Lagorchestes Conspicillatus Research Articles

Macropod Bone Apatite Isotopic Analysis as Evidence for Recent Environmental Change at Bandicoot Bay Pearling Camp, Barrow Island, Australia

Stable isotope analysis of bone apatite oxygen (δ18O) and carbon (δ13C) was undertaken for modern and archaeological spectacled hare wallaby (Lagorchestes conspicillatus) bone collected from an 1880s indentured labor confinement camp on Barrow Island in Western Australia. δ18O results and historical climate data indicate decreased annual precipitation during occupation of the site and provide insight into the conditions experienced by Aboriginal pearling laborers incarcerated on the offshore island. δ13C values may reflect variation in water availability or a short-term vegetation change resulting from landscape burning. This study is the first application of macropod bone apatite isotopic analysis in an Australian historical context and demonstrates its significant potential for identifying recent environmental changes to a high level of sensitivity.

Cross‐cultural collaboration leads to greater understanding of the rare Spectacled Hare‐wallaby in the west Kimberley, Western Australia

SummaryCross‐cultural collaboration between Yawuru Country Managers (Rangers) and WWF‐Australia ecologists led to new detections of the Spectacled Hare‐wallaby (SHW), (Lagorchestes conspicillatus) in the west Kimberley region of Western Australia where it was presumed to be locally extirpated. This collaboration relied on the expertise of the Yawuru Country Managers to select specific locations for targeted field surveys and resulted in the confirmation of SHW on the Yawuru IPA for the first time in a decade. Subsequent remote camera trap surveys over a larger area included collaboration with two additional neighbouring Indigenous ranger groups, Karrajarri and Nyikina Mangala. These surveys investigated the spatial and temporal relationship between SHW and other mammals which may threaten (e.g., feral Cat [Felis catus], Dingo [Canis familiaris dingo]) or compete (e.g., Agile Wallaby [Macropus agilis]; Cattle [Bos taurus]) with them. We found a negative relationship between SHW and cat activity, suggesting that cats may limit the activity or abundance of SHW. Temporal portioning was evident between SHW and both Cattle and Agile Wallaby suggesting that SHW may avoid times when these species are most active. Further, we found a negative relationship between SHW occurrence and distance to fire scar edge burnt in current or previous fire season. This edge habitat is likely important to SHW because they may require recently burnt areas to forage and dense unburnt areas to shelter. This project highlights the benefits of cross‐cultural research and monitoring partnerships with Indigenous rangers as active observers and managers of their traditional lands.

Redescription of Rugopharynx australis (Mönnig, 1926) and the description of R. moennigi n. sp. (Nematoda: Strongyloidea) from kangaroos (Marsupialia: Macropodidae) in Australia.

Rugopharynx australis (Mönnig, 1926) (Nematoda: Strongyloidea) is redescribed based on specimens from the type host, Osphranter rufus (Desmarest), together with matching DNA sequence data. Additional hosts were Macropus giganteus Shaw and Osphranter robustus (Gould) with single occurrences in M. fuliginosus (Desmarest), Notamacropus dorsalis (Gray), Lagorchestes conspicillatus Gould and Petrogale xanthopus Gray. Rugopharynx moennigi n. sp., formerly included within R. australis, is distinguished by shorter but overlapping spicule lengths and in the morphology of the gubernaculum as well as by molecular data. Rugopharynx moennigi n. sp. appears to be primarily parasitic in M. fuliginosus throughout its geographical range, but also infects M. giganteus, O. robustus and O. rufus in areas of host sympatry.

Isotopic Indications of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Paleoenvironmental Changes at Boodie Cave Archaeological Site, Barrow Island, Western Australia.

This paper presents the first application of mammal tooth enamel carbonate stable isotope analysis for the purpose of investigating late Pleistocene–early Holocene environmental change in an Australian archaeological context. Stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope ratios were analyzed from archaeological and modern spectacled hare wallaby (Lagorchestes conspicillatus) and hill kangaroo (Osphranter robustus) tooth enamel carbonates from Boodie Cave on Barrow Island in Western Australia. δ18O results track the dynamic paleoecological history at Boodie Cave including a clear shift towards increasing aridity preceding the onset of the Last Glacial Maximum and a period of increased humidity in the early to mid-Holocene. Enamel δ13C reflects divergent species feeding ecology and may imply a long-term shift toward increasing diversity in vegetation structure. This study contributes new data to the carbonate-isotope record for Australian fauna and demonstrates the significant potential of stable isotope based ecological investigations for tracking paleoenvironment change to inter-strata resolution.

