Lungtalanana (Clarke Island) HSMT Survey Report 2014 by The Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust

HAMISH SAUNDERS MEMORIAL ISLAND SURVEY PROGRAM Nature Conservation Report 15/2 A partnership program between the Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust, New Zealand and the Natural and Cultural Heritage Division, DPIPWE, Tasmania

lungtalanana (CLARKE ISLAND) NATURAL VALUES SURVEY 2014

Depar tment of Pr imar y Industr ies, Par ks, Water and Environment

lungtalanana (CLARKE ISLAND), NATURAL VALUES SURVEY 2014 A partnership program between the Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust, New Zealand and the Natural and Cultural Heritage Division, DPIPWE, Tasmania. ÂŠ Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

ISSN (book): ISSN 1441-0680 ISSN (web): ISSN 1838-7403 ISBN (book): 978-1-74380-007-2 ISBN (web): 978-1-74380-008-9

Cite as: Natural and Cultural Heritage Division (2014). lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014. Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust, New Zealand and Natural and Cultural Heritage Division, DPIPWE, Hobart. Nature Conservation Report Series 15/2

Design and Layout: Land Tasmania Design Unit Main cover photo: East coast of lungtalanana (Charlotte Penniket) Inside front cover photo: Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus in Kangaroo Bay (Simon Grove) Inside back cover photo: Charred tea tree at Spike Bay (Simon Grove)

Unless otherwise credited, the copyright of all images remains with the Department of Primary Industries, Parks Water and Environment.

This work is copyright. It may be reproduced for study, research or training purposes subject to an acknowledgement of the sources and no commercial use or sale. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Branch Manager, Natural Values Conservation Branch, DPIPWE or the Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust, Auckland, New Zealand.

lungtalanana (CLARKE ISLAND) NATURAL VALUES SURVEY 2014

CONTENTS 2

FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Hamish Saunders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Summary of results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 THE VEGETATION COMMUNITIES OF lungtalanana (CLARKE ISLAND), DECEMBER 2014. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

A REVISED GEOLOGICAL MAP OF lungtalanana (CLARKE ISLAND) AND BRIEF EXPLANATORY NOTES. . . . . . . . . . 36 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

lungtalanana INVERTEBRATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

lungtalanana â&#x20AC;&#x201C; COASTAL MOLLUSCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

lungtalanana AMPHIBIAN AND CHYTRID SURVEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Discussion and Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

TERRESTRIAL MAMMALS OF lungtalanana WITH ADDITIONAL NOTES ON REPTILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

AVIFAUNA OF lungtalanana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

A NOTE ON THE NEARBY FUR SEAL COLONY AT MORIARTY ROCKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

CHARLOTTE PENNIKET - Travel award recipient repor t . . . . . . . . . 146 JESS EARNSHAW - Travel award recipient repor t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

FOREWORD This report, another in the series of reports recording the results of visits to Tasmanian islands by this Department in partnership with the Trust, is a comprehensive and illuminating record of detailed scientific survey work undertaken by the expedition team.This report documents the results of the 2014 survey to lungtalanana in the Furneaux Island group, Bass Strait. lungtalanana is administered by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre and this years travel recipients had the opportunity to gain both ecological and cultural insights throughout the survey.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

The ongoing partnership between the Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust and the Tasmanian Government continues to fulfil the Trustâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission, which is to nurture future leaders in the knowledge, conservation and management of marine (including island and coastal) environments. This year, Charlotte Penniket and Jess Earnshaw joined the team of ecologists undertaking the surveys on lungtalanana. I understand that both Charlotte and Jess gained considerable experience in a wide range of survey techniques as well as an understanding of the traditional ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s land management techniques, as both have attested in their contributions to this report. I am sure that both have taken home life long memories. I thank them and the Tasmanian team for their contribution in undertaking the survey and documenting this report.

Complementing previous Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust surveys, the 2014 survey has provided a wide range of information on natural values which will greatly assist in the future management of these important and unique islands.

Alistair Scott General Manager Natural and Cultural Heritage Division.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Hamish Saunders Hamish Saunders was a New Zealand volunteer who died tragically in 2003 while conducting survey work on a Tasmanian endangered species program. Hamish graduated from Waikato University with a First Class Honours and Masters degree in marine geology. He later completed a postgraduate GIS course with distinction. He also achieved qualifications as a scuba dive instructor, was a good sportsman and was talented, not solely academically, but as an all round individual. As an explorer, Hamish achieved in his 26 years much of which most only dream. From Antarctica to the Galapagos, Central America, South America, South-East Asia, Europe and Australia, he combined his passion for the natural world and conservation with that of an interest in local cultures and people.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Not only did he travel to these places, but he also took a great interest in the people around him. He touched many lives. Hamish was a remarkable and talented young man. The passion and enthusiasm he engendered in those whom he met and the gentle leadership he embodied is his legacy. This island survey program is dedicated to the memory of Hamish Saunders and intended as a platform for emerging leaders in nature conservation. The Tasmanian Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment and longterm support for the program is reaffirmed in the publication of each of the expedition reports. For more about Hamish and the Trust, visit http://www.hamishsaunders.com/

Acknowledgements Many thanks to the Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust for partnering the project, and particularly to David, Andrew and Alan Saunders. Central to the success of a Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey is the engagement and participation of the trustâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s travel award recipients. All team members would like to thank Charlotte Penniket and Jess Earnshaw, award recipients for 2014 whose positive attitudes, energy and enthusiasm contributed greatly to the successful outcomes of the survey. The current caretakers on the island, Ricky and Anita Maynard deserve special thanks. Both provided a wealth of assistance in logistical support and were particularly instrumental hosting a number of memorable BBQâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where the Hamish Saunders team and the members of the Aboriginal community could share their experiences of the islands, the survey and their culture. Many members from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre were instrumental in creating a successful and productive working partnership between the traditional landowners and the Hamish Saunders Survey team. In particular we would like to thank Land and Heritage Management Team members Tim Brown, Andry Sculthorpe, Caleb Pedder and Saun Thurstan. Thanks also to Island Crew supervisor

Ambrose Mcdonald who provided excellent background information on the ecology of the island prior to the fire. Instumental to the success of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s survey was the enthusiasm and keen participation of the Young Aboriginal Volunteers. We would like to thank Jordy Gregg, Jake and Luke West, Teangi Brown, and Jesse Williams for their participation and assistance with the survey. We hope the experience gained through this program provided some inspiration and a good background for their interest in land management techniques. We thank the many people who provided their time and expertise across the range of specialist areas dealt within this report - they are acknowledged separately within the individual reports contained herein. Thanks to Flinders Island Aviation for their assistance in creative logistics to ensure that all of our survey gear was on the island and ready for our arrival. Thanks also to Felicity Hargraves and Margaret Horton for transporting the gear to and from Bridport. Marg also contributed a huge effort within the logistics, planning and the health and safety aspect for all survey participants and deserves large thanks for this role.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Summary of results • 18 TASVEG mapping units were recognised and mapped on lungtalanana. This included 5 threatened terrestrial vegetation communities; Melaleuca ericifolia swamp forest, heathland on calcareous substrates, Callitris rhomboidea forest, Allocasuarina littoralis forest and Eucalyptus globulus dry forest and woodland. • Two freshwater vegetation communities listed as vulnerable under the Nature Conservation Act 2002 were mapped; Freshwater aquatic herbland and Freshwater aquatic sedgeland and rushland. Though not list as threatened under Tasmanian legislation, succulent saline herbland equates to the nationally listed threatened community Subtropical and Temperate Coastal Saltmarsh was also mapped on lungtalanana. • A biosecurity protocol should be in place to prevent further introductions of pest, weeds and pathogens to the Island. Within this protocol the re-establishment of washdown stations (burnt in the recent fire) to mitigate the spread of Phytophthora should be a priority. • New populations of the threatened vegetation communities Heathland on calcareous substrates, and new areas of re-sprouting threatened Melaleuca ericifolia swamp forest and threatened Eucalyptus globulus dry forest and woodland were mapped during the survey. • A new population of the significant Xanthorrhoea australis heath community was also located. • There are a number of significant geomorphology features identified with the geology of lungtalanana now mapped in greater detail than previously.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

• Late Quaternary aeolian sands were found to be more widespread than previously indicated and are correlated with the Ainslie member of northeastern Tasmania. • A Paleogene laterite has been identified on lungtalanana for the first time. • The extensive unconsolidated sand cover within lungtalanana requires specific land management actions. • Some 190 terrestrial arthropod species were recorded, significantly boosting the known fauna for the island. • The terrestrial arthropod fauna showed clear signs of having been severely impacted by the recent fire, with the absence of many expected species. The litter and deadwood fauna was particularly depauperate. Because deadwood needs is a key habitat for a large number of specialist arthropod species, its management warrants special consideration. • Many terrestrial arthropod species that were abundant at the time of the survey can be regarded as the ‘living dead’ and may face population crashes in future years due to unavailable habitat. Future management should follow the principle that ‘managing for diversity requires diversity in management’. • The overall recovery of the terrestrial invertebrate fauna will inevitably take a long time, given the lack of local unburnt refugia from which species with poor powers of dispersal can recolonise. • Some 223 coastal marine mollusc species were recorded, significantly boosting the known fauna for the island.

• Regarding coastal marine molluscs, it is clear that local assemblages show characteristics of the two biogeographic provinces that meet in the vicinity of Banks Strait: the Peronian (comprising the east coast of Tasmania and New South Wales), and the Maugean, comprising the Bass Strait coasts of Tasmania and Victoria. • We recorded evidence of eight species of terrestrial mammal on Island, with six of these species being classified as introduced animals. The two native species recorded represent only 20% of the native mammal fauna previously recorded from the island. • For its size and diversity of habitats the island appears to be depauperate in small ground dwelling mammals previously recorded on the island and it remains unclear why this is the case. • Eight species of reptile and four species of amphibian were detected on lungtalanana. All species detected are commonly found on offshore islands in the Furneaux Group. • Development of an Invasive vertebrates program to manage and assess the feasibility for eradication of introduced vertebrate pests should be implemented.

• A fire management strategy is needed to ensure any future burns maintain a cool patchwork burning regime for the long term viability of tussock grassland for breeding seabirds and ground nesting birds. • Ensure no disturbance or vehicle access onto inland lagoons especially Sandy Lagoon, as these are source points for shorebird breeding and for post breeding flocks and migratory species. • Marram grass and coastal sea spurge is limiting the fore and back dunes of sandy beaches as shorebird breeding habitat and any removal efforts would be advantageous. • As the only recorded breeding site for Australian Pelican within Tasmania, population monitoring on the Low Islets can be performed by point counts from Shevo Bay. Establish population counts of these birds during the breeding season. • The rocky islets around Seal Point contain important habitat for the threatened Whitefronted Tern and care should be exercised not to create disturbance in this area.

• Bird surveys identified 62 species, 24 of these were confirmed or suspected as breeding on the island and 7 were new records. The seabird and shorebird fauna remained relatively intact but foliage gleening, mid-storey and ground dwelling species were significantly impacted, though likely to be restored over time. The implimentation of a long-term monitoring program to observe the reestablishment of the islands avifauna following the 2014 bushfire should be developed at a number of key sites.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

INTRODUCTION Also known as Clarke Island, lungtalanana is the third largest island within the Furneaux Group located on the eastern edge of Bass Strait, to the north-east of mainland Tasmania. Approximately 8230 hectares in size lungtalanana is situated on the edge of Banks Strait at 40°32’15” latitude, 148°10’25” longitude.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Topographically varied, the island features a raised central plateau with prominent hills to the east (Blue Hills 89 m), southwest (Green Hill 159 m) and northwest (Steep Hill 204 m). Drainage from the plateau flows to the coast with numerous wetlands in low-lying areas. Coastal fringe of lungtalanana consist of exposed sandy beaches interspersed by rugged rocky headlands. The main settlement for the island is located on the northwest corner where there are numerous buildings and an airstrip suitable for light planes. There is limited access across the island with vehicle tracks restricted to a main access bisecting the island east to west, and a shorter track running north to south on the western side of the island.

There are many archaeological sites on lungtalanana showing a long history of Aboriginal occupation and land use. European involvement with the island commenced with commercial sealing activities following Matthew Flinders observation of large numbers of fur seals on the island in 1798. Sealers and Tasmanian Aborigines occupied the island from 1810 until 1837 exploiting this resource. From 1843 land use on the island shifted with the introduction of livestock including sheep and cattle. In 1995 a large portion of the island under lease agreement was purchased by the Indigenous Land Council for Tasmanian Aborigines. Management of the island by the Tasmanian Aboriginal community was further increased on 10 May 2005, when the government released Crown lands on Clarke (lungtalanana) Island to be overseen by the Aboriginal Lands Councils.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Scientific exploration and biodiversity inventoryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for the island has been built on earlier works performed by S. Harris and J. Kirkpatrick (Flora) and J. Maclaine, N. Brothers and S. Bryant (Fauna). The significance of islands for biological conservation and as areas of unique biogeography is recognised by the Aboriginal Lands Council of Tasmania. In the intervening 10 years since the transfer of this island there have been a number of biodiversity surveys (Magnus and Harris, 2004; Rudman and Visoiu, 2008) contributing to the management of the islands natural values. Through the Aboriginal Lands Council of Tasmania the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre incorporates

the provision of advice into ongoing management strategies for controlling noxious weeds, disease control such as Phytophthora cinnamomi management, and preservation of threatened vegetation types and species. The recent publication of the lungtalanana, Babel Island & Big Dog Island, Healthy Country Plan 2015 by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre is further evidence of this. In February 2014 an unplanned bushfire of high intensity swept across the island consuming over 80% of the island. While it is acknowledged that there still remained many knowledge gaps around the islands

Figure 1. Hamish Saunders survey team, Tasmanian Aboriginal Center and external researcher members on the lungtalanana field survey 2014. Front row: Teangi Brown, Felicity Hargraves, Sally Bryant, Charlotte Penniket, Jess Earnshaw, Aine Nicholson, Kaely Kreger. Back row: Simon Grove, Matt Pauza, Luke West, Caleb Pedder, David Bowman, Ted Lefroy, Sam Thalmann, Jordy Gregg, Andry Sculthorpe, Anita Maynard, Jason Bradbury and Jesse Williams. Missing: Tim Brown, Saun Thurstan, Ricky Maynard.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

natural values, the fire also provided an opportunity to investigate the response of fauna and flora to this fire, and the interaction with the remnant vegetation. Additionally the fire resulted in increased access across the island allowing for geomorphology surveys at greater detail.

These factors in association with an outstanding opportunity to work with the indigenous community and to provide input into the joint management of the islands natural values where main factors for the selection of lungtalanana for this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey. There are considerable logistic and access difficulties in facilitating a group of scientists to a remote offshore island. Margaret Horton was instrumental in pre-departure organisation, with the on-ground survey logistics led by Sam Thalmann (avifauna and amphibian and chief editor). The survey team arrived by plane on 3 December 2014 and departed the Island on 10 December 2014. Expedition team members included: Felicity Hargraves (vegetation/ flora), Matthew Pauza (terrestrial vertebrates), and Jason Bradbury (geosciences) from DPIPWE, Simon Grove (invertebrate ecology and marine molluscs) from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and Sally Bryant from Tasmanian Land Conservancy (avifauna). Charlotte Penniket and Jess Earnshaw completed the expedition as the Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust Travel Award Recipients for 2014.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

THE VEGETATION COMMUNITIES OF lungtalanana (CLARKE ISLAND), DECEMBER 2014. Felicity Hargraves Introduction The vegetation communities on lungtalanana have long been influenced and shaped by traditional land management practices (such as burning), climate change and changing wildlife utilisation. With the onset of sealing and grazing in the early 19th century came weeds, pests such as rabbits and plant diseases.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Rabbits were in such large numbers on the island in the 1930s that it attracted government attention and culminating in an unsuccessful proposal for the Australia trial of myxomatosis to be conducted there and would undoubtedly had a significant impact on the vegetation of the island at the time. Heaths on the island are at risk from the devastating plant pathogen Phytopthora cinnamomi which may be a more recent arrival as it appears limited in extent.

An island-wide, high intensity fire, eight months previously has resulted in the removal of most of the islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mature vegetation. This survey aims to map the vegetation communities to build on the current knowledge and to investigate the vegetation response to the recent fire by monitoring post-fire seedling and re-sprouting assemblages and remnant patches of unburned vegetation.

A complete inventory of the vegetation communities, knowledge of their conservation significance, and an understanding of how these communities respond to fire is important for effective conservation land management.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Methods Field surveys for vegetation community mapping were undertaken on lungtalanana Island on 3-10 December 2014. The areas surveyed on foot included Home Hill, Sandy Lagoon to Kangaroo Bay, Seal Point to Black Point, Blue Hills and Thomas Creek, Shevo Bay to Moriarty Bay (though in heavy rain and wind with subsequent poor visibility), South Head, Spike Bay to Air Field, Dip Point, MacLaines Bay and MacLaines Creek. The completed field mapping was used to inform desktop mapping of the un-accessed areas of the Island, which relied on 2004 Google Earth imagery and the 2003 Tasmanian state-wide digital orthophotographic layer. The geographical map datum used is the Map Grid of Australia MGA 94 Zone 55 with coordinates expressed in eastings (6 digits) and northings (7 digits). The vegetation communities where classified using Kitchener and Harris (2013).

Vegetation mapping by Harris and Bosworth (1980) and Whinray (1981), and a vegetation report by Rudman and Visoiu (2008) were used to gain some guidance as to pre-fire vegetation distribution. Rudman and Visoiu (2008) recorded 370 plant species for the island; these are listed in Appendix 1. Two additional species found during this survey are included.

Results The vegetation map of lungtalanana Island (Figure 2) is based on 2011 imagery and field checking of post 2014 fire remnant vegetation and regenerating vegetation (much of which was only present as seedlings). As such it reflects both the vegetation composition and distribution prior to the 2014 fire and predicts the potential climax state of the regenerating vegetation.

Figure 1. Regenerating Xanthorrhoea heathland with flowering Prasophyllum brevilabre (Felicity Hargraves).

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Threatened Native Vegetation Communities as listed on Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 Melaleuca ericifolia swamp forest (NME) NME showed successful recruitment post-fire with abundant seedlings and re-sprouting trees on the lunettes of many lagoons and in dune swales behind the coast. Numerous small areas of NME are mapped across the Island. Melaleuca ericifolia seedlings are present within many vegetation communities on the island.

Heathland on calcareous substrates (SCL) The listed community, SCL, occurs only on Bass Strait islands and was newly identified on lungtalanana Island at MacLaines Bay and Spike Bay. At Spike Bay (594959E 5511541N) the vegetation was heavily burned with half of the population destroyed leaving exposed sandy calcareous soil (Figure 3). The vegetation is a low windswept heath with distinctive species associated with highly alkaline rapidly draining soils. Within this community at MacLaines Bay the following species were recorded: Leucophyta brownii, Ozothamnus turbinatus, Pimelea serpyllifolia, Beyeria lechenaultii, Acrotriche cordata, Zygophyllum billardieri, Pomaderris paniculata and Apalochlamys spectabilis.

Figure 2. TASVEG Map of lungtalanana Island 2014.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Callitris rhomboidea Forest (NCR)

Eucalyptus globulus dry forest and woodland (DGL)

Though seedlings of Callitris rhomboidea were common across the Island, no NCR forest has survived the fire or will exist unless a fire-free period of at least 20 years occurs to allow the forest community to develop. Past records of NCR forest are found in Whinrayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1981 report, which identified an area of NCR in 1980 unburned for 20 years and which formed part of a scrub community 2km long and 1km wide in the centre of the island.

DGL occurs on sand dunes on the northern half of the Island. The mapping of this community is based on field observations of seedlings and re-sprouting Eucalyptus globulus, in conjunction with 2011 Google Earth imagery. Field sightings of DGL were recorded around Big Sandy Lagoon, on a granite outcrop north of Black Point and along the coast, north of Steep Hill.

Allocasuarina littoralis forest (NAL) Allocasuarina littoralis seedlings mostly occurred as small patches within Allocasuarina verticillata communities. Only a few small areas of NAL are mapped on the Island, though this community may be more extensive once the canopy has grown. The understorey is sparsely populated with Gahnia filum, Gyrostemon thesioides and Lepidosperma concavum. The mapped area is based on 2004 Google Earth imagery and field survey of dominant seedlings.

A DGL community at 604800E 5515718N was composed of E. globulus, Allocasuarina verticillata, Lepidosperma laevigatum, L. laterale, Callitris rhomboidea, Pelargonium australe, Boronia anemonifolia, Leptospermum scoparium, L. lanigerum, Banksia marginata and Astroloma humifusum. Freshwater aquatic herbland (AHF) Many of these wetlands are ephemeral. In times of good rainfall they can be filled with water and can rapidly become freshwater aquatic herblands. However, at the time of the survey some of these wetlands were dry and sandy.

Figure 3. Heathland on calcareous substrates at Spike Bay (Felicity Hargraves).

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

At location 6004650E 5514910N the species composition of AHF included Myriophyllum salsugineum, Triglochin procerum, Lilaeopsis polyantha, Lepilaena cylindrocarpa, Potamogeton pectinatus and Isolepis fluitans. Freshwater aquatic sedgeland and rushland (ASF) ASF is found on the fringes of lagoons and in poorly drained flats. At location 599500E 515600N ASF was dominated by Baumea juncea and Lepidosperma longitudinale (Figure 4).

Vulnerable Native Vegetation Communities Succulent saline herbland (ASS) Listed nationally as vulnerable Subtropical and Temperate Coastal Saltmarsh under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, ASS is commonly found fringing many lagoons and sheltered bays, though difficult to map remotely because of its small distribution. ASS at Sandy Lagoon contained the listed threatened plant Wilsonia backhousei; other species present include Sarcocornia quinqueflora, Selliera radicans, Crassula decumbens and Wilsonia rotundifolia.

Figure 4. Freshwater aquatic sedgeland and rushland (ASF) north of Sandy Lagoon (Sally Bryant).

