Melomys spp. and Planigale maculata also occurring. Two classes of peak densities were observed. Localized peaks resulted from non-breeding adult R. s. colletti refuging onto the marginally higher levees during flooding of the plains, and also from refuging into a lower-lying area at the end of a dry-season drought. Generalized peak densities resulted from peaks in reproductive effort. In 1972 and 1974, reproduction was confined to the period immediately following the monsoons, but in 1973 breeding continued throughout the dry season, following unseasonal rain in June. Thus, generalized peak densities were observed in one year at the beginning of the dry season, and in another at its end. The relatively shallower flooding and mildness of the 1972–3 wet season resulted in commencement of breeding earlier in 1973 than in 1974, while rapid severe flooding of the plains in December 1974 resulted in mass mortality and failure of the refuging populations of adults to recolonize the lower plains in 1975. R. s. colletti remained extremely rare until November 1976, when the study was terminated. The good conditions which allowed reproduction during the dry season of 1973 were reflected in rapid growth rates at that time, compared with rates approaching zero in the 1974 dry season. R. s. colletti is the most fecund form of Australian Rattus species. This high fecundity appears to compensate for the restriction, by dry-season aridity and wet-season flooding, of the breeding season in most years to a short period immediately following the monsoons. In unusual years with rainfall during the dry season, the high fecundity gives R. s. colletti populations the capacity to reach very high densities.

Thermoregulation and metabolism in Planigale maculata (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae)

1. 1.|The standard metabolic rate of Planigale maculata is 38.3 kcal/kg 0.75·hr; this rate is 21% below the average metabolic rate of marsupials. 2. 2.|Oxygen consumption rate and T b of resting animals are highly labile, and do not increase in a linear manner with decreasing T a 3. 3.|Torpor occurs in animals that have excess food.