Industry environmental offset funding facilitates a large multi-species fauna translocation program

Worldwide deterioration in natural communities has led to an increased use of fauna translocations to improve conservation status and restore ecological function. However, few translocation programs have sufficient resources to involve multiple species and destination locations with appropriate threat management and monitoring before and after release. As part of conservation actions to mitigate impacts of the Chevron Australia Gorgon liquefied natural gas project on Barrow Island Nature Reserve, biodiversity offset funding was provided to benefit species impacted by the development. Animals were translocated from three islands to two mainland locations in Western Australia. We aimed to: (1) improve conservation status and security of several threatened species; and (2) contribute to reconstruction of pre-European fauna assemblages. Nine hundred and seventy five individuals of six mammal and two bird species were translocated. These included 421 golden bandicoots (Isoodon auratus barrowensis), 111 spectacled hare-wallabies (Lagorchestes conspicillatus conspicillatus), 105 Barrow Island boodies (Bettongia lesueur ssp. Barrow Island), 104 brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula hypoleucus), 62 mala (Lagorchestes hirsutus ssp. Tanami), 88 djoongari (Pseudomys fieldi), 37 black and white fairy-wrens (Malurus leucopterus edouardi) and 47 spinifexbirds (Eremiornis carteri). Of 11 new populations, only two failed to establish; attributed to native and feral predators. Additional populations of four species of threatened mammal (one of which has now been reduced in conservation listing) and one species of threatened bird were established. To our knowledge, this is the largest translocation effort ever undertaken in Australia and is a rare example of an offset that has provided tangible threatened species benefit.

Peak hour in the bush: linear anthropogenic clearings funnel predator and prey species

AbstractLinear clearings, such as roads and tracks, are an obvious anthropogenic feature in many remote environments, even where infrastructure is sparse. Predator species have been shown to prefer moving down linear clearings, and therefore, clearings could increase predation risk for other species. We investigated whether tracks cleared for seismic surveys are preferentially used by predators and herbivores in a landscape inhabited by bilbies (Macrotis lagotis), a vulnerable species of conservation concern. We used a paired camera trap array to investigate the use of cleared seismic lines at four time points after clearing (1 month, 3 months, 7 months, 48 months) by six mammal species. Bilbies, cattle (Bos indicus/B. taurus), dingoes (Canis familiaris), feral cats (Felis catus) and agile wallabies (Macropus agilis) preferred to use seismic lines compared with adjacent undisturbed vegetation for almost all surveys, while spectacled hare wallabies (Lagorchestes conspicillatus) avoided them. Bilbies and agile wallabies showed similar temporal activity patterns on and off seismic lines but feral cats, dingoes and cattle used seismic lines at different times of day to control areas. We also investigated microhabitat selection by spool tracking individual bilbies. Bilbies selected a route through vegetation that was more open than surrounding vegetation. While spatial and temporal funnelling of bilbies and their predators (especially cats) may increase the frequency of encounter between the two, it is important to note that bilbies were active at significantly different times to predators both on and off seismic lines. The identified selection for seismic lines, and changes in spatial and temporal overlap between species, can be used to develop effective management strategies, to minimize potential impacts on native species.