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Significant plant species Isopogon ceratophyllus Listed under Tasmania’s Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 as vulnerable and widespread in the eastern half of the Island. Recorded locations are: 6037680E 5513895N, 6019310E 5515717N, 604250E 5512612N and 599083E 6000390N Gyrostemon thesioides Listed under Tasmania’s Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 as rare and is very common throughout the eastern half of the island on sand flats particularly in areas of NAV, e.g. 602126E 5515878N. Summer orchids The orchid Orthoceras strictum, listed under Tasmania’s Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 as rare was found at 603768E 5513895N (Figure 7). Other orchids sighted included the following species: Prasophyllum brevilabre (600400E 5515085N),

P. australe and Calochilus herbaceous (603768E 5513895N), Caleana minor (small duck orchid), and Pyrorchis nigricans (604247E 5512176N). Xanthorrhoea australis Two spectacular populations of Xanthorrhoea australis were located on the north eastern half of the Island with an estimated area of 28.93 hectares (Figure 5). The first population was recorded across the coordinates (601875E 5515328N, 601891E 5515121N, 601847E 5515209N and 601863E 5515400N). The second separate population (Figure 5) was recorded at (599750E 5513470N) and could be seen to continue along the top of ridgeline to the north. Both populations were successfully re-sprouting post fire. Whinray (1980) states that this heath is an outstanding feature of the area and is very diverse. Rudman (2008) states that Xanthorrhoea australis is infected with Phytophthora at three locations (within the first population recorded above). The current termination of the Kangaroo Bay access road just at the top of the slope of one population is ill-placed

Figure 5. Xanthorrhoea australis located south west of Kangaroo Bay (Felicity Hargraves).

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Figure 6. Location of Xanthorrhoea heathland in the central north east and east of lungtalanana Island.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

and allows the tyre and boot spread disease to travel downslope with water drainage. The regeneration of heathland species was not as obvious at this site as at the more remote population, though future surveys when seedlings have developed may confirm the loss of this heathlands diversity. At location 601847E 5515209N the species present include Xanthorrhoea australis, Hakea teretifolia, H. nodosa, Banksia marginata, Gleichenia microphylla, Gahnia filum, Lepidosperma laterale and L. concavum (Figure 6).

Other vegetation communities Eucalyptus nitida Furneaux forest (DNF) Field mapping of DNF was limited to seedlings and re-sprouting occurrences of Eucalyptus nitida. These were recorded from several locations on the central east coast and extrapolated to canopy crowns visible on ortho-photographs in the mid northwest on granite outcrops. Eucalyptus nitida also occurs within SLG scrub communities as a mallee tree. DNF at location (602000E 5515521N) includes the following species: Eucalyptus nitida, Hakea teretifolia, Callitris rhomboidea, Allocasuarina verticillata, Banksia marginata, Melaleuca squarrosa, Goodenia ovata, Pelargonium australe, Lepidosperma concavum and Muehlenbeckia adpressa. Eucalyptus nitida occurs as scattered re-sprouting small trees and 10% seedling cover. Allocasuarina verticillata forest (NAV) NAV encroaches inland from the northern and eastern coasts of the Island. NAV is dominated by seedlings of Allocasuarina verticillata (80% cover) and in some areas is co-dominated by Allocasuarina littoralis. The understorey is sparsely populated by Gahnia filum, Gyrostemon thesioides and Lepidosperma concavum. The mapped area is based on 2004 Google

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Earth imagery and field survey of dominant seedlings. Unburned mature NAV at the airfield on lungtalanana has a closed canopy of A. verticillata with a sparse understorey of Lepidosperma concavum, Isolepis nodosa, Eryngium vesiculosum, Muehlenbeckia adpressa, Pelargonium austral, Gahnia filum, Poa spp. and Acaena novae zealandiae. Coastal heathland (SCH) The majority of the Island is dominated by SCH, which occurs on Pleistocene inland linear dunes and sand sheets. Typical assemblages of species within this community are given below. Inland at (598601E 5513692N) SCH includes: Kunzea ambigua, Callitris rhomboidea, Astroloma humifusum, Lomatia tentoria, Melaleuca gibbosa, Allocasuarina monilifera, Epacris impressa, Banksia marginate, Acacia mucronata, Allocasuarina verticillata, Gahnia filum, Lasiopetalum macrophyllum, Hakea teretifolia, Pultenaea juniperina and Dianella tasmanica. At MacLaines Bay SCH included: Alyxia buxifolia, Euphrasia spp., Senecio pinnatifolius, Ozothamnus ferrugineus, Callitris rhomboidea and Melaleuca ericifolia. At Kangaroo Bay SCH included: Apalochlamys spectabilis, Solanum laciniatum, Pteridium esculentum, Allocasuarina verticillata, Banksia marginata, Isolepis nodosa, Stackhousia monogyna, Carpobrotus rossii, Dianella tasmanica, Melaleuca ericifolia, Acacia mucronata, Pelargonium australe, Boronia anemonifolia, Ozothamnus turbinatus and Muehlenbeckia adpressa. East of Steep Hill SCH included: Leptospermum laevigatum, L. lanigerum, Banksia marginata, Lasiopetalum macrophyllum, Allocasuarina verticillata, Callitris rhomboidea, Acacia genistifolia, Melaleuca gibbosa, Amperea xiphoclada, Boronia anemonifolia, Solanum laciniatum, Apalochlamys spectabilis, Astroloma humifusum, Epacris impressa, Gompholobium ecostatum, Cassinia aculeata, Olearia stellulata, Pelargonium australe and Lepidosperma laterale.

Management of SCH Harris et al (1980) states that if this heath is unburned for 10 to 15 years it will progress to a scrub community with much poorer species diversity. Leptospermum glaucescens heathland and scrub (SLG) SLG is scattered across the entire Island. Typical species found within this community have been recorded in the locations below: -At location (595829E 5512559N); Leptospermum glaucescens, Banksia marginata, L. scoparium, Monotoca elliptica, Melaleuca gibbosa, Acacia mucronata and Sprengelia incarnata. -South of airfield; Leptospermum glaucescens, Kunzea ambigua, Sprengelia incarnata, Exocarpos strictus, Banksia marginata, Leptospermum scoparium and Acacia verticillata. -South of Kangaroo Bay (601796E 5515717N); Leptospermum glaucescens, L. laevigatum, Banksia marginata, Allocasuarina verticillata, Eucalyptus nitida, Melaleuca squamea, M. gibbosa, Acacia myrtifolia, Hakea nodosa, Callitris rhombifolia, Amperea xiphoclada, Monotoca elliptica, Astroloma humifusum, Lepidosperma laterale, L. concavum, Dianella tasmanica and Gahnia filum. Coastal scrub (SSC) Coastal scrub is extensive along the east coast and scattered around the remaining coastline of the Island. Typical species found within this community have been recorded in the locations below: -Shevo Bay (602928E 5510669N); Leucopogon parviflora, Correa backhousii, Myoporum insulare, Allocasuarina verticillata, Melaleuca ericifolia, Leptospermum laevigatum, Boronia anemonifolia, Acaena novae-zelandiae, Amperea xiphoclada, Pelargonium australe, Isopogon nodosa and Lepidosperma concavum. -MacLaines Bay; Leucopogon parviflora, Pultenaea

daphnoides, Melaleuca ericifolia, Allocasuarina verticillata, Persoonia juniperina var. ulicina, Muehlenbeckia adpressa and Amperea xiphoclada. Melaleuca squarrosa scrub (SMR) SMR is found across the eastern half of the Island in drainage lines. The vegetation is dominated by Melaleuca squarrosa, with Hakea epiglottis, M. ericifolia and Gahnia filum also present. Acacia longifolia coastal scrub (SAL) SAL is located along the sandy east coast of the Island on primary dunes. SAL at location (600989E 5508238N) has a closed canopy of Acacia longifolia with sporadic incursions of Spinifex sericeus, Ozothamnus turbinatus and Correa backhousii. Wet heathland (SHW) SHW is found in the eastern half of the Island along drainage lines. These occurrences are commonly dominated by Hakea nodosa. Where SHW occurs as larger patches in the central east of the Island on poorly drained flats the vegetation is dominated by Gahnia trifida and Melaleuca gibbosa. Other common species include Hakea teretifolia, Epacris lanuginosa, Acacia verticillata, Melaleuca ericifolia, Pelargonium australe, Sprengelia incarnata, Spyridium parvifolium and Pultenaea ulicifolia. Coastal scrub on alkaline sands (SCA) SCA is mainly found on the western and southern sides of the island. At the southern end of Moriarty Bay the following species were recorded: Myoporum insulare, Ozothamnus turbinatus, Olearia axillaris, Beyeria lechenaultii, Pimelea serpyllifolia, Correa alba, Stackhousia spathulata, Correa backhousii, Solanum laciniatum, Amperea xiphoclada, Melaleuca pustulata, Pimelea serpyllifolia, Stackhousia spathulata, Eryngium vesiculosum, Swainsona lessertiifolia and Lasiopetalum macrophyllum. lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Coastal grass and herbfield (GHC) GHC in good condition is found in patches along the northern and western coastlines of the Island. The larger areas of GHC are the product of previous clearing for grazing, and are either of very poor condition (being infested with exotic pasture and weed species) or being recolonised by heathland species or by Allocasuarina verticillata forest. The post-fire grassland above Spike Bay has re-sprouting Poa poiformis tussocks dominated by weedy pasture species. At 595305E 5511496N, GHC was found to be in poor condition with a 30% cover of large tussocks of Poa poiformis and occasional Isolepis nodosa, Pteridium esculentum, Juncus kraussii and Pelargonium australe, and 70% cover of pasture weeds such as Trifolium dubium, T. repens, Arctotheca calendula, Pennisetum clandestinum, Briza minor, Holcus lanatus, Urtica urens, Vicia sativa subsp. nigra, Oxalis corniculata subsp. corniculata, Plantago coronopus, Solanum laciniatum, Hypochaeris radicata, Cirsium vulgare and Paraserianthes lophantha.

Discussion Post-fire vegetation recovery Eight months after the 2014 fire, lungtalanana Islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vegetation is showing a promising recovery of many dominant canopy species such as those from the genera Allocasuarina, Banksia, Lepidosperma, Melaleuca, Acacia, Callitris and Hakea, though these are mostly seedlings of less than 30cm height (Figure 7). Eucalyptus globulus and E. nitida are strongly re-sprouting. There is also a strong recovery of re-sprouting grasses and sedges species e.g. species of Poa, Gahnia, Isolepis and Lepidosperma. The reestablishment of vegetation communities is, in many cases, still vulnerable to drought and the frequency of future fire events.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

The vegetation survey of the Island resulted in the discovery of two new sites of the threatened vegetation community Heathland on calcareous substrates, and new areas of re-sprouting threatened Melaleuca ericifolia swamp forest and threatened Eucalyptus globulus dry forest and woodland. A new population of the significant Xanthorrhoea australis heath community was also located. Although Callitris

Figure 7. Orthoceras strictum (horned orchid) with seedlings of Banksia marginata, Acacia spp, re-sprouting Lepidosperma laterale, Gahnia filum, Hakea spp and Lindsaea linearis (Felicity Hargraves).

rhomboidea has successful seedling recruitment, a long fire-free interval (potentially decades) and favourable conditions are required before the forest community can develop on the Island. All vegetation communities appeared to be largely free of weed species with the exception of significant areas of Poa poiformis grasslands that are heavily infested with exotic paddock weed species. Of particular concern is the cape weed (Arctotheca calendula), which is listed as an environmental weed in Victoria and NSW and has the potential to increase soil erosion due to its trait of dying back in summer and exposing bare soil.

Fire Management In context of fire management recommendations by Rudman and Visoiu (2008), the 2014 fire may have achieved some of the needs for ecological burns on the Island, important for regenerating the diversity of the coastal heaths on acid sands in the east and assisting the maintenance of some of the of the threatened species populations that require fire. Though the vegetation on the island has been substantially altered since European settlement, the vegetation values recognised today will require considered management to conserve them in today’s reality of pest, weeds and disease, further compounded by the challenges of climate change. Fire management, a key traditional land management practice will be one of those essential tools however it may require a multifaceted approach to meet the vegetation conservation challenges on lungtalanana such as sustaining both Callitris forest and heathlands.

Phytophthora cinnamomi Management Due to the early stage of vegetation regeneration on the Island during this survey it was difficult to determine the presence of P. cinnamomi or to identify any absence of susceptible species. As per recommendations in Rudman and Visoiu (2008) further Phytophthora mapping would be best timed to 12 – 24 months after this fire. Key washdown stations were destroyed in the fire and need to be reinstated. Rudman and Visoiu (2008) state that “It is likely that drainage lines have become infested with P. cinnamomi inoculum and tracks and works in these areas should be managed hygienically as a precaution. Washdown stations are recommended for those infested tracks that can not be closed due to management needs. Where alternative track access is possible, it should be used to avoid infested tracks. Track use should be limited to dry weather where possible and one way where appropriate. Track surfaces should be maintained or sited to be well drained and not boggy. Fire fighting units may be used as a mobile washdown facility” A biosecurity protocol should be in place to prevent further introduction of pest, weeds and pathogens to the Island.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Acknowledgements

References

Thank you to Micah Visoiu and Richard Schahinger for their assistance in identifying flora specimens, Anne Kitchener and Tim Rudman for their assistance with editing, Sam Thalmann for leading and organising the survey. Also thanks to the caretakers of lungtalanana Island Ricky and Anita Maynard for their warm welcome and logistical assistance.

de Salas, M.F. and Baker, M.L. 2014, A Census of the Vascular Plants of Tasmania and index to the Student’s Flora of Tasmania and the Flora of Tasmania online. Tasmanian Herbarium, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart. Harris S. and Bosworth P. (1980) Report on a reconnaissance survey of Clarke Island on 8-10 September, 1980. Kirkpatrick J. and Harris S. (1995) The conservation of Tasmanian dry coastal vascular plant communities. Wildlife Scientific report 95/1 Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania. Kitchener A. and Harris S. (2013) From Forest to Fjaeldmark Descriptions of Tasmania’s Vegetation Edition 2 Text © Government of Tasmania. Magnus Z. and. Harris S. (2004) Source documents for a management framework: Goose, Clarke and Cape Barren Islands / compiled by Zoe Magnus and Stephen Harris. Rudman T. and Visoiu M. (2008) lungtalanana (Clarke Island) Trip Report. Whinray J. (1981) Clarke Island Report (unpublished).

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Appendix 1. Vascular plant records for lungtalanana and their threatened status under State (TSPA, e = endangered, v = vulnerable, r = rare , ex = Extinct) and Federal (EPBC, VU = vulnerable, EX = Extinct) threatened species legislation. Introduced (i) or endemic (e) status also given. (Adapted from de Salas, M.F. and Baker, M.L. 2014). Family

Scientific Name

Common Name yellow pigface round-leaved pigface bower spinach New Zealand spinach sea celery swampwort australian carrot prickfoot hairy pennywort mossy pennywort shining pennywort jointed swampstalks cutleaf crossherb small xanthosia dune thistle salt cupflower capeweed white everlasting blunt everlasting cudweed dollybush fringed everlasting spear thistle slender buttons

Asteraceae

Carpobrotus edulis Disphyma crassifolium Tetragonia implexicoma Tetragonia tetragonioides Apium prostratum Centella cordifolia Daucus glochidiatus Eryngium vesiculosum Hydrocotyle hirta Hydrocotyle muscosa Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides Lilaeopsis polyantha Xanthosia dissecta Xanthosia pusilla Actites megalocarpus Angianthus preissianus Arctotheca calendula * Argentipallium dealbatum Argentipallium obtusifolium Argyrotegium mackayi Cassinia aculeata Chrysocephalum baxteri Cirsium vulgare Cotula vulgaris var. australasica Gnaphalium indutum Helichrysum scorpioides Hypochaeris radicata Leptinella longipes Leptinella reptans Leucophyta brownii Olearia axillaris Olearia phlogopappa var. brevipes Olearia ramulosa Olearia stellulata Ozothamnus ferrugineus Ozothamnus turbinatus Senecio biserratus Senecio hispidulus Senecio linearifolius Senecio minimus Senecio pinnatifolius var. capillifolius Sonchus asper

Asteraceae

Sonchus oleraceus

DICOTYLEDONEAE Aizoaceae Aizoaceae Aizoaceae Aizoaceae Apiaceae Apiaceae Apiaceae Apiaceae Apiaceae Apiaceae Apiaceae Apiaceae Apiaceae Apiaceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Asteraceae

tiny cottonleaf curling everlasting rough catsear coast buttons creeping buttons cushionbush coast daisybush shy dusty daisybush twiggy daisybush sawleaf daisybush tree everlastingbush coast everlastingbush crosscut fireweed rough fireweed fireweed groundsel shrubby fireweed fineleaf coast groundsel rough sowthistle or prickly sowthistle common sowthistle

TSPA

EPBCA

i/e i

r r

e i i

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Asteraceae Basellaceae Brassicaceae Campanulaceae Campanulaceae Campanulaceae Campanulaceae Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae

Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae Casuarinaceae Casuarinaceae Casuarinaceae Chenopodiaceae Chenopodiaceae Chenopodiaceae Chenopodiaceae Chenopodiaceae Chenopodiaceae Convolvulaceae Convolvulaceae Convolvulaceae Crassulaceae Crassulaceae Cunoniaceae Dilleniaceae Dilleniaceae Dilleniaceae Dilleniaceae Dilleniaceae Dilleniaceae Dilleniaceae Droseraceae Droseraceae Droseraceae Epacridaceae Epacridaceae Epacridaceae Epacridaceae Epacridaceae Epacridaceae Epacridaceae Epacridaceae

Vellereophyton dealbatum Anredera cordifolia Cakile edentula Lobelia alata Pratia irrigua Wahlenbergia gracilis Wahlenbergia multicaulis Cerastium glomeratum Colobanthus apetalus var. apetalus Polycarpon tetraphyllum Sagina apetala Sagina maritima Scleranthus biflorus Spergularia media Spergularia rubra Allocasuarina littoralis Allocasuarina monilifera Allocasuarina verticillata Atriplex billardierei Atriplex cinerea Atriplex prostrata Chenopodium glaucum Rhagodia candolleana subsp. candolleana Sarcocornia quinqueflora Dichondra repens Wilsonia backhousei Wilsonia rotundifolia Crassula decumbens Crassula sieberiana Bauera rubioides Hibbertia acicularis Hibbertia empetrifolia Hibbertia hirticalyx Hibbertia obtusifolia Hibbertia prostrata Hibbertia sericea Hibbertia serpyllifolia Drosera macrantha Drosera peltata subsp. auriculata Drosera pygmaea Astroloma humifusum Brachyloma depressum Epacris impressa Epacris lanuginosa Epacris obtusifolia Leptocophylla juniperina subsp. Oxycedrus Leucopogon ericoides Leucopogon lanceolatus var. lanceolatus

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

white cudweed madeira vine American searocket angled lobelia salt pratia sprawling bluebell bushy bluebell sticky mouse-ear coast cupflower

i i i

fourleaf allseed annual pearlwort sea pearlwort twinflower knawel coastal sand-spurry greater sandspurrey black sheoak necklace sheoak drooping sheoak glistening saltbush grey saltbush creeping orache pale goosefoot coastal saltbush

i i i

beaded glasswort kidneyweed narrowleaf wilsonia roundleaf wilsonia creeping crassula Australian stonecrop wiry bauera prickly guineaflower scrambling guinea-flower bassian guineaflower grey guineaflower prostrate guineaflower silky guineaflower thyme guineaflower climbing sundew tall sundew dwarf sundew native cranberry spreading heath common heath swamp heath bluntleaf heath coastal pinkberry pink beardheath lance beardheath

i i e e? i i?