A state of non-specific tension in living matter? Stress in Australian animals

Evidence of stress responses in Australian animals is reviewed through a series of case studies involving desert frogs and lizards, small carnivorous marsupials, desert wallabies, a dwarf kangaroo species, the quokka wallaby and a small nectarivorous bird. An operational definition of stress as “the physiological resultant of demands that exceed an animal’s homeostatic capacities” is used to identify instances of stress responses in the field, and to gauge their intensity. Clear evidence of stress responses is found in small dasyurid marsupial carnivores, and desert agamid lizards, both of which are semelparous. Other instances of seasonal stress responses include the Rottnest Island quokka, the Barrow Island euro kangaroo and a small nectarivorous bird, the Silvereye. The review also highlights the high level of physiological adaptation of some desert wallabies, such as the Spectacled hare wallaby, which is able to maintain physiological homeostasis in the field when challenged by conditions of extreme drought. The importance of thermal and hygric refugia for the long-term survival or rock wallabies, which apparently lack any hormonal control of renal function, is also highlighted.

Comparative water metabolism of Barrow Island macropodid marsupials: Hormonal versus behavioural-dependent mechanisms of body water conservation

Seasonal variations in rates of water turnover were measured over a 7-year period in four species of macropodid marsupials ( Lagorchestes conspicillatus, Bettongia lesueur, Petrogale lateralis and Macropus robustus isabellinus), on Barrow Island off the arid Pilbara coast of Western Australia. These ranged from over 100 mL kg −0.82 d −1 in wet seasons to as low as 28.2 mL kg −0.82 d −1 in dry seasons in the Spectacled hare wallaby, L. conspicillatus. Plasma osmolality increased significantly in both Barrow Island euros ( M. robustus isabellinus) and Spectacled hare wallabies in November 1994, in the driest year yet recorded on the island. In contrast, there was no change in plasma osmolality of the other two species (Black-footed rock wallaby, P. lateralis and Lesueur’s burrowing bettong, B. lesueur) that exploit cool and humid thermal refugia such as caves and underground warrens to avoid diurnal temperature extremes. Plasma levels of the marsupial antidiuretic hormone (ADH), lysine vasopressin (LVP), were for the most part below the detectable limit of the assay of 0.41 pg mL −1 in rock wallabies and bettongs, but reached high levels of 16.7 ± 4.6 pg mL −1 and 20.25 ± 5.1 pg mL −1 in euros and hare wallabies, respectively, in dry seasons. LVP levels were positively correlated with plasma osmolality in both euros and hare wallabies, and negatively correlated with total body water content in euros, supporting its rôle as an antidiuretic hormone in these two species. The study highlights the importance of environmental features, such as caves and underground warrens, which are critical for the long-term survival of endangered species such as the Black-footed rock wallaby and the Lesueur’s bettong. These species appear to lack ADH-controlled renal systems for the conservation of body water and are thus dependent on behavioural strategies for the maintenance of fluid homeostasis in arid environments.

Revision of the Progamotaenia zschokkei (Janicki, 1905) complex (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae), with the description of six new species

A review of cestodes currently attributed to Progamotaenia zschokkei (Janicki, 1905) (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) suggests that six additional species are present: Pr. tenuis n. sp. found in Thylogale stigmatica (Gould) and T. thetis (Lesson), Pr. lomatosoma n. sp.from Macropus agilis (Gould), Pr. petrogale n. sp. from Petrogale spp. and Macropus dorsalis(Grey), Pr. fimbriata n.s p. from Lagorchestes conspicillatus Gould and L. hirsutus Gould, Pr. obesa n. sp. from Onychogalea fraenata (Gould) and O. unguifera (Gould) in north-eastern Australia and Pr. kellerae n. sp. from O. unguifera in north-western Australia. The new species are differentiated by a combination of characters: prominence of scolex lobes, number of lobes in the fimbriated velum, testis number and distribution, size of the cirrus-sac, morphology of the uterus and presence or absence of a pyriform apparatus in eggs from terminal segments. The morphological differences found support earlier molecular studies, in that cestodes within each host genus are distinct, with the exception that considerable morphological variation exists within Pr. petrogale. Principal components analysis suggested that most of the cestodes from Petrogale spp. belonged to Pr. petrogale. The status of specimens from Pe. lateralis is unclear. More detailed molecular studies are required to determine the significance of the morphological variation within this taxon. A key is provided to species within the complex and the related species Pr. villosa (Lewis, 1914).