Epacridaceae Epacridaceae Epacridaceae Epacridaceae Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Fabaceae Frankeniaceae Gentianaceae Gentianaceae Gentianaceae Gentianaceae Geraniaceae Geraniaceae Geraniaceae Geraniaceae Goodeniaceae Goodeniaceae Goodeniaceae Goodeniaceae Goodeniaceae Gyrostemonaceae Haloragaceae Haloragaceae Haloragaceae Haloragaceae Haloragaceae Haloragaceae Haloragaceae Lamiaceae

Leucopogon parviflorus Monotoca elliptica Monotoca submutica var. autumnalis Sprengelia incarnata Amperea xiphoclada var. xiphoclada Beyeria lechenaultii Euphorbia paralias Phyllanthus gunnii Poranthera microphylla Aotus ericoides Bossiaea prostrata Daviesia ulicifolia Dillwynia glaberrima Gompholobium huegelii Goodia lotifolia Kennedia prostrata Melilotus indicus Psoralea pinnata Pultenaea daphnoides var. obcordata Pultenaea dentata Pultenaea juniperina Sphaerolobium minus Trifolium dubium Trifolium repens Vicia sativa subsp. nigra Frankenia pauciflora var. gunnii Centaurium erythraea Cicendia filiformis Sebaea albidiflora Sebaea ovata Geranium rotundifolium Geranium solanderi Pelargonium australe Pelargonium inodorum Dampiera stricta Goodenia humilis Goodenia lanata Goodenia ovata Selliera radicans Gyrostemon thesioides Gonocarpus micranthus subsp. micranthus Gonocarpus tetragynus Gonocarpus teucrioides Haloragis myriocarpa Myriophyllum muelleri Myriophyllum pedunculatum Myriophyllum salsugineum Marrubium vulgare

coast beardheath tree broomheath roundleaf broomheath

pink swampheath broom spurge pale turpentine-bush sea spurge shrubby spurge small poranthera golden pea creeping bossia spiky bitterpea smooth parrotpea common wedgepea smooth goldentip running postman sweet melilot blue butterflybush heartleaf bushpea swamp bushpea prickly beauty eastern globepea suckling clover white clover narrowleaf vetch southern seaheath common centaury slender cicendia white sebaea yellow sebaea roundleaf cranesbill southern cranesbill southern storksbill annual storksbill blue dampiera swamp native-primrose trailing native-primrose hop native-primrose shiny swampmat broom wheelfruit creeping raspwort common raspwort forest raspwort prickly raspwort hooded watermilfoil mat water-milfoil lake watermilfoil horehound

i i

i i i i i

r r

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Lauraceae Lauraceae Lauraceae Lentibulariaceae Lentibulariaceae Lentibulariaceae Loganiaceae Lythraceae Menyanthaceae Mimosaceae Mimosaceae

Pittosporaceae Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae

Cassytha glabella Cassytha melantha Cassytha pubescens Utricularia dichotoma Utricularia lateriflora Utricularia tenella Phyllangium divergens Lythrum hyssopifolia Villarsia reniformis Acacia genistifolia Acacia longifolia var. longifolia Acacia mucronata subsp. mucronata Acacia myrtifolia Acacia suaveolens Acacia verticillata subsp. verticillata Paraserianthes lophantha subsp. lophantha Myoporum insulare Eucalyptus globulus Eucalyptus nitida Eucalyptus ovata var. ovata Eucalyptus viminalis Kunzea ambigua Leptospermum glaucescens Leptospermum laevigatum Leptospermum scoparium Melaleuca ericifolia Melaleuca gibbosa Melaleuca squamea Melaleuca squarrosa Epilobium billardiereanum Epilobium sarmentaceum Oxalis corniculata subsp. corniculata Oxalis perennans Billardiera scandens Bursaria spinosa subsp. spinosa Rhytidosporum procumbens Plantago bellidioides Plantago coronopus

Plantaginaceae Polygalaceae Polygalaceae Polygalaceae Polygalaceae Polygonaceae Polygonaceae Polygonaceae Potamogetonaceae

Plantago lanceolata Comesperma calymega Comesperma ericinum Comesperma retusum Comesperma volubile Acetosella vulgaris Muehlenbeckia adpressa Rumex brownii Potamogeton pectinatus

Mimosaceae Mimosaceae Mimosaceae Mimosaceae Mimosaceae Myoporaceae Myrtaceae Myrtaceae Myrtaceae Myrtaceae Myrtaceae Myrtaceae Myrtaceae Myrtaceae Myrtaceae Myrtaceae Myrtaceae Myrtaceae Onagraceae Onagraceae Oxalidaceae Oxalidaceae Pittosporaceae Pittosporaceae

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

slender dodderlaurel large dodderlaurel downy dodderlaurel fairies aprons tiny bladderwort pink bladderwort wiry mitrewort small loosestrife running marshflower spreading wattle coast wattle erect caterpillar wattle

r v

redstem wattle sweet wattle prickly moses cape wattle common boobialla Tasmanian blue gum western peppermint black gum white gum white kunzea smoky teatree coast teatree common teatree coast paperbark slender honeymyrtle swamp honeymyrtle scented paperbark willowherb mountain willowherb yellow woodsorrel

grassland woodsorrel apple-berry prickly box starry appleberry herbfield plantain plantain or buckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s horn plantain ribwort plantain bluespike milkwort heath milkwort mountain milkwort blue lovecreeper sheep sorrel climbing lignum slender dock fennel pondweed

e i i

Primulaceae Primulaceae Proteaceae Proteaceae Proteaceae Proteaceae Proteaceae Proteaceae Proteaceae Proteaceae Proteaceae Ranunculaceae Rhamnaceae Rhamnaceae Rhamnaceae Rhamnaceae Rhamnaceae Rosaceae Rosaceae Rosaceae Rubiaceae Rubiaceae Rubiaceae Rutaceae Rutaceae Rutaceae Rutaceae Santalaceae Santalaceae Santalaceae Santalaceae Sapindaceae Scrophulariaceae Solanaceae Solanaceae Solanaceae Stackhousiaceae Sterculiaceae Stylidiaceae Stylidiaceae Thymelaeaceae Thymelaeaceae Urticaceae Urticaceae Violaceae

Anagallis arvensis var. arvensis Samolus repens Banksia marginata Hakea decurrens Hakea nodosa Hakea teretifolia Hakea ulicina Isopogon ceratophyllus Lomatia tinctoria Persoonia juniperina var. juniperina Persoonia juniperina var. ulicina Clematis microphylla Pomaderris apetala Pomaderris paniculosa subsp. paralia Pomaderris pilifera Spyridium parvifolium Spyridium parvifolium var. molle Acaena echinata Acaena novae-zelandiae Acaena pallida Galium australe Galium murale Opercularia varia

scarlet pimpernel

Boronia anemonifolia Boronia parviflora Correa alba Correa reflexa Exocarpos cupressiformis Exocarpos strictus Exocarpos syrticola Leptomeria drupacea Dodonaea viscosa subsp. spatulata Mimulus repens Lycium ferocissimum Solanum nigrum Solanum vescum Stackhousia monogyna Lasiopetalum macrophyllum Stylidium graminifolium Stylidium perpusillum Pimelea drupacea Pimelea serpyllifolia subsp. serpyllifolia Urtica incisa Urtica urens Viola hederacea

stinking boronia swamp boronia native fuchsia common correa common native-cherry pearly native-cherry coast native-cherry erect currantbush broadleaf hopbush

creeping brookweed silver banksia bushy needlewood yellow needlebush dagger hakea furze needlebush horny conebush guitarplant prickly geebung

v v

coast geebung

small-leaf clematis dogwood shining dogwood

hairy dogwood dustymiller soft dustymiller

sheepsburr common buzzy dune buzzy tangled bedstraw small bedstraw variable stinkweed

creeping monkeyflower African boxthorn blackberry nightshade gunyang forest candles shrubby velvetbush narrowleaf triggerplant tiny triggerplant cherry riceflower thyme riceflower scrub nettle stinging nettle ivy-leaf violet

i i

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

MONOCOTYLEDONEAE Centrolepidaceae Centrolepis fascicularis Centrolepidaceae Centrolepis polygyna Centrolepidaceae Centrolepis strigosa subsp. strigosa Cyperaceae Baumea acuta Cyperaceae Baumea arthrophylla Cyperaceae Baumea juncea Cyperaceae Baumea rubiginosa Cyperaceae Baumea tetragona Cyperaceae Carex pumila Cyperaceae Eleocharis pusilla Cyperaceae Eleocharis sphacelata Cyperaceae Gahnia filum Cyperaceae Gahnia grandis Cyperaceae Gahnia microstachya Cyperaceae Gahnia radula Cyperaceae Gahnia trifida Cyperaceae Isolepis cernua Cyperaceae Isolepis fluitans Cyperaceae Isolepis inundata Cyperaceae Isolepis nodosa Cyperaceae Lepidosperma concavum Cyperaceae Lepidosperma gladiatum Cyperaceae Lepidosperma longitudinale Cyperaceae Lepidosperma tortuosum Cyperaceae Schoenus apogon Cyperaceae Schoenus carsei Cyperaceae Schoenus fluitans Cyperaceae Schoenus lepidosperma subsp. lepidosperma Cyperaceae Schoenus maschalinus Cyperaceae Schoenus nitens Iridaceae Patersonia fragilis Iridaceae Romulea rosea var. australis Juncaceae Juncus caespiticius Juncaceae Juncus kraussii Juncaceae Juncus pallidus Juncaceae Juncus pauciflorus Juncaginaceae Cycnogeton procerum Juncaginaceae Triglochin minutissima Juncaginaceae Triglochin striata Liliaceae Dianella brevicaulis Liliaceae Dianella revoluta Liliaceae Liliaceae Liliaceae Liliaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae

tufted bristlewort wiry bristlewort hairy bristlewort pale twigsedge fine twigsedge bare twigsedge soft twigsedge square twigsedge strand sedge small spikesedge tall spikesedge chaffy sawsedge cutting grass slender sawsedge thatch sawsedge coast sawsedge nodding clubsedge floating clubsedge swamp clubsedge knobby clubsedge sand swordsedge coast swordsedge pithy swordsedge twisting rapiersedge common bogsedge wiry bogsedge floating bogsedge slender bogsedge

leafy bogsedge shiny bogsedge short purpleflag lilac oniongrass grassy rush sea rush pale rush looseflower rush greater waterribbons tiny arrowgrass streaked arrowgrass shortstem flaxlily spreading or black-anther flax-lily Dianella revoluta spreading flaxlily Dianella tasmanica forest flaxlily Hypoxis glabella var. glabella tiny yellowstar Laxmannia orientalis dwarf wire-lily Acianthus pusillus small mosquito-orchid Caladenia brachyscapa short spider-orchid Caladenia caudata tailed spider-orchid Caladenia dilatata greencomb spider-orchid

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

e v

EX VU

Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae

Caladenia latifolia Caleana minor * Calochilus campestris Calochilus herbaceus Corybas diemenicus Corybas fimbriatus Corybas incurvus Cryptostylis subulata Cyrtostylis reniformis Diuris orientis Hydrorchis orbicularis Leptoceras menziesii Microtis arenaria Microtis parviflora Microtis unifolia Orthoceras strictum Prasophyllum australe Prasophyllum brevilabre Prasophyllum elatum Pterostylis curta Pterostylis nana Pterostylis nutans Pterostylis pedunculata Pterostylis sanguinea Pterostylis tasmanica Pyrorchis nigricans Thelymitra aristata Thelymitra flexuosa Thelymitra juncifolia Thelymitra pauciflora Thelymitra rubra Thelymitra silena Ammophila arenaria Amphibromus recurvatus Austrodanthonia caespitosa Austrodanthonia setacea Austrofestuca littoralis Austrostipa flavescens Austrostipa mollis Austrostipa stipoides Briza minor Catapodium rigidum Dactylis glomerata Danthonia gracilis Danthonia setacea Danthonia tenuior Deyeuxia quadriseta Distichlis distichophylla Elymus scaber Holcus lanatus Lachnagrostis filiformis Lachnagrostis scabra subsp. scabra

pink fairies small duck orchid copper beard-orchid pale beard-orchid stately helmet-orchid fringed helmet-orchid slaty helmet orchid large tongue-orchid small gnat-orchid eastern wallflower ochid swamp onion-orchid hares ears notched onion-orchid slender onion-orchid common onion-orchid horned orchid austral leek-orchid shortlip leek-orchid tall leek-orchid blunt greenhood dwarf greenhood nodding greenhood maroonhood banded greenhood small bearded greenhood fire orchid great sun-orchid twisted sun-orchid large-spotted sun-orchid slender sun-orchid pink sun-orchid madonna sun-orchid marram grass dark swampgrass common wallabygrass bristly wallbygrass coast fescue yellow speargrass soft speargrass coast speargrass lesser quaking-grass ferngrass cocksfoot slender wallaby-grass bristly wallabygrass purplish wallabygrass reed bentgrass Australian saltgrass rough wheatgrass Yorkshire fog blown grass rough blowngrass

e i

i i i t

i r

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae

Restionaceae Restionaceae Restionaceae Restionaceae Restionaceae Ruppiaceae Xyridaceae Xyridaceae Xanthorrhoeaceae Zannichelliaceae PTERIDOPHYTA Aspleniaceae Aspleniaceae

Blechnaceae Dennstaedtiaceae Dennstaedtiaceae Dicksoniaceae Dicksoniaceae Lindsaeaceae Ophioglossaceae Polypodiaceae Pteridaceae Schizaeaceae Schizaeaceae Selaginellaceae GYMNOSPERMAE Cupressaceae

Lagurus ovatus Lolium perenne Notodanthonia semiannularis Parapholis incurva Pennisetum clandestinum Poa halmaturina Poa labillardierei var. labillardierei Poa poiformis Polypogon maritimus Polypogon monspeliensis Rostraria cristata Spinifex sericeus Sporobolus virginicus Stenotaphrum secundatum Zoysia macrantha subsp. walshii Apodasmia brownii Empodisma minus Eurychorda complanata Hypolaena fastigiata Leptocarpus tenax Ruppia polycarpa Xyris operculata Xyris tasmanica Xanthorrhoea australis Lepilaena cylindrocarpa

harestail grass perennial ryegrass marsh wallabygrass

i i

coast barbgrass kikuyu grass dune tussockgrass silver tussockgrass

i i

Asplenium flabellifolium Asplenium obtusatum subsp. northlandicum Blechnum minus Hypolepis rugosula Pteridium esculentum Calochlaena dubia Dicksonia antarctica Lindsaea linearis Ophioglossum lusitanicum Microsorum pustulatum Pteris tremula Schizaea bifida Schizaea fistulosa Selaginella uliginosa

necklace fern shore spleenwort

Callitris rhomboidea

Oyster Bay pine

blue tussock grass coast beardgrass annual beardgrass annual catstail spinifex salt couch buffalo grass prickly couch coarse twinerush spreading roperush flat cordrush tassel roperush slender twinerush manyfruit seatassel tall yelloweye Tasmanian yelloweye southern grasstree longfruit watermat

soft waterfern ruddy groundfern bracken rainbow fern soft treefern screw fern adders-tongue kangaroo fern tender brake forked combfern narrow forkfern swamp spikemoss

*Recorded 2014 Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey

â&#x20AC;&#x192;

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

i i i r

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

A REVISED GEOLOGICAL MAP OF lungtalanana (CLARKE ISLAND) AND BRIEF EXPLANATORY NOTES Jason Bradbury Summary A revised geological map of lungtalanana is presented in Figure 1 and accompanied by brief explanatory notes. The map is suitable for rendering at scales from 1:125 000 to 1:25 000. As the project brief included a land management focus more attention was paid to Quaternary sediments than in previous mapping and management implications are discussed. Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Introduction Regional setting and previous work lungtalanana is the southernmost island of the Furneaux Group of islands of eastern Bass Strait. Basement rocks are of mid to late Paleozoic age and consist of folded turbiditic metasediments intruded by granite. These form part of the eastern Tasmania terrane, which shares greater tectonic affinity with Lachlan orogen areas of central Victoria than it does with most of Tasmania. Late Paleozoic to Mesozoic Tasmania Basin rocks are absent and Paleogene deposits scarce. The present tectonic setting is a rifted continental margin following late Paleogene separation of Australia from Antarctica. The Furneaux Group is situated on a presumed horst, the Bassian Rise, between the Bass and Gippsland Basins on the continental shelf. Bass Strait is a shallow seaway that

was repeatedly exposed during Quaternary glacial maxima; late Neogene and Quaternary deposits of the Furneaux Group record locally significant fluctuation between maritime and continental climates. Several geological investigations of the Furneaux Group have ignored lungtalana, citing time constraints (Gould 1871, Waterhouse 1916, Jennings 1969). The earliest known attempted geoscientific investigation of lungtalanana ended abruptly with the untimely death of government geologist and chief inspector of mines J. Harcourt Smith whilst on the island (Launceston Examiner 1899). Blake (1947) briefly examined the geology of Clarke Island as it was then known, paying particular attention to prospectivity for tin deposits derived from granite. He noted that a cassiterite bearing pegmatite vein near the centre of the island had been discovered by about 1886 and worked

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Figure 1. A revised geological map of lungtalanana.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

sporadically. By the early 1960s the broad distribution of the two principle bedrock units had been established (Geological Survey of Tasmania 1961). Cocker (1977, 1980) provided the basis of the most recent regional geological map (McClenaghan et al. 2011) as part of a PhD. Study of Tasmanian granitoids. Harris and Bosworth (1980) made brief notes on geology and geomorphology but paid more attention to biota. Whinray (1981) noted that Quaternary sediments are more widely distributed than shown on Cockerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s map but focused primarily on the vegetation. Based largely on literature review and unpublished observations of colleagues Dixon (1996) listed five sites of geoconservation significance as part of a broader inventory of Tasmanian Islands.

Methods Excluding transit to and from the island some six and a half days were spent conducting a geoscientific survey of lungtalanana. Survey tools were limited to camera, notebook, handlens, hand-held GIS/GPS, a small trowel and boots, with one of the latter breaking on day three. The area of the island enclosed by the 1:25 000 topographic map coastline is 81.76 km2, which equates to mapping an average of 1258 Ha per day; therefore this is a reconnaissance rather than a definitive study. Away from traverse lines mapping was conducted by interpretation of Google Earth satellite imagery acquired 17 September 2011 and a statewide orthophoto mosaic, aided by more than 500 snapshots taken on the island.

Figure 2. Hillshaded 25 m digital elevation model and vertically exaggerated topographic profile.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Results Physiography lungtalanana is dominated by a central plain at about 50 m elevation (Figure 2). This is surrounded by a moderate to steep coastal slope, except in the south east where an extension of the central plain slopes gently to Shevo Bay. The low north eastern peninsula extends beyond the coastal slope, implying that the latter may have originally formed during an earlier phase of higher relative sea level. A similar but less pronounced break of slope forms the western and south western border of the gently sloping Shevo Bay plain.

Only four prominences rise significantly above the central plain, with the WNW â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ESE oriented ridge of Home Hill - Steep Hill including the highest point at 204 m and having slopes approaching 45Â° in places. Green Hill (159 m) and an unnamed hill 2 km to its southwest (79 m) are both NNW oriented ridges with gentler slopes. The gently rolling Blue Hills attain a maximum elevation of 89 m. The coastline of lungtalanana is 68.4 km long, at 1:25 000 scale and excluding islets of less than 1 ha area. Of that 50.6 km (74%) is rocky shore, including 17.5 km (26%) of cliffs greater than 5 m height and 17.8 km (26%) is sandy beach (Sharples and Mount 2000). Beaches facing Armstrong Channel are of the

Figure 3. Current ripples on bedding plane of otherwise massive metasandstone, 1.5 km north of Black Point (Jason Bradbury).

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

sandy low tide terrace type, with a shingle armour at the western end of Kangaroo Bay. The more wave exposed south facing beaches, including those of Rebecca and Shevo Bays, are of the barred dissipative type. Most beaches, including low tide pocket beaches, are backed by a foredune while the larger beaches also typically have more extensive dune fields associated. A very small area of saltmarsh occurs to the east of Kangaroo Bay. Streams are for the most part ephemeral and occupy valleys that are poorly defined, except where these cross the coastal slope. Only MacLaines Creek in the northwest and an unnamed but seemingly perennial creek to the east of Rebecca Bay have incised the central plain to any extent. In places drainage is constrained by linear dunes to a distinctly trellised pattern. Creeks discharging in sandy coastal areas generally have brackish barred estuaries. Numerous marshes and small, shallow, flat floored lagoons occupy the central plain and lower surfaces, with at least 23 being in excess of 1 ha in area. By far the largest is Sandy Lagoon with an area of 20.5 ha. Many lagoons on the lower eastern surfaces are barred by coastal dune sands.

Paleozoic rocks Metasediments The oldest rocks exposed on the island are low grade metasediments. These crop out poorly except on the coast, although they underlie both Steep Hill and Green Hill. Outcrop on Steep Hill however is limited to little more than abundant float. The principle lithology is a fine grained, moderately thickly bedded to massive grey quartzose metasandstone (psammite). Subordinate mudstone (pelite) interbeds may be very thinly layered with alternating light and dark grey bands. Sedimentary structures are generally difficult to discern in outcrop although current ripples (or casts) are preserved in places (Figure 3). The monotonous, nondescript metasediments lack

both fossils and clear marker horizons. Thickness could not be determined due to unresolved structure and the potential for fold repetition however appears likely to be of the order of a kilometer or more. Psammites dominate exposure however these are expected to be more resistant to weathering than the pelites, which may be more widespread in areas of limited outcrop. Metamorphic fabrics are not always obvious in the field but may be present as a spotty texture in psammites (Figure 4) indicating significant recrystallization. Pelites are typically more obviously recrystallized, with a somewhat slatey cleavage, generally subparallel to bedding. These rocks are here tentatively correlated on lithological grounds with the Panama Group of the Mathinna Supergroup, a succession noted for being difficult to subdivide stratigraphically (Calver et al. 2014). The implied depositional environment is a deep water fan complex supplied with coastal sediments by turbidity currents, probably via submarine canyons. The age of the Panama Group is regarded as upper Silurian to lower Devonian (approximately 430 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 400 My, Calver et al. 2014). Away from traverse lines the metasediments have been identified from aerial photographs and satellite imagery by a generally NNE - SSW structural grain. However that method breaks down in the former paddock areas, many areas of which display north â&#x20AC;&#x201C; south ploughed furrows. Granite The metasediments have been intruded by granitic rocks which crop out prominently on the west and northwest coasts and underlie the Blue Hills area as well as a small section of coast to the south of there. Associated with those larger bodies are a number of dykes and other smaller intrusions occurring throughout much of the metasedimentary terrain. The granites are commonly porphyritic, with subhedral phenocrysts of potassium feldspar of 10 to

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

50 mm or more in size within a coarsely phaneritic matrix consisting of potassium feldspar, plagioclase feldspar, quartz and biotite (Figure 5). The granitic rocks of lungtalanana were described in detail by Cocker (1977, 1980) who divided them into three plutons based on thin section petrography and chemical analyses: Modder River Granite â&#x20AC;&#x201C; fine to medium grained equigranular biotite granite with up to 30% potassium feldspar megacrysts. A characteristic feature is the widespread but sporadic development of layered biotite complexes;

Key Bay Granite - coarse to medium grained equigranular to porphyritic with accessory cordierite and rare garnet, the latter not being observed on lungtalanana; Clarke Island Granite â&#x20AC;&#x201C; medium grained equigranular biotite granite distinguished from the Modder River Granite in thin section by cross-hatched twinning of potassium feldspar. These distinctions are difficult to make in the field, where it is apparent that there is at least as much variation within plutons as between them. Nonetheless Cockerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1980 subdivisions have been retained in the revised geological map. The Modder

Figure 4. Spotty metamorphic texture, summit of Green Hill (Jason Bradbury).

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

River and Key Bay granites are regarded part of the Boobyalla suite while the Clarke Island Granite remains unassigned (McClenaghan 2014) despite Cocker’s 1980 suggestion that it may in fact be part of the Modder River Granite. The Boobyalla suite is distinguished from other Tasmanian granitoid suites on the basis of chemical, isotopic and petrographic character and was derived by partial melting of sedimentary source rocks followed by crystal fractionation. The Modder River granite has been K – Ar dated at 379 +/- 3 Ma, Late Devonian (C. Brooks 1971 in Black et al. 2005). However redating of other Tasmanian granitoids using the more recent U-Pb sensitive high resolution ion microprobe method

suggests that may be an underestimate of 5 – 20 Ma (Black et al. 2005), meaning the Modder River Granite is likely to be Middle Devonian in age.

Structure and intrusive relations Paleozoic structure Bedding within the Paleozoic metasediments is for the most part homoclinal and steeply dipping towards the ESE (Figure 6). Exceptions to that are adjacent to granite contacts and predominantly in the south of the island, where bedding dips steeply towards the southwest. From limited exposure near South Head the southwest dips appear to parallel the granite –

Figure 5. Modder River Granite from MacLaines Bay showing large milky white potassium feldspar phenocrysts, yellowish white plagioclase feldspar, glassy grey quartz and black biotite (Jason Bradbury).

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

metasediment contact in that area. No definite facing criteria were observed. Some fold structures are apparent from offshore bedding traces visible in remotely sensed imagery, particularly in the northeast of the island. Only one likely fold hinge was observed on land, in an area of relatively indistinct bedding at Black Point. The closure itself was obscured however the interpolated fold axial plane appeared sub-vertical and trending towards 010o. Cleavages other than a bedding parallel slatey fabric in pelites are only sporadically developed and typically consist of a close spaced fracture set. Field time constraints precluded collection of sufficient data to undertake any structural analysis.

Figure 6. Stereonet projection of the orientation of bedding planes. This diagram is best interpreted if the net is envisioned as a hemispherical bowl and the lines as contact traces of semi-circular planes within the bowl orientated to match observed bedding (Jason Bradbury).

Contact relations Granite – metasediment contact relations are complex and highly variable. They were not investigated in detail and the following brief comments are provided simply to illustrate the diversity present. Apart from the three main plutons described above the metasediments are also intruded by a large number of broadly granitic dykes. These may be simple and linear, occasionally blob like or pytgmatically folded with multiple apophyses. Some are zoned suggestive of multiple injections. In places dyke intrusion has been so intense that granite and metasediment are co-dominant in the overall rock mass (Figure 7). At South Head the metasediments have been contact metamorphosed to hornfels by the adjacent granite and intruded by abundant granitic dykes. Also apparent are boxwork and wispy traceries apparently formed by granitic fluids (Figure 8) and described by Cocker (1980) as migmatite. Similar textures were observed on the west coast near Turtle Creek. Inland from there Cocker’s (1977) map depiction of a thin ‘screen’ of metasediments along the Turtle Creek valley could not be located and is not included on the revised map. Further migmatitic textures occur along a 500 m stretch of the northern coast about one km east of Browns Cove, where metasediments are exposed in the back of small embayments between the granite headlands. Although sparsely scattered throughout much of the granite xenoliths are concentrated in contact areas, with the most remarkable occurrences in the Browns Cove area. These include close packed accumulations dominated by either dark xenoliths or feldspar megacrysts, or mixtures of both. In all instances the xenoliths are all of similar size (typically 100 – 300 mm) and sub- to well rounded. These rocks bear more than a casual resemblance to a sedimentary conglomerate, even showing some degree of layering. It could not be determined whether these were

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

concentrated by gravitational settling or hydrodynamic sorting, with the lack of flow alignment or imbrication favouring the former and the sub-vertical orientation of layering suggesting the latter. Also in the vicinity is an accumulation of xenoliths uniformly coated with a 20 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 30 mm layer of fine grained, biotite depleted granitic material (Figure 9). Petrographic analysis would be required to determine the nature of the dark xenoliths and it is suggested that further work on the rocks of this area could help elucidate the mechanisms of granite intrusion.

Cretaceous â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Paleogene structure The Bass Basin underlying Bass Strait began forming in late Cretaceous times and a map of its broad structure presented by Briguglio et al. (2013) shows a marginal fault along the southwest coast of lungtalanana. That fault is outside the basin proper but is clearly an associated structure. It is also readily apparent as a strong linear anomaly on the statewide image of total magnetic intensity (Figure 10). The implication is that Bass Basin faulting controls the orientation of the southwestern coastline. A similarly oriented related structure is possibly responsible for vertical offset of the central physiographic surface apparently downthrown on the northeast peninsula.

Figure 7. Mixed rock composed of co-dominant light granite and dark metasediment, coastal exposure between Kangaroo Bay and Seal Point (Jason Bradbury).

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Cenozoic Laterite Several areas of lateritic soil (Figure 11) were encountered and mapped as a discreet unit because the parent material could not be determined. These occupied flat plains and windows in the aeolian sand cover (see below) that were generally relatively poorly vegetated. Some more widespread traces of redbrown buckshot gravel were also observed, suggesting wider distribution of laterite beneath aeolian cover. Harris and Bosworth (1980) briefly noted the occurrence of dolerite north of Green Hill and the lower cobble of Figure 11 does resemble some

weathered forms of dolerite however no Jurassic dolerite was observed anywhere on the island during this study. Several areas of lateritic soil have also been recorded on nearby Flinders Island (Dimmock 1957). This soil type has some potential as a possible source of ochre however that was not investigated. Gravel to pebble sized saprolitic remnants either within the laterite or occurring as an isolated lag in washes where recognizably of both metasedimentary and granitic origin. The relative proportions of these may vary considerably over short distances, suggesting either more widespread migmatisation of metasediments by granite than indicated or alluvial transport and mixing of source rocks prior

Figure 8. Heavily altered (migmatised) metasediments adjacent to the granite contact at South Head (Jason Bradbury).

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

to laterisation. The latter hypothesis is somewhat favoured as it is consistent with presence of the flat central plain and confinement of most mainland Tasmanian laterites to Paleogene basins. It does however imply a drainage basin much larger than presently available on lungtalanana. Laterisation is inferred to have occurred during the warmest extended phase of Cenozoic climate, the early Eocene â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;climatic optimumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which occurred approximately 53 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 50 million years ago (Zachos et al. 2001). That was a time when global temperature was some 10o higher than at present and although Australia was further south than now the climate was generally warm and wet; the conditions required

for laterisation. That timing also allows for a larger drainage basin because while rifting of Australia and Antarctica was well underway in the west it was only beginning in the east where the two continents remained joined via Tasmania and the South Tasman Rise (Cande and Stock 2004). Final separation would have been accompanied by significant faulting in the Bass Basin area, sufficient to cause destruction of the hypothesized alluvial basin. Inland sandsheets and linear dunes By far the most widespread unit, covering more than half the island, are unconsolidated aeolian sand deposits. These consist of moderately sorted sub-

Figure 9. concentration of coated xenoliths, Browns Cove area (Jason Bradbury).

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

rounded fine to medium grained quartz sand. This is typically grey on the surface but grades to white or orange below 10 cm depth. Some weak orange hardpans are present in places. This unit may be distinguished from the coastal sands described later by an absence of shell fragments. Two morphologies are present; gently undulating sand sheets and linear dunes however the sand of these landforms appears indistinguishable in the field. Similarly no field evidence to suggest relative ages of sandsheet and dune landforms was observed.

Sandsheets may blanket the underlying topography including slopes of up to approximately 30o, for example the flanks of Green Hill. In places the sand sheets appear to be very thin, indicated by scattered float of Paleozoic metasediment on the floors of several small shallow lagoons. Elsewhere the absence of such float implies a thicker sandsheet however no holes were dug to determine any actual thickness. On slopes in granitic terrain, such as the valley west of Green Hill, sandsheets may support a very thin sheet wash veneer of gritty granitic debris. The

Figure 10. Detail from total magnetic intensity image (Richardson and Duffett 2014) between 5500 000N and 5550 000N, centred on 600 000E. Clearly visible are the strong linear anomaly associated with marginal Bass Basin faulting along the southwest coast of lungtalanana and weaker parallel lineaments to the northeast.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

very obvious grain size contrast indicates that the underlying sand is not of local granitic provenance. Linear dunes typically occur in clusters, with the five main dune fields being separated by relatively featureless sandsheet country. The low sinuosity dunes generally range from two to five metres in height although may be higher east of Blue Hills. Orientation is predominantly WNW â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ESE however that trend is disrupted on the flanks of Steep Hill, presumably because it presented a significant obstacle to airflow. The dunes are typically short, on the order of a few hundred metres in length (Figure 12), with no individual dune exceeding 1.5 km as

mapped. However that may in part be an artifact of interpretation from non-stereoscopic imagery and some dunes could be longer than indicated. Dune form is inconsistent, with uneven crests, irregular spacing and variable lateral asymmetry. East of both Green Hill and Blue Hills the dunes tend to nose out abruptly, in other areas they may terminate by gradual diminution. North of Steep Hill however some are obliquely truncated at the coast. A small number of parabolic closures are associated with the linear dunes, most notably east of Blue Hills and impounding the unnamed elongate lagoon east of Sandy Lagoon. Elsewhere swales may be either

Figure 11. Surficial lateritic debris north of Green Hill. Note that the samphire like plant under the pencil is suggestive of a saline soil (Jason Bradbury).

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

free draining or marshy. The closures and short dune lengths suggest that the linear dunes may have evolved by extension of initially parabolic dunes. That in turn suggests sand transport distances on the order of kilometres rather than 10s of kilometres or more. The linear dunes are here correlated with the Ainsile Member of the Waterhouse Formation (Bowden 1978) of northeastern mainland Tasmania, on grounds of morphological similarity, proximity and degree of consolidation. That unit is characterised by linear dunes, which may exhibit rare closures, but also contains undulating sandsheets. The Ainslie sand was dated using optically stimulated luminescence by Duller and Augustinus (2006) to 23.8 to 16.8 ka, an age range that indicates dune forming activity at or

immediately after the last glacial maximum. Similar dunes have also been reported from Flinders Island (Kershaw and Sutherland 1972). Bowden (1981) provided detailed discussion of the palaeoclimate during dune formation: in summary the temperature was 5 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8o degrees colder than at present, mean rainfall was estimated to be 54% of current values and mean wind speed 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10 km/h faster, predominantly from the WNW. Sea level was some 100 m lower, exposing the Bassian Plain. Those conditions are likely to have created a cold desert environment with abundant sand supply and limited stabilising vegetation. Linear dunes are a common landform of sand deserts around the world, although may also be formed by a unidirectional wind blowing

Figure 12. View from Green Hill of the irregular linear dunefield to the northeast (Jason Bradbury).

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

over sediment that is partly stabilised by vegetation (Rubin and Hesp 2009). Deflation basins and source bordering dunes Many small lagoons, predominantly ephemeral, occupy the sandsheet terrain with some also occurring within the swales between linear dunes. Where water was present it generally tasted brackish to saline. The lagoons typically have a shallow, flat floor and most are associated with a low dune or lunette (Bowler 1968) on their eastern side; they are therefore inferred to be deflation basins. These form by wind scour under dry conditions with a lowered water table. The basins may have wave scarped margins up to 2 m high, which may diminish in height and slope to the west. These scarps are testament to at least occasional filling with water. Imagery of Sandy Lagoon also shows sparse sand waves on the eastern margin of its bed, indicating wave driven transport from both north and south towards centre of the shore. Lagoon beds are typically sandy clay or clay and unvegetated to very sparsely vegetated, although a few are occupied by reedy wetlands which tend to have sandy silt beds. The lunettes generally consist of poorly sorted sub-rounded fine to medium grained quartz sand, very similar to that of the linear dunes although with somewhat poorer sorting, as visually estimated. The windward slope may be up to 2m high with a lee slope of 0.5m, implying up to 1.5 m of deflation and a shallow water table. Smaller lagoons are generally shallower, with some showing only 0.5 m of deflation and a narrow lunette with single crest of similar height. Except where constrained by linear or coastal dunes most deflation basins are shaped somewhat like a very rounded equilateral triangle with one apex consistently pointing to the west. An exception is a complex of linked lagoons south of Black Point which appear to be barred by coastal dunes rather than entirely of deflation origin.

Compared to other lungtalana lagoons the anomalously large size of Sandy Lagoon may be due to development of a lee wave trough downwind of Steep Hill increasing ground level wind strength in the vicinity of the lagoon. That hypothesis is supported by presence of a cluster of larger than average lagoons another wavelength downwind, with wavelength being approximated by the distance between Sandy Lagoon and the summit of Steep Hill. Sandy Lagoon is also anomalous in that its lunette has four crests at the southern end, grading to three in the north (Figure 13). The outer three crests are predominantly sandy however the lowest, narrowest inner crest is composed of clay and somewhat degraded. Progressing outwards from the basin the next lunette has a discontinuous seepage scarp that reveals that despite its sandy crest the lunette is composed predominantly of a sandy clay loam, including clay pellets that appear to have formed in situ. It also contains sub-fossil shells some 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4 mm in diameter consisting of spiral cones and snail-like forms as well as abundant shell fragments, none of which have been identified. Although rising about 1.4 m above the lagoon bed the lee slope of this dune is only about 30 cm high and the swale between it and the next outermost crest is some 50 m wide. The third outermost crest is about 2 m above that swale and a shallow hole revealed nothing but sand. The outermost crest is the highest of the complex. Each lunette is inferred to mark a former position of the lagoon shoreline, with the outermost being the oldest. That lunette possibly formed during the initial deflation of the lagoon basin, with sand being trapped in basin marginal vegetation. The second sandy lunette is surmised to have formed under lake full, or near full, conditions, with wave action transporting sand across the bed towards the eastern shore. Under seasonal dry conditions it may then have been blown onshore. The sandy clay loam and inner clay lunette both require an exposed and dry lagoon bed to provide the source material.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Sandy Lagoon appears to truncate several linear dunes to its west, suggesting initial deflation postdates linear dune formation. A lagoon complex in the lee of Blue Hills and southwest of Black Point appears to have originally been comparable in size to Sandy Lagoon but has now been partially overrun by transgressive coastal dunes. If the present dune barred lagoons occupy what was once a single large deflation basin then that must have formed prior to sea level reaching its present elevation around 7000 years ago. The major period of deflation therefore appears constrained to between 7 ka and 16.8 ka, the youngest age of the Ainslie dunes.

Bowden (1981) reported 14C dates from the base of the innermost lunette at Rushy Lagoon in north eastern Tasmania of 8570 Âą 135 and 8435 Âą 185 BP and suggested that the outer two lunettes there were of Pleistocene age. A comparable date of 8300 Âą 80 BP was obtained from an Aboriginal hearth within the inner lunette by Cosgrove (1985). However Bowden expressed concern that the dated material, sampled from a drainage ditch, may not have been found in situ and may have originated from the floor of another deflation basin upstream. He therefore offered the alternative interpretation that the 14C dates may represent a minimum age of deflation basin recolonization by vegetation. Colhoun

Figure 13. Southeast corner of Sandy Lagoon showing small clay lunette (right) and innermost and smallest of three sandy lunettes (left) (Jason Bradbury).

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

(2002) notes that this was the only dated Tasmanian lowland lunette at the time of his synthesis and also suggests that the outer lunettes were probably of approximately of last glacial maximum age. Coastal deposits Small deposits of horizontally bedded Tertiary marine limestone, calcerous sandstone, clay, sands and fine gravels reported by Blake (1947) on the western coast and by Harris and Bosworth (1980) on the northwest coast were not observed during this study. Similar deposits on Flinders and Cape Barren Islands have been determined to be of various Neogene ages (Crespin 1945, Blake 1947, Sutherland and Kershaw 1971). Concentrations of loose rounded pebbles were observed on the surface in several areas of the low northeastern peninsula. Since there are no streams in that area capable of transporting and rounding clasts of that size these are inferred to have been wave worked during a higher sea level stand. That may possibly have occurred during the last interglacial when sea level was some 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9 m higher than at present (Kopp et al. 2009), sufficient to inundate most of the present peninsula. The most lithified and hence possibly the oldest coastal deposit observed during this study is a variably consolidated calcerous sand inland from Spike Bay. This contains large scale aeolian cross bedding and in places calcified bedding, dissolution tubes (Figure 14) and other karstic structures which are exposed in a relatively recent dune blowout. The weakly consolidated calcarenite is underlain by a thin buried organosol draped over granite and capped by another thin palaeosol, which is in turn overlain by similar but unconsolidated sand. Where both palaeosols are exposed the total thickness of calcarenite between them is some four or five metres. The hollow calcified dissolution tubes occur mostly as a deflation lag although some remain in a subvertical position. Their diameter ranges from 10 to 100+ mm and none exceed one metre in length. Unlike

Figure 14 most are unbranched although many show various degrees of curvature. While the illustrated example is strongly suggestive of dissolution along pathways created by buried and subsequently rotted vegetation a purely abiotic genesis for such structures is also possible (Grimes 2004, De Waele et al. 2011). Apparent branching may have formed by downward coalescence of abiotic dissolution tubes. The rootlike deflection lies immediately above an organic rich palaeosol that may have acted as an aquiclude. No age can be definitively suggested for the solution features or the enclosing deposit. Lithified calcarenites in southeastern Australia have generally been found to be of Pleistocene age (e.g. White 1994, Murray-Wallace 2002) and those on lungtalanana may also be that old. However given the limited extent of lithification it appears unlikely that they would have survived reworking during the linear dune formation phase. Pemberton (pers. comm. in Dixon 1996) has suggested that the calcarenite hosting the similar â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;calcified forestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on King Island dates from the early Holocene and such an age appears probable for the lungtalanana example. Elsewhere sandy beaches comprise 26% of lungtalanana coastline and predominate along the eastern coast. Most are backed by some form of aeolian sand deposit, ranging from isolated foredunes and cliff top dunes through a series of beach ridges to larger transgressive dunefields. All are vegetated to a large extent, or at least were prior to the most recent bushfire, and appear to be largely relict landforms. Shevo Bay hosts the largest and most active transgressive dune field, which extends more than 400 m inland in places and has in excess of 10 m of relief. Several coastal blowouts are apparent on pre-fire imagery and much of the dune terrain is hummocky, indicative of an advanced stage of dune mobility. However with a tendency to migrate inland transgressive dunes are by their nature unstable. Another smaller and less advanced transgressive

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

dunefield occurs at the head of Rebecca Bay. At the time of fieldwork the form of the foredune at Shevo Bay was indicative of recent accretion although the beach was being cut down and back (C. Penniket repeat observations) by waves driven by several days of onshore directed winds of up to fresh gale force. The southeast coast of the northeast peninsula is notable for a series of three to five shore parallel and linearly extensive low ridges occupying a distance of up to 100 m inland. Crests are some 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 20 metres apart and swale to crest height is two to three metres, with the present wave scarped foredune

being the highest of the sequence. These landforms indicate coastal progradation and may be classified as strandplain aeolian beach ridges (Otvos 2000). Similar beach ridge complexes occur elsewhere in Tasmania, on barrier beaches and other areas of abundant sand supply such as the east coast of Flinders Island. It is suggested that the relict forms on lungtalanana are related to initial post glacial marine transgression of Armstrong Channel, which would have liberated an abundant supply of tidally mobilised sand. On the other side of the peninsula Kangaroo Bay has a low, partially scarped foredune and a single higher, vegetatively stabilised hind dune.

Figure 14. Dissolution tubes exposed in a blowout near Spike Bay strongly resembling petrified coastal scrub (perhaps a tea-tree species) in growth position. The subhorizontal root like structure shows traces of the dark palaeosol present immediately below the veneer of mobile sand.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

The granite dominated northwest and west coasts have limited beaches, typically either cobble or sandy low tide pocket terraces. The cobble beaches there, and on other shorter stretches of rocky coast elsewhere on the island frequently have a vegetated cobble storm berm up to 4 – 5 m above mean high water. Despite the apparently restricted sand supply low foredunes and cliff top dunes are common on rocky coasts. The cliff top dunes frequently have a parabolic leeward form and at the southern end of Spike Bay a 100 m wide low parabolic dune extends more than a kilometer inland.

Discussion Features of geoconservation significance

Spike Bay Rhizomorphs: • Change name to ‘Spike Bay calcarenite karst’ to reflect uncertainty regarding the genesis of the features. • Add the above description to the record. • Expand management notes to include sensitivity to trampling, potential souveniring and ongoing dune instability (see other land management issues below). • In addition to geoconservation significance this site may, if of Holocene age and biogenic origin, have cultural significance as a record of coastal scrub country witnessed by ancestors. If culturally warranted it is suggested that an ex situ sample of solution tube lag be collected and submitted for radiocarbon age determination.

Dixon (1996) listed five features of geoconservation significance occurring on lungtalanana. This study will be used as basis for updating the Tasmanian Geoconservation Database records for those sites on the Natural Values Atlas (https://www.naturalvaluesatlas.tas.gov.au/) with the addition of photographs and as follows.

Southwest Clarke Island Granite Tors:

Sandy Lagoon Palaeosol:

• Minor polygon revision.

• Change name to ‘Sandy Lagoon Lunette Complex’.

It is also proposed to nominate an additional site for listing on the TGD; the Browns Cove area granite contact features described under contact relations above.

• Add the above description to the record. • Delete palaeosol and add aeolian values of lunette complex. • Revise polygon to include the entire lunette complex. • Expand management notes to include sensitivity of feature and adjacent lagoon floor to vehicular traffic (see other land management issues below). Turtle Creek Granite Contacts: • Revise polygon to reflect true location on the coast.