Genetic variation in the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 within three species of Progamotaenia (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) from macropodid marsupials

Sequence variation within 3 morphologically defined species of the anoplocephalid cestode genus Progamotaenia (P. ewersi, P. macropodis and P. zschokkei) was investigated using the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene. The magnitude of genetic variation detected within each morphospecies suggests that, in each instance, several cryptic species are present. Within P. ewersi, 5 genetically distict groups of cestodes were detected, 1 shared by Macropus robustus and M. parryi in Queensland, 1 in M. agilis from Queensland, 1 in Petrogale assimilis from Queensland, 1 in Macropus fuliginosus from South Australia and 1 in Wallabia bicolor from Victoria. In P. macropodis, cestodes from M. robustus from Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, M. parryi from Queensland and M. eugenii from South Australia were genetically distinct from those in Wallabia bicolor from Queensland and Victoria and from M. fuliginosus from South Australia. P. zschokkei consisted of a number of genetically distinct groups of cestodes, 1 in Lagorchestes conspicillatus and L. hirsutus from Queensland and the Northern Territory respectively, 1 in Petrogale herberti, P. assimilis and M. dorsalis from Queensland, 1 in Onychogalea fraenata from Queensland, 1 in M. agilis from Queensland and 1 in Thylogale stigmatica and T. thetis from Queensland. In general, genetic groups within each morphospecies were host specific and occurred predominantly in a particular macropodid host clade. Comparison of genetic relationships of cestodes with the phylogeny of their hosts revealed examples of colonization (P. zschokkei in M. agilis) and of host switching (P. zschokkei in M. dorsalis).

Water and electrolyte homeostasis and kidney function of desert-dwelling marsupial wallabies in Western Australia

Prolonged drought, necessitating conservation of water, is one of the major environmental challenges faced by many Australian marsupials. Radioactive isotopes of water and sodium were used to assess the ability of two species of marsupial wallabies to maintain water and electrolyte balance during periods of extreme water deprivation in the arid Pilbara region of Western Australia. The spectacled hare-wallaby, Lagorchestes conspicillatus, has the lowest mass-specific rate of water turnover at 27.5 ml.kg(-0.82).day(-1) yet reported for any mammal and was two to three orders of magnitude lower than that of the Rothschild's rock-wallaby, Petrogale rothschildi. Studies of renal function show that the hare-wallaby conserves water by producing a highly concentrated urine under the influence of lysine vasopressin (LVP), the anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) in macropodid marsupials. In contrast, rock-wallabies show unusual renal responses to water deprivation, with no change in LVP levels and a limited response to water deprivation involving a reduction in renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rate, with no significant change in tubular function. Both species are able to maintain water and electrolyte homeostasis during periods of drought, highlighting the efficacy of their differing adaptive solutions to the problem of water scarcity, although the hare-wallaby is superior to the rock-wallaby in this respect. Rock-wallabies appear to rely primarily on behavioural rather than physiological responses for their survival in the Pilbara and appear to be more vulnerable to extinction in the event of significant habitat modification. The secure nature of their rock habitat, however, means that they have suffered less than hare-wallabies in the recent past.

Role of Catalase in H2O2-induced oxidant stress in marsupial erythrocytes

We have examined the catalase activity and H2O2-induced oxidant stress on methaemoglobin formation and haemolysis in eight species of marsupials: the black striped wallaby (Macropus dorsalis), bridled nailtail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata), proserpine rock wallaby (Petrogale persephone), red legged pademelon (Thylogale stigmatica), spectacled hare wallaby (Lagorchestes conspicillatus), whiptail wallaby (Macropus parryi), common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), and the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). The results indicate a significant relationship between the activity of catalase and methaemoglobin formation by H2O2.

Reproduction of the spectacled hare-wallaby, Lagorchestes conspicillatus Gould (Marsupialia: Macropodidae), in captivity, with age estimation of the pouch young

Lagorchestes conspicillatus has a widespread distribution across northern Australia. Observations were made on reproduction in captive animals and a key produced for age determination of pouch young. Females commence breeding at about one year of age and males when slightly older. Reproduction in this species involved an oestrous cycle of 30 days, a gestation period of 29-31 days and a mean pouch life of 152 days. A postpartum oestrus and mating following a birth was the normal pattern of reproduction.