• Change name to ‘Southwest lungtalanana / Clarke Island Granite Tors’. • Revise polygon to capture the more impressive aspects of the torscape. South Head Contact Migmatite:

Other land management issues For the most part the Paleozoic rocks are relatively immune to human disturbance. However some intertidal weathering crusts on granite are very fragile and susceptible to trampling damage (Figure 15). Both granite and metasediments may be prone to spalling in high intensity fire (Figure 16). Some granite may contain sizable garnet although none were observed and any present are unlikely to be of gem

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

quality or subject to intensive collection. Pegmatitic granite also contains rare tourmaline, although again not of gem quality. With an abundance of unconsolidated aeolian deposits the maintenance of their stability is the most significant land management issue on lungtalanana in regard to geodiversity. The Spike Bay calcarenite karst has been exposed by a dune blowout collocated and probably causally associated with a fence line and possible former vehicular tracks. Elsewhere the exclusion fencing of transgressive dunefields suggests that grazing by cattle had been recognised by past land managers as a cause of instability. Now that such fences have been largely destroyed by fire the

eradication of the remaining feral cattle appears warranted. Vehicular tracks are a common cause of instability in dune landscapes although, with exception of the Spike Bay example, do not appear strongly associated with sand mobility on lungtalanana. That said it would appear prudent not to develop any vehicular tracks into the Shevo Bay or Rebecca Bay transgressive dunefields as these are the landforms most prone to reactivation. Tracks on linear dunes may still be discernible after more than 20 years of disuse, as determined by node count of a Banksia sp. growing between wheel

Figure 15. Trampling damage to fragile intertidal weathering crust formed on granite, western Kangaroo Bay.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

ruts. Several trackways scar the eastern bed of Sandy Lagoon and water collecting in the ruts has enabled growth of vegetation where otherwise none is present. Vehicles should be kept off all lagoon beds as the ruts are likely to remain visible and ecologically significant on a small scale for lengthy periods, dependent upon how often the basin fills with water. Only one small washout was observed on a disused fenceline track south east of Green Hill. Braiding of tracks through apparently marshy terrain east of Green Hill was observed from the summit but not inspected on the ground. Closure of that track is recommended, or rerouting if continued access to the area it services is required.

Some consideration should be given to the design of the overall track network. If further development to access the currently more remote parts of the island is envisioned then route selection and marking should be undertaken as soon as possible, before post fire regrowth further impedes sightlines and ground visibility. The crests of linear dunes appear to offer reasonable transport corridors on lungtalanana, although such use would normally be discouraged in other regions with sparser vegetation. Access on and off dune crests should be at right angles to avoid benching. Watercourses and swales subject to waterlogging, even if only seasonally, should be avoided wherever possible. Where not, these should be crossed at right angles and hardened to

Figure 16. Flakey spalling of metasedimentary rocks due to intense bushfire heat, Black Point area.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

prevent bogging. It is acknowledged that culverts are logistically impractical, in order to minimize hydrological disturbance cordwood laid across the track would be preferable to gravel or other fill. Also to be avoided are lengthy stretches of track aligned with the prevailing wind, fore- and cliff top dunes and also the beach ridge country of the northeast peninsula. Some post fire instability of coastal dunes is indicated by a veneer of windblown sand overlying the ash layer and A horizon in places. The linear dunes appear stable at present despite the recent high intensity fire but repeated burning, especially if followed by drought conditions, may eventually lead to reactivation of sand movement. Any planned fire regime would ideally consider potential post fire instability of both coastal and linear dunes as well as sandsheets. Mosaic burning in a north-south direction rather than east-west strips aligned with the prevailing wind is recommended in order to minimize the fetch available for sand entrainment and transport. Dry sand is most easily entrained by wind therefore autumn would be preferable to spring for burning, as the sand is more likely to remain damp over winter and this offers the longest regrowth period prior to summer drying. The accretionary foredune at Shevo Bay supports several colonial plant species, amongst them one suspected to be marram grass (Ammophila sp.). That is an invasive alien weed known to substantively alter dune process and form due to its sand binding properties. While it is up to the land managers to decide whether or not that should be tolerated it is suggested that positive identification should be sought and if confirmed steps taken to eradicate it. North of Black Point extensive foredune scarps reveal two palaeosols and some degree of coastal erosion is evident in many other areas. Although seasonal and inter annual cycles of cut and fill are to be expected so is an overall trend of coastal retreat due to sea level rise associated with climate change.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Global mean sea level has risen more than 200 mm since 1870 and is presently rising at about 3 mm per year, with the rate of rise accelerating (Church and White 2006). Sea level rise means coastal retreat is inevitable and erosion of culturally significant coastal sites is to be expected. It is therefore suggested that the land managers develop a long term policy to monitor and document eroding sites, including provision for recovery and appropriate treatment of any ancestral remains that may be revealed. With further regard to climate change a modelling study (Thomas et al. 2005) of linear dune response in the southern African Kalahari Basin determined that by 2099 all dunefields were likely to be reactivated and highly dynamic, regardless of climate model or emission scenario used. In all cases wind speed increased and rainfall decreased, both significantly. Climate Futures Tasmania aggregate modelling (Grose et al. 2010) suggests that by 2099 under a high emissions scenario lungtalanana may experience: • a 2.5 – 3 degree increase in mean annual temperature; • a 10 – 15% increase in rainfall, distributed across all seasons; • an increase in mean annual wind speed of < 0.1 m/sec (< 0.36 km/h); • a significant increase in evaporation. These changes are nowhere near as severe as those projected for the Kalahari and appear unlikely to reduce vegetation and litter cover below the 14% that Wiggs et al. (1995) suggest is a critical threshold for linear dune erosion and remobilization.

Acknowledgements

References

Sam Thalmann ensured fieldwork was logistically smooth and gave up much of his own field time to taxi others around. Margie Horton ably handled administration, procurement and much else. Ricky and Anita Maynard are warmly thanked for their outstanding hospitality. Informative discussion was had with Aine Nicholson, Andre Sculthorpe, Caleb Pedder, Shaun Thurstans, David Bowman and all HSMT expeditioners.

Black, L.P., McClenaghan, M.P., Korsch, R.J., Everard, J.L. and Foudoulis, C. 2005. Significance of Devonian– Carboniferous igneous activity in Tasmania as derived from U–Pb SHRIMP dating of zircon. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 52: 807 – 829. Blake, F. 1947. The Furneaux Group of Islands. Tasmania Department of Mines unpublished report 1947/52-82. Bowden, A.R. 1978. Geomorphic perspective on shallow groundwater potential, coastal north-eastern Tasmania. Australian Water Resources Council technical paper No. 36. Bowden, A.R. 1981. Coastal sands of northeastern Tasmania: geomorphology and groundwater hydrology. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Tasmania. Bowler, J.M. 1968. Australian landform example no. 11: Lunette. The Australian Geographer 10: 402 – 404. Briguglio, D., Kowalczyk, J., Stilwell, J.D., Hall, M. and Coffa, A. 2013. Detailed paleogeographic evolution of the Bass Basin: Late Cretaceous to present, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 60: 719-734. Calver, C.R., Baillie, P.W., Banks, M.R. and Seymour, D.B. 2014. Ordovician-Lower Devonian successions. Pages 241 – 271 in Corbett et al. (eds.) Geological evolution of Tasmania Geological Society of Australia special publication 24. Cande, S.C. and Stock, J.M. 2004. Cenozoic Reconstructions of the Australia-New Zealand-South Pacific Sector of Antarctica. In Exon, N.F., Kennett, J.P. and Malone, M.J. (eds.) The Cenozoic Southern Ocean: Tectonics, Sedimentation, and Climate Change Between Australia and Antarctica. Geophysical Monograph Series 151, American Geophysical Union.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Church, J.A. and white, N.J. 2006. A 20th century acceleration in global sea-level rise. Geophysical Research Letters 33: L10602. doi:10.1029/2005GL024826.

Duller, G.A.T. and Augustinus P.C. 2006. Reassessment of the record of linear dune activity in Tasmania using optical dating. Quaternary Science Reviews 25: 26082618.

Cocker, J.D. 1977. Petrogenesis of the Tasmanaian granitoids. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Tasmania.

Geological Survey of Tasmania 1961. Geological map of Tasmania, first edition. Department of Mines, Hobart.

Cocker, J.D. 1980. Regional geology of the southern Funreaux Group. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 114: 49 – 68.

Gould, C. 1871. The islands in Bass’ Straits. Monthly Notices of Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania. Unnumbered volume, pp 57 – 67.

Colhoun, E.A. 2002. Periglacial landforms and deposits of Tasmania. South African Journal of Science 98: 55 – 63.

Grimes, K.G. 2004. Solution Pipes or Petrified Forests? Drifting sands and drifting opinions! The Victorian Naturalist, 121: 14-22

Cosgrove, R. 1985. New evidence for early Holocene Aboriginal occupation in northeast Tasmania. Australian Archaeology 21: 19 – 36.

Grose, M.R., Barnes-Keoghan, I., Corney, S.P., White, C.J., Holz, G.K., Bennett, J.B., Gaynor, S.M. and Bindoff, N.L. 2010. Climate Futures for Tasmania: general climate impacts technical report, Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, Hobart, Tasmania.

Crespin, I., 1945 Middle Miocene limestone from Cape Barren Island, Furneaux Group, Bass Strait. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 79: 13 - 14. De Waele, J., Lauritzen, S. and Parise, M. 2011. On the formation of dissolution pipes in Quaternary coastal calcareous arenites in Mediterranean settings. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 36: 143 – 157. Dimmock, G.M. 1957. The soils of Flinders Island. CSIRO Division of Soils, Soil and Land Use series 23. Dixon, G. 1996. A reconnaissance inventoryof sites of geoconservation significance on Tasmanian islands. Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Environment and Land Management Hobart.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Harris, S. and Bosworth, P. 1980. Report on a reconnaissance survey of Clarke Island on 8-10 September, 1980. Unpublished National Parks and Wildlife Service. Jennings, D.J. 1969. Report on a visit to Furneaux Islands 21 May 1969 to 2 June 1969. Tasmania Department of Mines unpublished report 1969/31. Kershaw, R.C. and Sutherland, F.L. 1972. Geomorphology of Flinders Island. Records of the Queen Victoria Museum No. 43.

Kopp, R.E., Simons, F.J., Mitrovica, J.X., Maloof, A.C. and Oppenheimer, M. (2009) Probabilistic assessment of sea level during the last interglacial stage. Nature 462, 863 – 867. Launceston Examiner, 26 June 1899. Death of Mr. J. Harcourt Smith, the government geologist, at Clarke’s Island. McClenaghan, M.P. 2014. Devonian – Carboniferous granitic magmatism in Tasmania. Pages 296 – 318 in Corbett et al. (eds.) Geological evolution of Tasmania Geological Society of Australia special publication 24. McClenaghan, M.P., Calver, C.R. and Vicary, M.J. 2011 (comp.). Geology of Northeast Tasmania. Digital geological atlas 1: 250 000 scale series, Mineral Resources Tasmania. Murray-Wallace, C.V. 2002. Pleistocene coastal stratigraphy, sea-level highstands and neotectonism of the southern Australian passive continental margin—a review. Journal of Quaternary Science 17: 469 – 489. Otvos, E.G. 2000. Beach ridges - definitions and significance. Geomorphology 32: 83 – 108. Richardson, R.G. and Duffett, M.L. (comp.) 2014. Total magnetic intensity image of Tasmania with northeast gradient enhancement, scale 1: 500 000. Mineral Resources Tasmania. Rubin, D.M. and Hesp, P.A. 2009. Multiple origins of linear dunes on Earth and Titan. Nature Geoscience 2:653 – 658.

Sharples, C. and Mount, R. 2000. Tasmanian shoreline geomorphic types line map. http://maps.thelist.tas. gov.au/listmap/app/list/map?layout-options=LAYER_ LIST_OPEN&cpoint=147.43,-42.85,50000&srs=EPS G:4283&bmlayer=3&layers=428 Sutherland, F.L. and Kershaw, R.C. 1971. The Cainozoic geology of Flinders Island, Bass Strait. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 105: 151 – 177. Thomas, D.S.G., Knight, M. and Wiggs, G.F.S. 2005. Remobilization of southern African desert dune systems by twenty-first century global warming. Nature 435: 1218 – 1221. Waterhouse, L.L. 1916. Report of the assistant government geologist. In Anon. Report of the Secretary of Mines for the year ending December 31 1916. Tasmania Mines Department. Whinray, J.S. 1981. A preliminary report on Clarke Island. Unpublished report to the Minister for National Parks and Wildlife. Wiggs, G. F. S., Thomas, D. S. G., Bullard, J. E. & Livingstone, I. 1995. Dune mobility and vegetation cover in the southwest Kalahari Desert. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 20: 515–-529. White, S. 1994. Speleogenesis in aeolian calcarenite: A case study in western Victoria. Environmental Geology 23: 248 – 255. Zachos, J., Pagani, M., Sloan, L., Thomas, E. and Billups, K. 2001. Trends, rhythms, and aberrations in global climate 65 Ma to present. Science 292: 686 – 693.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

lungtalanana INVERTEBRATES Dr Simon Grove Summary Surveys of terrestrial arthropods were conducted in early December 2014, building on previous recording efforts. Survey methods comprised field observation, hand collection and a range of trapping techniques at multiple localities spanning the island. Some 190 terrestrial arthropod were recorded, significantly boosting the known fauna for the island.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Regarding terrestrial arthropods, the breadth of taxonomic coverage could give the impression that the fauna is rich and healthy, but this is not the case at present, due to the intensity of the recent fire over nearly the entire island which meant that nearly all key habitats for terrestrial arthropods were incinerated, from the tops of hills to the tideline. For instance, the normally diverse deadwood and litter fauna was virtually absent across the island. Only in very small patches of bush was the fire and/or heat intensity low enough for some vegetation to survive. These areas acted like honeypots for those arthropods that had survived the fire, and these proved to be by far the most productive areas for collecting. Many of the survivors can be termed the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;living deadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, in that, while the current generation is a product of the pre-fire world, the post-fire world will probably not provide nearly as much suitable habitat for the next generation, meaning that populations

are still due for a crash. Wetlands fared a little better, enabling many more arthropods to survive in these areas. It remains to be seen how rapidly and comprehensively the terrestrial arthropod fauna of the island will be able to recover in coming years. The more mobile the species, the greater are the chances of repopulation as suitable conditions return, either from the tiny refuges on the island itself, or from neighbouring islands or the mainland of Tasmania. But many species are flightless and have poor powers of dispersal, and their recolonisation will depend on the extent to which they have survived in refuges on the island. From a conservation perspective, key management requirements are to look after the unburnt refugia, and to control the collection of firewood to ensure that existing logs are retained and allowance made for their eventual replacement with other fallen trunks and branches.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Introduction

Methods

This report summarises the findings of a survey of terrestrial arthropods conducted by Simon Grove during the team field-visit in early December 2014. The aim of the survey was to conduct as comprehensive assessment of the island’s invertebrate fauna as was feasible given the limitations of time, access and sometimes inclement weather, with an emphasis on documenting the impact of the previous summer’s intense wildfire. To allow comparison of the present survey’s findings with those of previous surveys, additional records of terrestrial arthropods were gleaned from the databases of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG), referable to material collected by Tim Kingston and Jeff Meggs during a previous survey of lungtalanana Island in November 1998, and TMAG, all originating from Flinders Island-based naturalist John Whinray between 1977 and 1981.

Several different sampling techniques were employed to sample terrestrial arthropods. The main techniques involved walking the island’s tracks and beaches looking for patches of suitable (i.e. generally unburnt) habitat, examining microhabitats such as flowers, foliage, litter, wrack, dung, animal carcasses, rocks and logs, and observing and collecting individual insects. A hand-net was also used, both for procuring individual arthropods and for collecting sweepsamples. General localities at which specimens were hand-collected are shown in Table 1. A few additional specimens were collected by other participants and passed to the author without any specific locality information. Some field-identifiable species, such as butterflies and large spiders, were noted and/or photographed without being collected. For sampling nocturnal insects, two light-traps were used. A mains-powered mercury-vapour (MV) lamp was set up adjacent to one of the white exterior walls of the homestead, and attended intermittently for a few hours after dusk to allow the collection of individual insects settling on the walls; while a batterypowered bucket-trap bearing a fluorescent lamp

Table 1. General localities at which terrestrial arthropods were hand-collected. Locality

Coordinates

Habitat

Airstrip area Black Pt area Black Pt Beach Black Pt hinterland Homestead area Kangaroo Bay area Track to Spike Bay SG1 SG2 SG6 SG7 SG8

40.5193 S x 148.1269 E 40.5287 S x 148.2294 E 40.5287 S x 148.2294 E 40.5430 S x 148.2171 E 40.511 S x 148.125 E 40.5031 S x 148.2124 E 40.5336 S x 148.1316 E 40.5172 S x 148.1418 E 40.5213 S x 148.1634 E 40.5082 S x 148.1284 E 40.5097 S x 148.1295 E 40.5152 S x 148.124 E

Kunzea & Callitris heath; rough grassland Beach hinterland Strandline wrack Saline lagoon flats Rough grassland and adjacent scrub Beach hinterland Kunzea & Callitris heath Burnt mature Casuarina Kunzea & Callitris heath; pademelon carcass Strandline debris Casuarina litter Casuarina logs

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

was set up at various localities within the homestead enclosure and left to operate all night before being cleared of insects in the morning. Spotlighting for spiders and other arthropods with a head-torch (followed by hand-collection or photography) proved

feasible within the vicinity of the homestead on calm, dry evenings. Additionally, other traps of various designs (Figure 1) were established at the beginning of the survey

Figure 1. Some of the traps used to sample terrestrial arthropods. Clockwise from top left: flight intercept trap (TWIT); pitfall trap; yellow-pan trap; Malaise (SLAM) trap.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

period at five sites spanning the breadth of the island (Table 2). These were left to operate for several days before being decommissioned towards the end of the survey period. Single flight intercept traps (triangular window intercept traps: TWITs), with collectingbottles charged with ethanol and designed to catch airborne beetles and other insects that drop when they hit the collecting screen, were employed at four sites; however, not all of these continued to function for the duration, due to wind-damage. Single Malaise traps (sea, land and air malaise: SLAM), with collectingbottles charged with ethanol and designed to catch airborne insects that head upwards when they hit the collecting screen, were also employed at four sites, and coped reasonably well with the weather conditions. Six pitfall traps (plastic cups charged with propylene glycol), designed to catch ground-active insects and other invertebrates, were established at each of three sites; these coped reasonably well with the wet weather conditions, although some of them flooded. The bucket pitfall-traps established at Speck Beach by other team members sampling vertebrates were also checked periodically for invertebrates. Two

yellow-pan traps, charged with water and detergent, were established at a single site; however, these were flipped over by the wind prior to collection and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yield any samples.

Specimen processing and identification As much as possible, insects were pinned with the aid of a binocular microscope, and given temporary labels, prior to leaving the island. However, most of the terrestrial arthropods and marine micro-molluscs collected were formally identified over subsequent weeks and months back at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), where the majority have since been registered into the Zoology Collections. Most identifications were made by the author, but see acknowledgements section for contributions by other experts. Not all specimens proved identifiable, at least not in the available time. Only those specimens identified with a high degree of certainty, and to a high degree of taxonomic precision, are included in this report. This includes some taxa which, while recognisable as distinct at the species level, could nevertheless not be assigned to described species

Table 2. Trapping sites and traps employed for sampling terrestrial arthropods. Site

Coordinates

Habitat

Traps employed

Homestead area SG1 SG2

40.5125 S x 148.1252 E

Rough grassland and adjacent scrub

40.5172 S x 148.1418 E 40.5213 S x 148.1634 E

Burnt mature Casuarina Unburnt patch of Kunzea & Callitris heath

SG3

40.5271 S x 148.1707 E

Unburnt patch of Leptospermum etc.

SG4

40.5365 S x 148.1885 E

Unburnt patch of low Kunzea & Hakea

SG5

40.5489 S x 148.2059 E

Lagoonside vegetation

Speck Beach

40.5102 S x 148.1266 E

Coastal dunes

MV x 1 Bucket trap x 1 TWIT x 1 TWIT x 1 SLAM x 1 Pitfalls x 6 TWIT x 1 SLAM x 1 SLAM x 1 Pitfalls x 6 TWIT x 1 SLAM x 1 Pitfalls x 6 Yellow pans x 2 Pitfalls x 2

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

on the basis of the literature and comparative material to hand. Such species have mostly been assigned code-names that denote their recognised taxonomic placement and their belonging to a species already in or newly added to either the Tasmanian Museum’s insect collections (hence the code TMIC) or in Forestry Tasmania’s Tasmanian Forest Insect Collection (TFIC – this collection is in the process of being transferred to TMAG). A few taxa coded as ‘undifferentiated’ were identified as belonging to species-groups that could not be differentiated in the time available.

Results Records of terrestrial arthropods that predate the current survey During a previous survey of Lungtalanana (Clarke Island) in November 1998, Tim Kingston and Jeff Meggs recorded 51 terrestrial arthropod species (Table 3). The list comprises nine spider, two centipede, three millipede, 35 beetle and two slater species. Of these, 13 were also recorded during the current survey, while 38 were not.

To allow comparison of the present survey’s findings with those of previous surveys, additional records of terrestrial arthropods were gleaned from the databases of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG), referable to material collected by Tim Kingston and Jeff Meggs during a previous survey of Clarke Island in November 1998. Additional records of coastal marine molluscs were gleaned from the databases of TMAG and the author, referable to material collected by David Wilson in 1971, Penny Wells in September 1990 and Dianne Marthick in January 1992 (TMAG), and by Margaret Richmond sometime during the 1990s (author’s personal records). The localities covered by these previous surveys overlap with those covered in the present survey, with the exception of two of Penny Wells’ localities: Moriarty Bay (40.5773 S x 148.1923 E) and South Head (40.5942 S x 148.1798 E). A few unlocalised coastal marine mollusc records were also gleaned from the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA).

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Table 3. The terrestrial arthropod species collected by Tim Kingston and Jeff Meggs during a previous survey of lungtalanana in November 1998.

Order

Family

Species

Araneae Araneae Araneae Araneae Araneae Araneae Araneae Araneae Araneae Chilopoda Chilopoda Diplopoda Diplopoda Diplopoda Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Isopoda Isopoda

Araneidae Araneidae Desidae Gnaphosidae Lamponidae Miturgidae Salticidae Sparassidae Stiphidiidae Chilenophilidae Henicopidae Paradoxosomatidae Paradoxosomatidae Paradoxosomatidae Bolboceratidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Chrysomelidae Curculionidae Curculionidae Curculionidae Curculionidae Curculionidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Staphylinidae Tenebrionidae Tenebrionidae Tenebrionidae Tenebrionidae Tenebrionidae Tenebrionidae Tenebrionidae Tenebrionidae Philosciidae Armadillidae

Araneus bradleyi Eriophora pustulosa Namandia sp Micaria sp Prionosternum nitidiceps Miturga agelenina Lycidas sp Neosparassus sp Corasoides australis Sepedonophilus sp Lamyctinus coeculus Dicranogonus sp Notodesmus scotius Pogonosternum sp Elephastomus proboscideus Amblystomus sp Homethes elegans Lacordairia sp Lecanomerus sp Loxandrus gagatinus Mecyclothorax ambiguus Prosopogmus chalybeipennis Sarothrocrepis inquinata Scaraphites rotundipennis Scopodes tasmanicus Altica corusca Acantholophus TFIC sp 01 Aphela algarum Mandalotus sp Steriphus sp Timareta sp Ataenius sp Cheiroplatys latipes Heteronyx dimidiata Heteronyx sp nr elongatus Onthophagus australis Onthophagus fuliginosus Onthophagus pronus Pimelopus nothus Scitala sericans Euconnus sp Adelium brevicorne Adelium licinoides Adelium similatum Celibe infelix Isopteron triviale Lepispilus sulcicollis Promethis angulata Sphargeris physodes Plymophiloscia ulverstonensis Merulana sp

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Also recorded in 2014 +

+ + +

+ + + +

+ +

There are also a few records of terrestrial arthropods in the TMAG collections, all originating from Flinders Island-based naturalist John Whinray between 1977 and 1981 recorded 51 terrestrial arthropod species (Table 4), comprising one tick, three spiders, one scorpion, two beetles, one bug, one land-hopper and two slaters. Of these, four were also recorded in the current survey, while seven were not.

Records from the current survey The present survey produced records for 190 terrestrial arthropod species. These comprise five spider, one scorpion, one cockroach, 85 beetle, one earwig, 25 fly, eight bug, six bee, eight ant, 11 wasp, three velvet-ant, one sawfly, seven butterfly, eighteen moth, one hanging-fly, one lacewing, two dragonfly,

Table 4. The terrestrial arthropod species collected on lungtalanana by John WHinray between 1977 and 1981. Order

Family

Species

Acari Araneae Araneae Araneae Scorpiones Coleoptera Coleoptera Hemiptera Amphipoda Isopoda

Ixodidae Araneidae Sparassidae Sparassidae Bothriuridae Scarabaeidae Tenebrionidae Scutelleridae Talitridae Armadillidae

Aponomma hydrosauri Backobourkia heroine Delena cancerides Neosparassus patellatus Cercophonius squama Phyllotocus macleayi Adelium striatum Scutiphora pedicellata Keratroides sp Cubaris tamarensis

Also recorded in 2014 + + + +

Table 5. Terrestrial arthropods noted in the field but not collected. Order

Family

Species

Araneae Araneae Araneae Araneae Scorpiones Diptera Diptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Orthoptera

Araneidae Araneidae Lycosidae Nicodamidae Bothriuridae Tabanidae Tabanidae Hesperiidae Lycaenidae Lycaenidae Lycaenidae Nymphalidae Nymphalidae Nymphalidae Gryllotalpidae

Backobourkia heroine Eriophora pustulosa Tasmanicosa godeffroyi Ambicodamus sororius Cercophonius squama Scaptia auriflua Scaptia jacksonii Hesperilla donnysa Neolucia agricola Theclinesthes serpentatus Zizina otis Heteronympha merope Vanessa itea Vanessa kershawi Gryllotalpa australis

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

two damselfly, two grasshopper and three cricket species. Specimens belonging to 177 of these species have been registered into the TMAG collections. One hundred and seventy-one of these species did not appear in either the QVMAG list from 1998 or the TMAG list from 1977-1981, and can be considered as new records for the island. No table is presented for this compilation, since all the component species appear in one or more of the tables that follow, segregated by sampling technique and locality.

Contribution of different sampling techniques The various sampling techniques differed greatly in their contribution to the total species list for terrestrial arthropods. Besides the fourteen species observed in the field but not collected, there were 113 species hand-collected (93 uniquely so); 38 species recorded at light (30 uniquely so); 30 in Malaise traps (17 uniquely so); 22 in pitfall traps (12 uniquely so); and nine species in flight intercept traps (but none uniquely so). Field observations Fourteen species of terrestrial arthropods were noted in the field but were not collected (Table 5), comprising four spider, two marchfly, seven butterfly and one cricket species. Hand collection One hundred and eleven species of terrestrial arthropods were hand-collected (Table 6), comprising one spider, one cockroach, 48 beetle, one earwig, 21 fly, five bug, six bee, eight ant, 11 wasp, one sawfly, two velvet-ant, one hanging-fly, two dragonfly, two damselfly and one grasshopper species.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

(unlocalised) Airstrip area Black Pt area Black Pt Beach Black Pt hinterland Homestead area Kangaroo Bay area Track to Spike Bay SG1 SG2 SG6 SG7 SG8

Table 6. Terrestrial arthropods hand-collected from across lungtalanana (see methods for details of localities).

Order

Family

Species

Araneae Blattodea Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera

Sparassidae Blattidae Anthicidae Buprestidae Buprestidae Buprestidae Buprestidae Buprestidae Cantharidae Cantharidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Cerambycidae Cerambycidae Chrysomelidae Chrysomelidae Coccinellidae Coccinellidae Curculionidae Curculionidae Curculionidae Curculionidae Dermestidae Histeridae Leiodidae Rhipiceridae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae

Delena cancerides Platyzosteria biglumis Anthicus TMIC sp 01 Castiarina australasiae Castiarina flavopicta Castiarina ocelligera Cyrioides imperialis Temognatha mitchellii Chauliognathus lugubris Chauliognathus nobilitatus Mecyclothorax ambiguus Paratrechodes TMIC sp 01 Prosopogmus chalybeipennis Scaraphites rotundipennis Simodontus australis Ancita crocogaster Stenoderus suturalis Chaetocnema TFIC sp 01 Paropsis porosa Diomus notescens Harmonia conformis Aoplocnemis TFIC sp 02 Melanterius TFIC sp 04 Merimnetes oblongus Phalidura TMIC sp 01 Dermestes maculatus Saprinus australis Choleva TFIC sp 01 Rhipicera femorata Cheiroplatys latipes Diphucephala colaspidoides Heteronyx undifferentiated Liparetrus sericeus Melolonthinae TMIC sp 01 Onthophagus fuliginosus

+ + + + + + + + +

+ +

+ + + + + +

+ +

+ + +

+ + + + +

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

(unlocalised) Airstrip area Black Pt area Black Pt Beach Black Pt hinterland Homestead area Kangaroo Bay area Track to Spike Bay SG1 SG2 SG6 SG7 SG8

Order

Family

Species

Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Dermaptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Diptera Hemiptera

Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Staphylinidae Staphylinidae Staphylinidae Tenebrionidae Tenebrionidae Tenebrionidae Tenebrionidae Tenebrionidae Tenebrionidae Trogidae Anisolabididae Anthomyiidae Asilidae Asilidae Asilidae Asilidae Bombyliidae Coelopidae Coelopidae Dolichopodidae Empididae Limoniidae Muscidae

Onthophagus posticus Phyllotocus macleayi + Phyllotocus rufipennis + Pimelopus nothus + Scitala sericans + Cafius australis + Phacophallus parumpunctatus + Phacophallus TMIC sp 01 + Adelium tenebroides Celibe infelix + Lepispilus sulcicollis + Meneristes australis Pterohelaeus peltatus Tenebrioninae TMIC sp 01 Omorgus australasiae Euborellia brunneri + Fucellia tergina + Asilidae TMIC sp 03 Asilidae TMIC sp 04 + Asilidae TMIC sp 05 Neoscleropogon TMIC sp 01 + + Sisyromyia aurata Gluma nitida + This canus + Dolichopodidae TMIC sp 01 + Empididae TMIC sp 08 + Gynoplistia TMIC sp 01 Helina TMIC sp 01 Pelecorhynchus fusconiger + Allograpta YOUNG sp 88-13 Orthoprosopa grisea + Simosyrphus grandicornis + Dasybasis + Rutilia inusta + Rutilia TMIC sp 01 + Sphenella ruficeps Therevidae TMIC sp 02 Bathyllus albicinctus

Syrphidae Syrphidae Syrphidae Tabanidae Tachinidae Tachinidae Tephritidae Therevidae Cercopidae

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

+ + + +

+ + +

+ +

(unlocalised) Airstrip area Black Pt area Black Pt Beach Black Pt hinterland Homestead area Kangaroo Bay area Track to Spike Bay SG1 SG2 SG6 SG7 SG8

Order

Family

Species

Hemiptera Hemiptera Hemiptera Hemiptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Mecoptera Odonata Odonata Odonata Odonata Orthoptera

Cicadidae Miridae

Cicadetta abdominalis Pseudopantilius australis Euander lacertosus Saldula TMIC sp 01 Colletinae TMIC sp 01 Colletinae TMIC sp 02 Euhesma maculifera Leioproctus Bembicinae TMIC sp 02 Bembix furcata Evaniidae TMIC sp 01 Amblyopone australis Camponotus consobrinus Camponotus TMIC sp 01 Myrmecia forficata Myrmecia pilosula Ochetellus punctatissimus Prolasius TMIC sp 02 Rhytidoponera victoriae Lasioglossum Megachile maculariformis Ephutomorpha dorsigera Ephutomorpha porrecticeps Lophyrotoma interrupta Ctenostegus TMIC sp 02 Ctenostegus TMIC sp 03 Turneromyia undifferentiated Diamma bicolor Rhagigaster scalae Thynnus zonatus Tiphiidae TMIC sp 02 Tiphiidae TMIC sp 04 Harpobittacus australis Adversaeschna brevistyla Ischnura heterosticta Procordulia jacksoniensis Austrolestes annulosus Austroicetes vulgaris

Saldidae Colletidae Colletidae Colletidae Colletidae Crabronidae Crabronidae Evaniidae Formicidae Formicidae Formicidae Formicidae Formicidae Formicidae Formicidae Formicidae Halictidae Megachilidae Mutillidae Mutillidae Pergidae Pompilidae Pompilidae Pompilidae Tiphiidae Tiphiidae Tiphiidae Tiphiidae Tiphiidae Bittacidae Aeshnidae Coenagrionidae Corduliidae Lestidae Acrididae

+ + + + + + + +

+ + +

+ + + + + + + + + +

+ + + + + +

+ + + + + + + + +

+ + +

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Table 7. Insects identified from flight intercept-trap samples collected from across lungtalanana (see methods for details of localities).

Order

Family

Species

Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Hemiptera Hymenoptera

Buprestidae Dytiscidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Cicadidae Colletidae

Cyrioides imperialis Hyderodes schuckardi Heteronyx undifferentiated Onthophagus posticus Phyllotocus macleayi Phyllotocus nigripennis Cicadetta torrida Euhesma maculifera

SG1

SG2

SG3

SG5 + +

+ + +

Table 8. Insects identified from Malaise-trap samples collected from across lungtalanana (see methods for details of localities). Order

Family

Species

SG2

Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Diptera Hemiptera Hemiptera Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Orthoptera Orthoptera

Aderidae Anthribidae Cantharidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Cerambycidae Chrysomelidae Curculionidae Curculionidae Elateridae Latridiidae Nitidulidae Phalacridae Phalacridae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scirtidae Scirtidae Scraptiidae Silphidae Tenebrionidae Throscidae Asilidae Cicadidae Cicadidae Colletidae Tiphiidae Gryllacrididae Tettigoniidae

Aderidae TFIC sp 01 Anthribinae TMIC sp 01 Chauliognathus nobilitatus Amblytelus brevis Homethes elegans Sarothrocrepis gravis Bethelium signiferum Monolepta undifferentiated Merimnetes oblongus Otiorhynchinae TFIC sp 05 Elateridae TMIC sp 03 Cortinicara REIKE sp nov 1 Thalycrodes pulchrum Phalacridae TMIC sp 01 Phalacridae TMIC sp 02 Heteronyx undifferentiated Phyllotocus nigripennis Cyphon TFIC sp 05 Pseudomicrocara spilotus Scraptia laticollis Ptomaphila lacrymosa Lepispilus sulcicollis Aulonothroscus elongatus Asilidae TMIC sp 05 Cicadetta abdominalis Cicadetta torrida Euhesma maculifera Tiphiidae TMIC sp 02 Kinemania ambulans Zaprochilus australis

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

SG3 +

SG4

+ +

+ + + + + +

+ + +

+ +

+ + +

+ +

SG5

+ + +

Flight intercept traps (TWITS)

Pitfall traps

Nine insect species were extracted and identified from flight intercept-trap samples (Table 7), comprising six beetle, one cicada, one bee and one ant species.

Twenty-two insect species were extracted and identified from pitfall-trap samples (Table 9), comprising 18 beetle, one toad-bug, one ant and two velvet-ant species. Some additional species remain in the sample residues and are available for expert study.

Malaise (SLAM) traps Thirty insect species were extracted and identified from Malaise-trap samples (Table 8), comprising 23 beetle, one robberfly, two cicada, one bee, one flower-wasp and two cricket species. Many additional species, particularly of small fly, remain in the sample residues and are available for expert study.

Light traps Thirty-eight insect species were identified from light-trap samples (Table 10), comprising 14 beetle, two fly, two cicada, 18 moth, one lacewing and one grasshopper species.

Table 9. Insects identified from pitfall-trap samples collected from across lungtalanana (see methods for details of localities). Order

Family

Species

SG2

Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Carabidae Curculionidae Elateridae Elateridae Nitidulidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Tenebrionidae Tenebrionidae Gelastocoridae Formicidae Mutillidae Mutillidae

Clivina vittata Cyphotrechodes gibbipennis Homethes elegans Loxandrus TMIC sp 01 Notonomus politulus Oodes modestus Promecoderus brunnicornis Pseudoceneus sollicitus Scaraphites rotundipennis Acantholophus TFIC sp 01 Agrypnus TFIC sp 04 Agrypnus TMIC sp 01 Thalycrodes pulchrum Cheiroplatys latipes Melolonthinae TMIC sp 01 Phyllotocus nigripennis Adelium tenebroides Celibe infelix Nerthra TMIC sp 01 Rhytidoponera victoriae Ephutomorpha porrecticeps Ephutomorpha soluta

SG4

+ +

SG5 + + + + + +

+ +

+ + +

Speck Beach

+ +

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Table 10. Insects identified from light-trap samples collected either from a mercury-vapour light set on the outside wall of the homestead, or from a bucket-trap set within the homestead enclosure. Order

Family

Species

Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Coleoptera Diptera Diptera Hemiptera Hemiptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Lepidoptera Neuroptera Orthoptera

Dytiscidae Elateridae Elateridae Nitidulidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae Silphidae Tenebrionidae Pyrgotidae Tipulidae Cicadidae Cicadidae Anthelidae Geometridae Geometridae Geometridae Geometridae Geometridae Hypertrophidae Lasiocampidae Noctuidae Noctuidae Noctuidae Noctuidae Noctuidae Noctuidae Noctuidae Noctuidae Noctuidae Notodontidae Ithonidae Tetrigidae

Hyderodes schuckardi Elateridae TMIC sp 04 Elateridae TMIC sp 09 Thalycrodes pulchrum Heteronyx undifferentiated Melolonthinae TMIC sp 02 Melolonthinae TMIC sp 07 Melolonthinae TMIC sp 08 Onthophagus pronus Phyllotocus macleayi Phyllotocus nigripennis Pimelopus nothus Ptomaphila lacrymosa Nocar depressiusculus Cardiacera TMIC sp 01 Leptotarsus macquartii Cicadetta abdominalis Diemeniana euronotiana Anthela acuta Epyaxa subidaria Larentiinae undifferentiated Microdes villosata Phrissogonus laticostata Scopula optivata Acraephnes TMIC sp 01 Opsirhina albigutta Agrotis infusa Agrotis munda Dasypodia selenophora Helicoverpa punctigera Persectania ewingii Praxis edwardsii Proteuxoa capularis Proteuxoa marginalis Proteuxoa undifferentiated Epicoma melanospila Ithone pallida Tetrigidae TMIC sp 01

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Findings by taxonomic group

Cockroaches (Arthropoda: Insecta: Blattodea)

Spiders (Arthropoda: Arachnida: Araneae)

The widespread native cockroach Platyzosteria biglumis was the only cockroach species recorded during the current survey. It was common in beach drift above the high-tide mark. Presumably this habitat has provided a refuge for the species in the aftermath of the fire, since it is not intrinsically a coastal species.

Five spider species were recorded during the present survey. Three of these are shown in Figure 2. Many more species are likely to be present on the island. All the observed species are widespread in Tasmania. Most prominent was the orb-weaver Backobourkia heroine, some of the females of which reached prodigious dimensions. Their webs formed a common obstacle to progress through burnt areas of bush. Also common in burnt areas was the orb-weaver Eriophora pustulosa. Most individuals of this species were charcoal-grey and hence very well camouflaged against the burnt branches on which they rested. Red-and-black spiders Ambicodamus sororius were commonly observed crossing tracks. Spotlighting at night around the homestead and airstrip often returned eyeshine from large wolfspiders Tasmanicosa godeffroyi out hunting or mateseeking; their burrows were common in such open areas. Scorpions (Arthropoda: Arachnida: Scorpiones) Tasmania’s only scorpion species, the common woodscorpion Cercophonius squama, was recorded living under unburnt logs in the woodlot enclosure near the homestead. Centipedes (Arthropoda: Chilopoda) Centipedes were not identified from material collected during the present survey, but two species were recorded from the 1998 survey. Millipedes (Arthropoda: Diplopoda) Millipedes were not identified from material collected during the present survey, but three species were recorded from the 1998 survey.

Beetles (Arthropoda: Insecta: Coleoptera) Beetles comprise one of the largest insect orders, and the one contributing most recorded species (85) during the current survey; several more were recorded in 1998. Ground-beetles (carabids) were well represented, with 15 species recorded in the present survey – mostly from pitfall traps – and an additional six species in 1998. The carabid of most note in the current survey was Oodes modestus, a species that in Tasmania is largely confined to the Furneaux islands; another uncommon and soildwelling carabid is Clivina vittata. These two carabid species, plus five others, were caught in pitfall traps in lagoonside vegetation – clearly an important habitat or refuge for this group. This vegetation was also the only place where the scirtid beetle Cyphon TFIC sp 05 was recorded, in a Malaise-trap sample; most scirtids have aquatic larvae that live in waterlogged organic sediments. Darkling-beetles (tenebrionids) were also well represented in the beetle fauna, with seven species recorded during the current survey and an additional six in 1998. Several of these have larvae that feed within rotting logs – a very scarce habitat in the aftermath of the fire. Logs of Leptospermum in the unburnt woodlot enclosure immediately to the east of the homestead harboured Adelium tenebroides, Meneristes australis and Pterohelaeus peltatus (Figure 3) while trackside Casuarina logs that had been cut and stacked for firewood sheltered Celibe infelix and Lepispilus sulcicollis. Five species of brightly-coloured jewel-beetle were recorded, mostly feeding at flowers on unburnt patches of flowering

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Figure 2. Some of the spiders observed. Top row: orb-weavers Backobourckia heroine and Eriophora pustulosa. Bottom: red-and-black spider Ambicodamus Sororius

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

shrubs. They include the widespread Castiarina ocelligera (Figure 4), whose larvae probably bore into the stems of various shrubs, and the two largest Tasmanian species, Cyrioides imperialis (Figure 4) and Temognatha mitchellii. As a larva, the former bores into the heartwood of living old Banksia trees; larvae of the latter may feed in large old Casuarina trunks. Many other beetles were also recorded at flowering shrubs, including large aggregations of the common scarab-beetles Diphucephala colaspidoides, Phyllotocus macleayi and P. rufipennis (Figure 5), the soldier-beetles Chauliognathus lugubris (Figure 6) and C. nobilitatus (Figure 6), and the longhorn-beetles Ancita crocogaster and Stenoderus suturalis (Figure 7). The leaf-beetle

Paropsis porosa (Figure 3) was common on Melaleuca bushes, though its normal foodplant is Eucalyptus; unusually, no other paropsine leaf-beetles â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a group that includes species that are generally abundant on eucalypt foliage â&#x20AC;&#x201C; were observed on the island. Flying over strandline wrack near Black Point were the rove-beetles Phacophallus parumpunctatus whose larvae are predators of the larvae of wrack-flies. The large, sand-dwelling predatory ground-beetle Scaraphites rotundipennis (Figure 7) was caught in the bucket pitfall-traps in the dunes below the homestead. The 1998 survey recorded three additional beachassociated beetle species: the scavenger-beetle Phycosecis litoralis, a species that feeds on beached

Figure 3. Clockwise from top left: the leaf-beetle Paropsis porosa, the carcass-beetle Omorgus australasiae, the pie-dish beetle Pterohelaeus peltatus and the feather-winged beetle Rhipicera femorata.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Figure 4. The jewel-beetles Cyriodes imperialis and Castiarina ocelligera. 80

dead fish and seabirds; the darkling-beetle Sphargeris physodes, which is also thought to be a scavenger amongst strandline debris; and the wrack-associated weevil Aphela algarum. Numerous scarab-beetles were attracted to the light-traps at the homestead, including the rhinoceros-beetle Pimelopus nothus, a species whose occurrence in Tasmania is largely restricted to the Furneaux islands. Beetles of several other families also appeared at light, including the uncommon darkling-beetle Nocar depressiusculus and several waterbeetles Hyderodes schuckardi, a species also observed in the fire-ponds by the airstrip. Carrion and dung hosted several characteristic beetle species of these specialised habitats. A dead pademelon carcass was home to the cosmopolitan hide-beetle Dermestes maculatus, the carcass-beetle Omorgus australasiae (Figure 3) and the clown-beetle Saprinus australis, as well as larvae of the carrion-beetle Ptomaphila lacrymosa (an adult of which was attracted to

Figure 5. The flower-visiting scarab-beetle Phyllotocus rufipennis and the longhorn beetle Stenoderus suturalis.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

the light-trap); while pademelon and wombat dung hosted the dung-beetles Onthophagus fuliginosus, O. posticus and O. pronus. Two further dung-asociated beetles were recorded in 1998: Onthophagus australis and the geotrupid Elephastomus proboscideus, as was the carrion-associated devilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coach-horse beetle Creophilus erythrocephalus. Given the abundance of cicadas, it is surprising that only a single specimen of the spectacular featherhorned beetle Rhipicera femorata (Figure 3) was recorded, since the larvae of this species are thought to be parasitic on cicada nymphs.