Habitat requirements of the spectacled hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes conspicillatus) in the Northern Territory and Western Australia

Fourteen sites occupied by Lagorchestes conspicillatus in the Northern Territory were examined from July to September 1986. The abundance of possible food items at each site was estimated by measuring the percentage cover of herbs, grasses and shrubs with foliage below one metre. Also recorded was the abundance of potential shelters, including grass tussocks, spinifex hummocks (Plectrachne and Triodia spp.) and low shrubs and trees. All sites possessed trees (more than 10 per ha) and shrubs (more than 5 per ha) together with more than 0.5% cover of green grass foliage. A model of suitable habitat was constructed using the 1986 results, and this was tested within the species' range in the Pilbara, Western Australia, and near Daly Waters in the Northern Territory in 1987. The abundance of L. conspicillatus was scored at control sites (sites with all features considered essential on the basis of 1986 data) and test sites (sites lacking 1-2 'essential' features). These data indicated that L, conspicillatus can occur at sites with as little as 0.2% cover of green grass provided there is more than 1.5% herb cover. Sites with no green grass (less than 0.2%) were usually not occupied. All sites occupied by L. conspicillatus had potentially suitable shelters, either shrubs, grass tussocks or spinifex hummocks within 50m of the feeding areas. Diet selection by L. conspicillatus during the 1986 and 1987 dry seasons was as follows: (a) herbs were eaten in preference to other food items except certain seeds; (b) grass formed at least 10% of faecal contents irrespective of herb cover; and (c) at sites with less than 0.5% herb cover the levels of grass in the faeces increased to compensate for the low availability of herbs.

Distribution and abundance of spectacled hare-wallabies and euros on Barrow Island, Western Australia

Spectacled hare-wallabies (Lagorchestes conspicillatus) and euros (Macropus robustus isabellinus) occur on Barrow I. at densities of 42 and 8 km-2, respectively, which result in estimates of total population sizes of c. 10000 and 1800, respectively. Spectacled hare-wallabies occur throughout the island in all habitat types; euros tend to be concentrated in the deeply dissected country in the central-west of the island. Limited areas of floodout flats are important feeding areas for euros, being the only major habitat on the island dominated by grasses other than Triodia. There was no significant difference between density of either species on the two halves of the island (one half is dominated by a commercial oilfield; the other is relatively undisturbed). Barrow I. is the smallest island off the Australian coast to have successfully supported a population of large macropods for the 8000-10000 years since separation from the mainland by rising sea-level. Hence, the population estimate of euros on Barrow I. provides an empirical measure of the viable population size necessary for the long-term survival of large macropods. This estimate is nearly two orders of magnitude less than that estimated from a theoretical model of minimum viable population size (Belovsky 1987).

Rate of water turnover and electrolyte balance of an arid-zone marsupial, the spectacled hare wallaby ( Lagorchestes conspicillatus) on Barrow Island

1. 1. The work reported in this paper describes aspects of the water and electrolyte metabolism of free-ranging spectacled hare wallabies ( Lagorchestes conspicillatus) on Barrow Island in Western Australia. 2. 2. Two populations were studied in both spring (October) and summer (March). Rates of water turnover were measured in spring with tritiated water and were extremely low, approximating 5% of the total body water per day, and these are amongst the lowest rates yet published for any marsupial. 3. 3. Urine outputs were also extremely low and variable in spring, and urine osmolality averaged from 859 to 1015 mOsm/kg. In summer, rates of urine production were significantly higher, but urine osmolality did not change. 4. 4. Osmolar clearance was elevated in animals collected in March, and free-water clearance was more negative but, in view of the higher rates of urine production, a significant modification of renal function is not indicated. 5. 5. Previous surveys have indicated that the density of hare wallabies is greater in disturbed areas of Barrow Island. Dietary analysis suggests that this unequal distribution results from a greater availability of preferred plant species growing in these disturbed areas.