Figure 6. The soldier-beetles Chauliognathus lugubris and C. nobilitatus. 81

Earwigs (Arthropoda: Insecta: Dermaptera) A single species of earwig was found during the current survey: the widespread native species Euborellia brunneri, found in beach drift above the high-tide mark. Presumably this habitat has provided a refuge for the species in the aftermath of the fire, since it is not intrinsically a coastal species.

Figure 7. The dune-dwelling ground-beetle Scarabites rotundipennis.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Figure 8. The bee-fly Sisyromyia aurata. 82

Figure 9. The picture-winged fly Sphenella ruficeps and the bristle-fly Rutilia inusta.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Flies (Arthropoda: Insecta: Diptera) Twenty-five fly species were recorded during the current survey, although clearly there are many more species present. Most striking was the beefly Sisyromyia aurata (Figure 8), a very local species in Tasmania, and largely confined to sandy, coastal areas. It was observed feeding at the flowers of a patch of feral Cakile near Black Point, as well as at various other places around the island. Also at the same Cakile patch was a single specimen of the striking pelecorrhynchid fly Pelecorhynchus fusconiger, a species that appears to have a toehold in Tasmaniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s far north but is more widespread on the mainland of

Australia. The same applies to the striking hoverfly Orthoprosopa grisea, which was found at the same Cakile patch. Drifts of wrack (beached kelp and other seaweeds) on the beach nearby were swarming with flies of several species, including three specialists of this habitat: the anthomyiid Fucellia tergina (a species found in similar habitat in many parts of the world) and two southern Australian endemic coelopids, Gluma nitida and This canus. Elsewhere, fireweed Senecio longifolia plants were found to host the picture-winged fly Sphenella ruficeps (Figure 9). Larvae of this widespread species are thought to feed in the developing seed-heads, while the adult

Figure 10. The non-biting marchfly Scaptia auriflua.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

males maintain territories on the leaves, waving their patterned wings to either repel rivals or attract mates. The brightly coloured cranefly Leptotarsus macquartii was common in lagoonside vegetation; its larvae live in wet organic sediments. The large, irridescent bristlefly Rutilia inusta (Figure 9), a species whose larvae are thought to parasitise the subterranean larvae of scarab-beetles, was recorded visiting flowers. The males of two species of marchfly were also observed feeding at flowers: the common Scaptia jacksonii (whose females are blood-feeders) and the much less common S. auriflua (a non-biter, Figure 10); the larvae of both species live in mud and damp soil, which may have afforded them some protection against the fire. While most flies are diurnal, the pyrgotid flies are nocturnal, presumably to synchronise activity with the scarab-beetles that act as hosts for their larvae. One specimen belonging to the mottled-winged pyrgotid

Figure 11. The cicadas Diemeniana euronotiana (above) and Cicadetta abdominalis (below).

genus Cardiacera was caught at the homestead light-trap (which also attracted many potential host scarab-beetles). Bugs (Arthropoda: Insecta: Hemiptera) Only eight bug species were recorded during the current survey. Strawberry-bug Euander lacertosus was abundant on open ground; despite its name it is probably more commonly associated with native herbs such as Acaena novaehollandiae and perhaps also Pelargonium species, both of which are currently abundant in burnt areas. Cicadas were abundant, calling from dead trees throughout the island; three species were recorded. Diemeniana euronotiana (Figure 11) and Cicadetta torrida are widespread across Tasmania while the third, Cicadetta abdominalis (Figure 11), is rather more local and primarily found in the north of the state. Two damp-ground bug species were recorded in lagoonside situations, though neither was identified to species: the shorebug Saldula species and the toad-bug Nerthra species (a nymph only). Ants, bees and wasps (Arthropoda: Insecta: Hymenoptera) Six bee, eight ant, eleven wasp, three velvet-ant and one sawfly species were recorded during the current survey. Identification is difficult for most of these groups, and it is likely that other species also still occur on the island. Remaining stands of flowering shrubs in otherwise burnt-out country proved particularly attractive to flower-visiting bees and wasps of several species, including males of the spectacular blackand-yellow flower-wasp Thynnus zonatus (females are flightless), the tiny yellow-faced bee Euhesma maculifera, and leafcutter-bee Megachile maculariformis (Figure 12). In Tasmania the last of these is a local species, most common in sandy areas in the far north of the state. During the survey, a female was observed carrying neatly-cut circles of eucalypt leaves (apparently cut from the planted Eucalyptus globulus

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

tree growing on the edge of the enclosure) to her nest-burrow in the eroded grassland in front of the homestead. Blue digger-wasps Bembix furcata (Figure 12) were also commonly observed tending to their burrows in sandy ground throughout the island. A single bluebottle-ant Diamma bicolor (actually a flightless female wasp, Figure 12) was observed on the sand at the top of the beach at Kangaroo Bay; the normal hosts for its larvae are mole-crickets and other subterranean insects, which are likely to be in very short supply in the aftermath of the fire. Relict stands of bottlebrush Callistemon hosted the cattle-poisoning sawfly Lophyrotoma interrupta, the males sporting strikingly pectinate antennae. Ants of several species were common during the survey,

although only a single colony of the retiring species Amblyopone australis was located, living within a rotting Leptospermum log in the enclosed woodlot near the homestead. Given the abundance of spiders it is not surprising that several spider-hunting (pompilid) wasp species were noted (Figure 12), although none could be identified to species. Three species of velvet-ant (Mutillidae: actually flightless wasps) were also noted; all are relatively widespread species in open native vegetation in Tasmania. Butterflies and moths (Arthropoda: Insecta: Lepidoptera) Seven butterfly and eighteen moth species were recorded during the current survey. Most abundant was painted lady Vanessa kershawi (Figure 13): not

Figure 12. Clockwise from top left: the leaf-cutter bee Megachile maculariformis,blue digger-wasp Bembix furcata, bluebottle-ant Diamma bicolor, a spider-hunting wasp Turneromyia sp.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

only were the adults very common, but so too where their larvae, feeding on a downy-leaved rosetteforming asteraceous herb that, in places carpeted the burnt ground. By contrast, only a single donnysa skipper Hesperilla donnysa was observed, feeding at a patch of feral Cakile flowers near Black Point. Its foodplant, species of Gahnia sedge, is currently rare but should increase in coming years, so there is some

chance that the butterfly will-too if it can survive the intervening lean years. In the once-reseeded and now scarcely grazed paddock above Spike Bay, common grass-blues Zizina otis labradus were superabundant, presumably because their larvae would have been feeding on a leguminous herb that formed part of the seed mix. Disappointingly, there was no sign on the island of Mathewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blue Neolucia mathewi, a

Figure 13. Adult, pupa and larva of painted lady butterfly Vanessa kershawi.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

species associated with Monotoca in coastal areas of northern Tasmania. The butterfly species of most note was chequered blue Theclinesthes serpentatus, several of which were seen fluttering around a small patch of saltbush (Atriplex species) at the top of the beach at Kangaroo Bay (Figure 14). In Tasmania, this is normally a late-summer species. The presence of adults in early summer suggests that the species might be double-brooded on lungtalanana. This, and their choice of foodplant (the species is normally associated with Rhagodia elsewhere around the coast of Tasmania) in turn might suggest a possible closer taxonomic affinity with mainland Australian populations than with those of mainland Tasmania. Most of the moth species recorded are widespread taxa, many of them associated with grassy or disturbed environments. However, the hypertrophid micro-moth Acraephnes TMIC sp 01 appears to be an underscribed species that in Tasmania has only otherwise been recorded from Flinders Island (Cathy Byrne, pers. comm.), although it is also known from many coastal parts of southern Australia.

Hanging-flies (Arthropoda: Insecta: Mecoptera) The widespread hanging-fly Harpobittacus australis (Figure 15) was recorded during the current survey, in typical bracken understorey habitat. Lacewings (Arthropoda: Insecta: Neuroptera) A single lacewing species, Ithone pallida, was recorded during the current survey, as a single individual attracted to light at fire-pondthe homestead. This species is in a different family from the rest of Tamaniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lacewings, and is atypical in appearance, resembling instead an alderfly or a stonefly. In Tasmania it is largely confined to sandy, coastal localities in the far northeast. Dragonflies and damselflies (Arthropoda: Insecta: Odonata) Two dragonfly and two damselfly species were recorded around the fire-ponds adjacent to the airstrip during the current survey. All are widespread Tasmanian species characterised by their strong powers of dispersal.

Figure 14. Chequered blue butterfly Theclinesthes serpentatus, on Atriplex sp.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Grasshoppers and crickets (Arthropoda: Insecta: Orthoptera) Two grasshopper and three cricket species were recorded during the present survey. Grassy areas such as the airstrip and around the homestead were teeming with adults and nymphs of Southeastern austroicetes grasshoppers Austroicetes vulgaris. The survey in 1998 recorded three further grasshopper species, which may possibly have been wiped out by the fire. Southern mole-cricket Gryllotalpa australis is a largely subterranean species that was detected during the present survey by its penetrating call; however, only a single individual was heard and it may be that the species is destined for local extinction in the aftermath of the fire. Slaters (Arthropoda: Crustacea: Isopoda) Two species of slater were recorded in 1977-1981, and two (one additional) in the 1998 survey, bringing the total number of species to three. Slaters were observed during the present survey but not collected. Figure 15. Hanging-fly Harpobittacus australis.

Discussion Terrestrial arthropods The current survey significantly boosted the number of terrestrial arthropod species now recorded from lungtalanana. The breadth of taxonomic coverage could give the impression that the fauna is a rich and healthy one. However, this is clearly not the case at present. The intensity of the recent fire over nearly the entire island – from hill-tops to valley bottoms and right down to the shoreline – meant that nearly all key habitats for invertebrates were incinerated. Nearly all the above-ground vegetation had burnt, as had nearly every piece of dead wood on the ground as well as most of the soil’s litter-layer. Shattered and flaking granite boulders, and evidence of extensive charring of roots and ‘cooking’ of under-rock humus, were poignant demonstrations that even the normal fire- and drought-refuges for many invertebrates were overcome by the intense radiant heat. Only in very small patches of bush was the fire and/or heat intensity low enough for some vegetation to survive. Perhaps the only area of bush to escape the fire’s direct impacts entirely (probably due to water-bombing) was the isolated woodlot enclosure near the homestead comprising second-growth Allocasuarina and Leptospermum, and surrounded by grassy paddock. Perhaps the island’s only unburnt eucalypt was seen near the homestead area too – a single planted Eucalyptus globulus. Not surprisingly, therefore, most parts of the island were totally or almost totally devoid of the usual suite of bushland invertebrates expected for this part of Tasmania. While eucalypt seedlings and epicormic shoots were common across the island at the time of survey, they hosted almost no leaf-feeding insects; the same was true of the abundant regrowth of other sclerophyllous plants such as Melaleuca, Leptospermum and Allocasuarina. By contrast, the early successional herbs that formed a conspicuous layer under the

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

burnt scrub were clearly providing food for a few highly mobile and fast-breeding herbivorous insects, including larvae of painted lady butterfly. The size and abundance of orb-spiders and their webs among the charred skeletons of she-oaks and tea-trees attests to the considerable insect biomass (albeit coupled with a low level of diversity) at this early stage of post-fire succession and recovery.

The only two land-snails found were both charred shells, only one of which belonged to a native species. The one refuge identified was the isolated woodlot near the homestead; this patch of second-growth retained a reasonably healthy assemblage of beetles, ants and other arthropods. Elsewhere, deadwoodassociated darkling-beetles were only found associated with logs cut for firewood.

The extent of burning meant that any remaining patches of unburnt bush – such as those bordering the airstrip and some of the inland tracks – acted like honeypots for those arthropods that had survived the fire; and these proved to be by far the most productive areas for collecting. Most survivors belonged to species that would have been in holes and chambers deep underground or in the heart of tree-trunks (generally as larvae, pupae or aestivating/ hibernating adults) at the time of the fire; the adults would have emerged after winter to find their world transformed compared to the previous generation. Prime examples are the various flower-visiting species, such as ground-nesting bees and wasps, and the jewel-beetles whose larvae are borers in the wood of old and dying trees and shrubs. Many such species can be termed the ‘living dead’, in that, while the current generation is a product of the pre-fire world, the post-fire world will probably not provide nearly as much suitable habitat for the next generation, meaning that populations are still due for a crash. The same may be true of the cicadas, which lay their eggs in crevices in bark and whose nymphal stages feed underground, sucking sap from the living roots of trees, shrubs and grases. This year, the trees were buzzing with cicadas of three species; but with most of the trees and other vegetation dead, there may be rather fewer suitable larval development sites available for the next generation.

Many of the island’s wetlands had also been burnt over, although evidently at a lesser intensity, enabling many more invertebrates to survive in these areas, including dragonflies, damselflies, shorebugs and many carabid beetles, and providing the basis for a somewhat more healthy local food-chain including frogs, snakes, lizards and waterbirds.

With the soil and litter-layer essentially cooked, and nearly all pre-existing rotting logs completely consumed by the fire, the normally diverse deadwood and litter fauna was virtually absent across the island.

Around the coast, with the fires extending to the waterline in many areas, foreshore invertebrates were also very sparse: dense heaps of beached seagrass litter, which had accumulated since the fire, were largely devoid of the usual detritivores. Nevertheless, some species of interest did evidently survive, while rotting wrack on the beach was teeming with arthropod life. It remains to be seen how rapidly and comprehensively the terrestrial arthropod fauna of the island will be able to recover in coming years. Most invertebrates have short life-cycles and rapid intrinsic rates of population growth; however, these traits are only an advantage if there are local source populations that can be sustained through the lean years, on which future population expansion can be built. The more mobile the species, the greater are the chances of repopulation as suitable conditions return, either from the tiny refuges on the island itself, or from neighbouring islands or the mainland of Tasmania. But many species are flightless and have poor powers of dispersal. It is hard to imagine a flightless deadwood beetle making the journey from the unburnt second-growth woodlot near the homestead, across the grassy paddock and into the

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

recovering bush beyond. Still, some of these species may yet be surviving in refuges elsewhere on the island, from which they may one day begin a slow expansion and recolonisation. From a conservation perspective, a key management requirement is to ensure the survival of the unburnt refugia long enough for the species reliant on them to gradually recolonise the surrounding bush as it regenerates. It will also be important to avoid further diminishing the supply of rotting logs, for instance by strictly controlling the collection of firewood to ensure that existing logs are retained and allowance made for their eventual replacement with other fallen trunks and branches. This is particularly important in the vicinity of the homestead, since this was one of the areas best protected from the fire: controls on firewood removal in this area should take effect at a fine enough spatial scale to cater for the needs of the many dependent arthropods of this habitat that have poor powers of dispersal.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Acknowledgements With thanks to the Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust for funding the survey; to the team at PWS for coordinating it; and to NZ volunteers Charlotte Penniket and Jess Earnshaw for help with fieldwork. At TMAG, thanks to Nicole Zehntner and to volunteers Avril Underwood, James McLauchlan and Shasta Henry for help with labelling insect specimens. For assistance with specimen identification, thanks go to Dr Cathy Byrne (all of the moths), Lynne Forster (some of the beetles, particularly the carabids), Sarah Fayed and Avril Underwood (some of the ants), and Dr Robert Raven (photo identification of some of the spiders). Thanks, too, to Dydee Mann for information on chequered blue butterflies and their larval foodplants.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

lungtalanana â&#x20AC;&#x201C; COASTAL MOLLUSCS Dr Simon Grove Summary Surveys of coastal marine molluscs were conducted in early December 2014, building on previous recording efforts. Coastal marine molluscs were collected and identified from several beaches around the island, with a focus on finding shellgrit so as to better document the micro-mollusc fauna. Some 223 coastal marine mollusc species were recorded, significantly boosting the known fauna for the island.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Regarding coastal marine molluscs, it is now clear that local assemblages show characteristics of the two biogeographic provinces that meet in the vicinity of Banks Strait: the Peronian (comprising the east coast of Tasmania and New South Wales), and the Maugean, comprising the Bass Strait coasts of Tasmania and Victoria.

Introduction This report summarises the findings of a survey of coastal marine molluscs conducted by Simon Grove during the team field-visit in early December 2014. The aim of the survey was to conduct as comprehensive assessment of the islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s invertebrate fauna as was feasible given the limitations of time, access and sometimes inclement weather. To allow

comparison of the present surveyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s findings with those of previous surveys, additional records of coastal marine molluscs were gleaned from the databases of TMAG and the author.

Methods Sampling coastal marine molluscs involved visiting various beaches (Table 1) and recording the presence of every species observed, usually as dead shells (Figure 2). To record marine micro-molluscs, samples of shell-grit were collected for later examination under a microscope. Sally Bryant also contributed shells that she collected at one locality not otherwise visited by the author (beach to W of Allens Point).

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Table 1. Beaches at which coastal marine molluscs were recorded. Beach

Coordinates

Allens Point â&#x20AC;&#x201C; beach to W Black Point Black Point - beach to N Black Point - beach to S Black Point - saline lagoon to W Dip Point to Black Rocks Kangaroo Bay to Seal Point Maclaines Bay Sandy Lagoon Shevo Bay (north end) Spike Bay

40.4952 S x 148.1999 E 40.5323 S x 148.2359 E 40.5245 S x 148.2290 E 40.5397 S x 148.2274 E 40.5325 S x 148.2307 E 40.5132 S x 148.1156 E 40.4848 S x 148.2295 E 40.5105 S x 148.1219 E 40.5121 S x 148.1812 E 40.5516 S x 148.2133 E 40.5443 S x 148.1193 E

Figure 1. Jess and Charlotte collecting shells at Black Point.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Specimen processing and identification To allow comparison of the present survey’s findings with those of previous surveys, additional records of coastal marine molluscs were gleaned from the databases of TMAG and the author, referable to material collected by David Wilson in 1971, Penny Wells in September 1990 and Dianne Marthick in January 1992 (TMAG), and by Margaret Richmond sometime during the 1990s (author’s personal records). The localities covered by these previous surveys overlap with those covered in the present survey, with the exception of two of Penny Wells’ localities: Moriarty Bay (40.5773 S x 148.1923 E) and South Head (40.5942 S x 148.1798 E). A few unlocalised coastal marine mollusc records were also gleaned from the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA).

Results Records were compiled for 223 coastal marine mollusc species from around lungtalanana (Table 2). Of these, 104 had been recorded prior to the present survey, whose 208 species therefore augmented the list by 119 species. From such an extensive list it is difficult to draw out any particular highlights. However, as befits the island’s geographical position, it is worth noting that the coastal marine mollusc fauna comprises an interesting mix of species showing characteristics of two biogeographic provinces that meet in the vicinity of Banks Strait. This is best illustrated by the partially overlapping ranges around Lungtalanana of both of Tasmania’s species of black nerite, one of which (Nerita melanotragus) is characteristic of the Peronian province (comprising

Figure 2. Beached shell of the deepwater pelagic ramshorn squid Spirula spirula.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

the east coast of Tasmania and NSW), while the other (N. atramentosa) is characteristic of the Maugean province, comprising the Bass Strait coasts of Tasmania and Victoria. Additional putative examples of Peronian species in the local fauna are the top-shells Clanculus albanyensis and Clanculus dunkeri and the dove-shell Mitrella tayloriana, all of which are primarily known, in Tasmanian waters, from the Furneaux Group, rarely extending any further south or west. Similarly, the kelp-shell Phasianotrochus bellulus and the clam Katelysia peronii are characteristic species of Tasmania’s far north-east. Species more typical of the Maugean province and which more or less reach their easternmost limit around Lungtalanana Island include the watering-pot Humphreyia strangei, the trough-shell Mactra pura, the pheasant-shell Phasianella ventricosa, the rock-shell Haustrum baileyanum and the cowrie Notocypraea piperita. While nearly all shells washed up on the beaches belonged to coastal species,

the exceptions were the ‘bones’ of several species of cuttlefish, and the internal coiled shell of the ramshorn squid Spirula spirula (Figure2), a deepwater pelagic species whose empty shells float and can drift for many hundreds of kilometres.

Other invertebrates recorded During the current survey, a few species in two further groups were encountered: gastropods (snails) and decapods (crabs). They are documented here for the sake of completeness. Non-marine snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) Two land-snail species, Thryasona diemenensis (Charopidae) and Magilaoma sp ‘Tasmania’ (Punctidae), had been recorded from Lungtalanana prior to the current survey, but the island has not been thoroughly surveyed for land-snails, so it is likely that further species may also have been prsent

Figure 3. Burrow of the shore-crab Leptograpsodes octodentatus in a coastal seepage.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Chitonidae Chitoninae Ischnochitonidae Ischnochitoninae Nuculidae Arcidae - Arcinae Arcidae - Arcinae Arcidae - Arcinae

Sypharochiton pelliserpentis Ischnochiton australis Nucula pusilla Acar squamosa Barbatia metella Barbatia pistachia

Glycymerididae

Glycymeris radians radiant dog-cockle

Glycymerididae

Glycymeris striatularis Tucetona flabellata Lissarca rubricata Philobrya crenatulifera Philobrya rubra Brachidontes erosus

common dog-cockle

Gregariella barbata Modiolus areolatus Musculus impactus Mytilus galloprovincialis Xenostrobus pulex Ostrea angasi

hairy mussel

SG DM, SG SG PW, MR, SG SG

bearded horse-mussel

nesting mussel

Glycymerididae Philobryidae Philobryidae Philobryidae Mytilidae

Mytilidae Mytilidae Mytilidae Mytilidae Mytilidae Ostreidae Ostreinae Pectinidae Chlamydinae Pectinidae Chlamydinae Pectinidae Pectininae Vulsellidae Vulsellidae

SG SG

tiny nutlet-shell scaly ark-shell metella ark-shell hairy ark-shell

SG SG

reddish micromussel eroded beakedmussel

flea mussel common mud-oyster

queen scallop

Electroma papilionacea Vulsella ovata

common butterflyshell southern spongefinger pearly brooch-shell

Clavagellidae

Humphreyia strangei Cleidothaerus albidus

SB SG SG

blue mussel

king scallop

Hiatella australis

reddish micromussel scalloped micromussel

Pecten fumatus

Hiatellidae

PW, SG SG PW, SG SG

doughboy scallop

Neotrigonia margaritacea

fan-like dog-cockle

Equichlamys bifrons Mimachlamys asperrima

Trigoniidae

Cleidothaeridae

southern chiton

PW SG SG MR

SG PW

SG PW SG

SG MR, SG PW DM, SG SG PW, MR, SG SG

SG PW SG

PW, SG DM, MR, SG SG

SG SG

Spike Bay

South Head

Shevo Bay - N end

southern cryptdweller Strangeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s watering-pot white rock-clam

Sandy Lagoon

Moriarty Bay

Maclaines Bay

SG SG

Kangaroo Bay to Seal Point

Dip Point to Black Rocks

Black Point

Black Point - saline lagoon to W

snakeskin chiton

Black Point - beach to S

Common name

Black Point - beach to N

Species

Allens Point - beach to W

Family

Lungtalanana Island (unlocalised)

Table 2. Coastal marine molluscs recorded from beaches around lungtalanana. ALA: records from the Atlas of Living Australia; DW: David Wilson, 1971; DM: Dianne Marthick, January 1992; MR: Margaret Richmond, 1990s; PW: Penny Wells, September 1990; SG: Simon Grove, December 2014.