Eimeria spp. (Apicomplexa:Eimeriidae) parasitic in wallabies and kangaroos of the genera Setonix, Thylogale, Wallabia, Lagorchestes and Dendrolagus (Marsupialia: Macropodidae)

Eleven new species of Eimeria are described from Australian wallabies and kangaroos. E. setonocis new species, E. volckertzoni new species and E. quokka new species are described in the quokka, Setonix brachyurus, from Rottnest Island, Western Australia. Three species, E. thylogale new species, E. obendorfi new species and E. ringaroomaensis new species are described from the Tasmanian pademelon, Thylogale billardierii, and two, E. wallabiae new species and E. bicolor new species, are described from the swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor, from Victoria, and from captive specimens held in other states. E. lagorchestis new species and an unnamed species were found in recently captured spectacled hare-wallabies, Lagorchestes conspicillatus, in north Queensland, while E. dendrolagi new species and E. lumholtzi new species were found in recently captured tree-kangaroos, Dendrolagus lumholtzi, also from north Queensland.

Klossiella (Apicomplexa, Klossiellidae) in petaurid and macropodid marsupials in Australia.

Six new species of Klossiella are described in the kidneys of Australian marsupials: Klossiella rufogrisei in Bennett's Wallaby, Macropus rufogriseus; Klossiella rufi in the Red Kangaroo, Macropus rufus; Klossiella thylogale in the Red-Bellied or Tasmanian Pademelon, Thylogale billardierii; Klossiella beveridgei in the Spectacled Hare-Wallaby, Lagorchestes conspicillatus; Klossiella bettongiae in the Tasmanian Bettong, Bettongia gaimardi; and Klossiella schoinobatis in the petaurid Greater Glider, Petauroides volans. It is concluded that the genus Klossiella has radiated widely among Australian marsupials, and that since it is present in American marsupials, it may have an ancient association with the subclass.

Renal Function in the Spectacled Hare-Wallaby, Lagorchestes conspicillatus: Effects of Dehydration and Protein Deficiency

Renal function was studied in a marsupial, the spectacled hare-wallaby Lagorchestes conspicillatus, and the effects of acute dehydration and exposure to a low-protein diet assessed. The rate of glomerular filtration (GFR), measured as the inulin clearance, fell significantly with both treatments but tubular function was unaffected. This reduction in GFR accounted entirely for the antidiuresis observed with both dehydration and exposure to low-protein intake and accords with field observations of the hare- wallaby, where urine volumes are characteristically low and have low osmolalities. When data from animals on both high and low-protein diets were considered together, the clearance ratio for urea (C*urea/C*in) was found to be positively correlated with the rate of urine production, and it is evident that mechanisms which invoke antidiuresis in this species will automatically enhance the reabsorption of urea.

Durikainema macropi gen. et sp. nov. (Muspiceoidea: Robertdollfusidae). A remarkable nematode from Macropodidae (Marsupialia).

Durikainema macropi gen. et sp. nov. (Muspiceoidea: Robertdollfusidae) is described from the mesenteric and hepatic portal veins of Macropus giganteus Shaw 1790, M. agilis (Gould 1842) and M. rufogriseus (Desmarest 1817) (Marsupialia: Macropodidae) from Queensland, Australia. It is also known from histological sections of hepatic portal veins of M. robustus Gould 1841, M. fuliginosus (Desmarest 1817) and Lagorchestes conspicillatus Gould 1842. The new genus resembles the Enoplina in cephalic and caudal characters and the Dorylaimina in other characters. Durikainema resembles Robertdollfusa Chabaud and Campana 1950 in its small form, absence of mouth oesophagus and anus, atrophied digestive tube, reduction of female genital apparatus to a uterine pouch, viviparity and cephalic cuticular inflation in larvae. It differs from this genus in its complex and well developed cephalic structures and its well developed body musculature in both sexes. Durikainema is tentatively placed in the Robertdollfusidae, Muspiceoidea. Larvae develop beyond firststage in the uterus of the female. They have been found in the non-peripheral blood of male and female M. giganteus, the lactating mammary gland of female M. agilis but not the non-lactating glands of the same female and in the deep capillaries of thigh skin of male M. agilis. Transmission of the parasite may be direct by a percutaneous or milk route, or indirect by a haemophagous arthropod.