PW, SG SG SG

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

Acrosterigma cygnorum Centrocardita rosulenta Cardita aviculina

excavated false-cockle

PW, SG SG

splashed false-cockle

Spisula trigonella

triangular trough-shell

Jaffa false-cockle

non-southern condylclam Tasmanian arc-mussel

SG SG

Bernard’s legrandina

flat-grooved neolepton Helm’s lepton southern lasaea pierced lepton

SG SG SG SG

wedge-shaped lepton

Tate’s lucine

PW, SG DM PW, SG DM, MR

Atactodea wedge-shaped cuneata wedge-shell Paphies elongata elongate wedge-shell Soletellina biradiata

double-rayed sunsetshell

Merisca margaritina Pseudarcopagia victoriae Dosinia victoriae

pearly tellin

SG SG

Victorian dosinia

Katelysia ridged venus rhytiphora Katelysia scalarina stepped venus

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Spike Bay

South Head

Shevo Bay - N end

PW PW

PW PW PW

SG SG SG

SG SG PW

Victorian tellin

cardita-like boringvenus Peron’s venus

Sandy Lagoon

Moriarty Bay

white trough-shell

Katelysia peronii

Maclaines Bay

rosy false-cockle

Mactra pura

Irus carditoides

Kangaroo Bay to Seal Point

Mactridae Mactrinae Mactridae Mactrinae Mesodesmatidae Mesodesmatinae Mesodesmatidae Mesodesmatinae Psammobiidae

Tellinidae Arcopagiinae Tellinidae Arcopagiinae Veneridae Dosiniinae Veneridae Tapetinae Veneridae Tapetinae Veneridae Tapetinae Veneridae Tapetinae

Dip Point to Black Rocks

Myrtea botanica Botany Bay lucine Wallucina assimilis common mud-lucine

Galeommatidae

Black Point

oblique cockle

Lucinidae Lucinidae

Galeommatidae Galeommatidae Galeommatidae

Black Point - saline lagoon to W

Lucinidae

Neoleptonidae

DW MR

Purpurocardia bimaculata Carditella jaffaensis Condylocardia notoaustralis Gaimardia tasmanica Legrandina bernardi Neolepton planiliratum Arthritica helmsi Lasaea australis Melliteryx acupuncta Mysella donaciformis Epicodakia tatei

Cyamiidae

Black Point - beach to S

Laternula creccina elongated lanternshell Fulvia tenuicostata thin-ribbed cockle

Black Point - beach to N

Laternulidae Cardiidae Laevicardiinae Cardiidae Trachycardiinae Carditidae Carditamerinae Carditidae Carditinae Carditidae Venericardiinae Condylocardiidae Carditellinae Condylocardiidae Condylocardiinae Cyamiidae

Common name

Allens Point - beach to W

Species

Lungtalanana Island (unlocalised)

Family

DM, PW, MR, SG

PW, SG SG SG SG

PW SG

SG SG SG

Bassina pachyphylla Tawera gallinula

faintly-frilled venus

Tawera lagopus

banded venus

Eoacmaea calamus Lottia mixta

delicate limpet

PW SG

mixed limpet

PW, SG SG SG

Lottiidae Lottiinae Lottiidae Lottiinae Lottiidae Lottiinae Lottiidae Lottiinae Lottiidae Patelloidinae

Notoacmea corrodenda Notoacmea flammea Notoacmea petterdi Patelloida alticostata

feathered venus

PW, SG

Petterd’s limpet tall-ribbed limpet

Lottiidae Patelloidinae Nacellidae

Patelloida latistrigata Cellana solida

Patellidae

Scutellastra Chapman’s limpet chapmani Scutellastra peronii scaly limpet Phasianella angasi Angas’s pheasant-shell

SG SG

lateral-striped limpet orange-edged limpet

SB SG SG

painted-lady pheasantshell

SB SG

Phasianellidae Phasianellinae

Phasianella ventricosa

swollen pheasant-shell

Phasianellidae Tricoliinae Haliotidae

Tricolia rosea

rosy pheasant-shell

Haliotidae Haliotidae Fissurellidae Emarginulinae Fissurellidae Emarginulinae Fissurellidae Emarginulinae Fissurellidae Emarginulinae

Haliotis rubra Haliotis scalaris emmae Emarginula candida Hemitoma subemarginatum Montfortula rugosa Scutus antipodes

blacklip abalone Emma’s abalone

SG SG SG SG

rough notch-limpet common elephantsnail

DM, SG SG PW, MR PW SG

PW SG

SG PW

DM, SG SG PW, MR, SG DM, SG MR, SG SG

PW, SG SG PW SG SG SG SG MR SG SG PW

white notch-limpet giant notch-limpet

DM, SG SG MR, SG PW, MR, SG PW, SG SG MR, SG SG SG PW

Phasianella australis

Haliotis laevigata greenlip abalone

flame limpet

Patelloida insignis Maltese-cross limpet

corroding limpet

Lottiidae Patelloidinae

Patellidae Phasianellidae Phasianellinae Phasianellidae Phasianellinae

DM, PW, MR

Spike Bay

Veneridae Venerinae Veneridae Venerinae Veneridae Venerinae Eoacmaeidae

SB SG

South Head

milk-stone venus

Shevo Bay - N end

Venerupis galactites

Sandy Lagoon

Veneridae Tapetinae

Moriarty Bay

Common name

Black Point

Species

Maclaines Bay

Kangaroo Bay to Seal Point

Dip Point to Black Rocks

Black Point - saline lagoon to W

Black Point - beach to S

Black Point - beach to N

Allens Point - beach to W

Lungtalanana Island (unlocalised)

Family

SG SG SG

SG DM, MR PW, SG

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

100

pitted keyhole-limpet Tasmanian keyholelimpet

Granata imbricata tiled top-shell Herpetopoma speckled top-shell aspersum Calliostomatidae - Astele armillata jewelled top-shell Calliostomatinae Calliostomatidae - Astele rubiginosa ruddy top-shell Calliostomatinae Trochidae Gibbula hisseyiana Hisseyian kelp-shell Cantharidinae Trochidae Thalotia conica conical kelp-shell Cantharidinae

SG SG

Chilodontidae Chilodontidae

Trochidae Chrysostomatinae Trochidae Fossarininae Trochidae Monodontinae Trochidae Monodontinae Trochidae Monodontinae Trochidae Trochinae Trochidae Trochinae Trochidae Trochinae Trochidae Trochinae Trochidae Trochinae Trochidae Trochinae

Clanculus albanyensis Clanculus aloysii

Trochidae Trochinae Trochidae Trochinae Trochidae Trochinae Trochidae Trochinae Trochidae Umboniinae Turbinidae Skeneinae Turbinidae Skeneinae

Phasianotrochus bellulus Phasianotrochus eximius Phasianotrochus irisodontes Phasianotrochus rutilis Bankivia fasciata

SG SG

DM, SG SG PW, MR, SG SG

Spike Bay

South Head

SG SB SG ALA SB SG SG

MR, SG SG SG DM, SG SG PW, MR, SG PW

ALA

SG PW

PW, SG SG MR MR SG

beautiful kelp-shell

PW, SG SG MR, SG SG

choice kelp-shell

SG SG

Clanculus plebejus people’s top-shell

rainbow kelp-shell

pink-tipped kelp-shell

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Shevo Bay - N end

Point Nepean falsetop-shell tiny false-top-shell

SG SG

Albany top-shell

banded kelp-shell

Sandy Lagoon

Moriarty Bay

Maclaines Bay

Dip Point to Black Rocks

Kangaroo Bay to Seal Point

ribbed top-shell

Clanculus flamed top-shell flagellatus Clanculus limbatus keeled top-shell

SG PW

DM, SG MR, SG SG SG SG SG

short top-shell

tessellated top-shell

Saint Aloysius’ topshell Clanculus dunkeri Dunker’s top-shell

Brookula nepeanensis Lissotesta micra

DM, MR

Chlorodiloma chequered top-shell odonte Fossarina legrandi Legrand’s fossarina Austrocochlea brevis Austrocochlea constricta Diloma concameratum

Black Point

rayed keyhole-limpet

Black Point - saline lagoon to W

Amblychilepas javanicensis Cosmetalepas concatenatus Macroschisma tasmaniae

Black Point - beach to S

Fissurellidae Fissurellinae Fissurellidae Fissurellinae Fissurellidae Fissurellinae

Black Point - beach to N

Common name

Allens Point - beach to W

Species

Lungtalanana Island (unlocalised)

Family

PW, SG SG SG SG

MR SG SG

SG SG

Bellastraea aurea golden star-shell Bellastraea squamifera Lunella undulata

scaly star-shell

Neritidae Neritinae Neritidae Neritinae

Nerita atramentosa Nerita melanotragus

western black nerite

Batillariidae

Zeacumantus diemenensis

common mudcreeper

Cerithiidae Bittiinae

Cacozeliana granaria

grainy creeper

Dialidae Litiopidae Turritellidae Turritellinae Calyptraeidae

Diala suturalis Alaba monile Maoricolpus roseus Maoricrypta immersa Eatoniella melanochroma Eatoniella puniceolinea Notocypraea angustata Notocypraea comptoni

sutured diala spotted alaba New Zealand screwshell common slipperlimpet blackish eaton-shell

Eatoniellidae Eatoniellidae Cypraeidae Cypraeovulinae Cypraeidae Cypraeovulinae Cypraeidae Cypraeovulinae Cypraeidae Cypraeovulinae Epitoniidae

Littorinidae Lacuninae Littorinidae Lacuninae

Notocypraea declivis Notocypraea piperita Epitonium minorum Opalia australis Opalia granosa Fusceulima perexigua Bembicium auratum Bembicium nanum

Littorinidae Lacuninae Littorinidae Littorininae

Bembicium melanostoma Afrolittorina praetermissa

Epitoniidae Epitoniidae Eulimidae

SB SG

wavy turban SB

SG SG

Spike Bay

South Head

Sandy Lagoon

Moriarty Bay

Maclaines Bay

Kangaroo Bay to Seal Point

Dip Point to Black Rocks

Black Point

Shevo Bay - N end SG

SG SG

SG SG MR PW

SG SG

freckled cowrie

peppered cowrie

lesser wentletrap southern wentletrap grainy wentletrap tiny urchin-snail

black-mouth conniwink checkered australwink

DM, PW, MR, SG DM, PW, MR, SG DM, PW, MR, SG SG SG SG

Comptonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cowrie

striped conniwink

DM, SG MR, SG SG

puniceolineate eatonshell brown cowrie

estuarine conniwink

PW, SG SG SG SG SG

eastern black nerite

Black Point - saline lagoon to W

Lodderena minima smallest false-top-shell

Black Point - beach to S

Turbinidae Skeneinae Turbinidae Turbininae Turbinidae Turbininae Turbinidae Turbininae

Black Point - beach to N

Common name

Allens Point - beach to W

Species

Lungtalanana Island (unlocalised)

Family

MR DM, PW, MR SG SG DM, SG MR

SG SG

MR SB SG SG

DM, SG SG PW, MR, SG PW, SG SG SG DM, SG PW, MR

PW SG

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

101

102

Anabathridae Anabathridae Anabathridae Anabathridae Anabathridae Anabathridae Rissoidae Rissoinae Rissoidae Rissoinae Rissoidae Rissoinae Rissoidae Rissoinae Rissoidae Rissoinae Rissoidae Rissoininae Truncatellidae Truncatellinae Ranellidae Cymatiinae Ranellidae Cymatiinae Ranellidae Cymatiinae Ranellidae Cymatiinae Ranellidae Cymatiinae Newtoniellidae Ataxocerithiinae Hipponicidae

Lironoba australis southern rice-shell

Lironoba unilirata single-grooved riceshell Merelina latticed rice-shell cancellata Onoba australiae Australian rice-shell

SG SG

Truncatella scalarina Cabestana spengleri Sassia bassi

laddered truncatella

PW, SG SG

Spengler’s rock-whelk

Bassian rock-whelk

pink-tipped rockwhelk Sassia subdistorta distorted rock-whelk

SG SG SG

warted rock-whelk

PW, SG SG SG PW

Ataxocerithium square-mouthed falseserotinum creeper Antisabia foliacea leafy bonnet-limpet

Cominella eburnea

southern ribbedcowrie captured worm-shell common worm-shell ivory whelk

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Sassia eburnea

Petaloconchus caperatus Serpulorbis sipho

Spike Bay

SG SG

Vermetidae Vermetinae Vermetidae Vermetinae Buccinidae Buccininae

South Head

banded rice-shell

Ellatrivia merces

Shevo Bay - N end

SG SG

Rissoina fasciata

Triviidae

Sandy Lagoon

Hipponix australis southern bonnetlimpet

Moriarty Bay

Jackson’s rice-shell

Hipponicidae

gentle false rice-shell dark brown false rice-shell Badepigrus chrysalis-like false pupoides rice-shell Pisinna approxima approximate false rice-shell Pisinna dubitabilis doubtful false riceshell Alvania strangei Strange’s rice-shell

Sassia verrucosa

Maclaines Bay

PW SG

Kangaroo Bay to Seal Point

umbilicated sand-snail

Dip Point to Black Rocks

Eunaticina umbilicata Amphithalamus jacksoni Anabathron lene Badepigrus badius

conical sand-snail

Black Point

banded australwink

Black Point - saline lagoon to W

Austrolittorina unifasciata Conuber conicus

Black Point - beach to S

Littorinidae Littorininae Naticidae Polinicinae Naticidae - Sininae

Black Point - beach to N

Common name

Allens Point - beach to W

Species

Lungtalanana Island (unlocalised)

Family

PW, SG SG DM, SG PW, MR, SG PW, MR PW

PW PW

PW SG

SG SG SG PW, SG SG MR, MR, SG SG

southern dove-shell

Mitrella semiconvexa

semiconvex dove-shell

Columbellidae Atiliinae Columbellidae Atiliinae Columbellidae Atiliinae Columbellidae Atiliinae Fasciolariidae Fasciolariinae

Mitrella tayloriana Taylor’s dove-shell

Costellariidae Costellariidae

white-based doveshell Pseudamycla milky-mouthed dovemiltostoma shell Pyreneola fulgida gleaming dove-shell Australian tulip-shell

Conus anemone

anemone cone

Austrodrillia beraudiana Guraleus australis Guraleus mitralis Duplicaria ustulata Austromitra analogica Vexillum acromiale Vexillum australe

Beraud’s turrid

Marginellidae Mesoginella Marginellinae pygmaeoides Mitridae - Mitrinae Mitra badia

SG SG

Spike Bay

South Head

Shevo Bay - N end

Sandy Lagoon

Moriarty Bay

DM, SG SG PW, MR, SG PW PW, SG SG PW, SG DM, SG SG MR, SG PW, MR, SG SG SG

analog ribbed-mitre

dark brown mitre

Maclaines Bay

pygmy margin-shell

southern turrid mitre-like turrid scorched auger

colourless mitre southern mitre

Kangaroo Bay to Seal Point

PW, SG MR, SG DM, SG SG PW, MR, SG SG SG

Nassarius compact dog-whelk compactus Nassarius pyrrhus pyrrhus dog-whelk Cancellaria lactea milky nutmeg-shell

103

PW, SG SG SG DM

Mitrella tenuis

Australaria australasia

Dip Point to Black Rocks

Columbellidae Atiliinae

Mestayer’s whelk

white-mouthed doveshell Port Lincoln doveshell pointed dove-shell

Mangeliidae Mangeliidae Terebridae Terebrinae Costellariidae

PW, SG SG SG SG

mandarin whelk

Mitrella leucostoma Mitrella lincolnensis Mitrella menkeana

Horaiclavidae

Clarke’s whelk

Columbellidae Atiliinae Columbellidae Atiliinae Columbellidae Atiliinae Columbellidae Atiliinae

Nassariidae Nassariinae Nassariidae Nassariinae Cancellariidae Cancellariinae Conidae

Black Point

lined whelk

Black Point - saline lagoon to W

Cominella lineolata Tasmeuthria clarkei Penion mandarinus Cumia mestayerae Mitrella austrina

Black Point - beach to S

Buccinidae Buccininae Buccinidae Buccininae Buccinidae Siphonaliinae Colubrariidae

Black Point - beach to N

Common name

Allens Point - beach to W

Species

Lungtalanana Island (unlocalised)

Family

PW, SG SG PW, SG SG PW, SG SG

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

104

Olividae Ancillariinae Olividae Ancillariinae Orbitestellidae Pyramidellidae Odostomiinae Pyramidellidae Pyramidellinae Pyramidellidae Turbonillinae Pyramidellidae Turbonillinae Rissoellidae Bullidae Haminoeidae Haminoeinae Haminoeidae Haminoeinae Retusidae Siphonariidae Siphonariidae

Siphonariidae Ellobiidae Pedipedinae Ellobiidae Pedipedinae Sepiidae Sepiidae Sepiidae Sepiidae Sepiidae Spirulidae

common cartrut-shell

SG SG

PW SG

knobbly rock-shell wavy volute

SG SG DM, SG SG PW, MR PW, SG SG SG

Lyria mitraeformis mitre-shaped volute

Waimatea obscura Amalda marginata Amalda oblonga

magpie volute-mitre

SG SG

margined olive

Orbitestella mayi Odostomia deplexa Hinemoa tasmanica Turbonilla fusca

May’s orbitestellid unwoven pyramidshell mask pyramid-shell

dusky pyramid-shell

oblong olive

Haminoea maugeansis Liloa brevis

SG SG

short bubble-shell Atkinson’s canoe-shell Stow’s siphon-shell common siphon-shell MR

Siphonaria funiculata Leuconopsis pellucidus Marinula xanthostoma Sepia apama Sepia braggi Sepia cultrata Sepia hedleyi Sepia novaehollandiae Spirula spirula

corded siphon-shell

SG SG

transparent airbreather delicate air-breather giant cuttlefish Bragg’s cuttlefish elongated cuttlefish Hedley’s cuttlefish New Holland cuttlefish common ramshornsquid

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

MR, SG

SG SG

tiny rissoella Botany Bay bubbleshell little bubble-shell

Retusa atkinsoni Pugillaria stowae Siphonaria diemenensis

Turbonilla mariae Maria’s pyramid-shell Rissoella micra Bulla quoyii

Spike Bay

South Head

Shevo Bay - N end

Sandy Lagoon

Moriarty Bay

Maclaines Bay

Kangaroo Bay to Seal Point

Phycothais reticulata Amoria undulata

Dip Point to Black Rocks

Muricidae Rapaninae Volutidae Amoriinae Volutidae Volutinae Volutomitridae

purple-mouthed rockshell triton-like rock-shell

Black Point

Bailey’s rock-shell

Black Point - saline lagoon to W

Haustrum baileyanum Haustrum vinosum Agnewia tritoniformis Dicathais orbita

Black Point - beach to S

Muricidae Haustrinae Muricidae Haustrinae Muricidae Rapaninae Muricidae Rapaninae

Black Point - beach to N

Common name

Allens Point - beach to W

Species

Lungtalanana Island (unlocalised)

Family

SG SG DM, SG SG PW, MR, SG

PW SG

SG SG SG SG SG SG

SG SG SG SG

SG SG

SG SG SG

SG SG SG SG

SG SG SG SG SG

(Kevin Bonham, pers. comm.). Nevertheless, it seems likely that the island has a depauperate fauna, especially in the aftermath of the intense fire, which is likely to have been lethal to most snails. Only two species - Microxeromagna lowei (Hygromiidae) and Scelidoropa officeri (Charopidae) were recorded during the present survey, both as charred shells in a single locality (along the track to Spike Bay) where the chances of these species persisting after the fire seem slim. The former is a feral species whose possible loss from the island’s fauna could, if anything, be considered a conservation gain; the latter is quite widespread in Tasmania. The widespread shallowwater aquatic snail Glyptophysa gibbosa (Planorbidae) was collected from ‘Freshwater Lagoon’ by Tim Kingston and Jeff Meggs during the 1998 survey. It was not noted in the current survey, but the island’s saline lagoons (Sandy Lagoon and the lagoon in the hinterland of Black Point) were found to support the aquatic snail Coxiella striata (Pomatiopsidae), a locally abundant specialist of this habitat in northern and eastern Tasmania. Crabs (Arthropoda: Crustacea: Decapoda) Two species of crab were recorded during the present survey. While many further species are undoubtedly also present around the island, the purpose of noting these two was because one, European green crab Carcinus maenas (Carcinidae) is a feral species that is increasingly common around the coast of Tamania; while the other, burrowing shore-crab Leptograpsodes octodentatus (Grapsidae) was found to be the excavator of deep burrows (Figure 3) that were commonly observed in coastal seepages and which might otherwise have been mistaken for those of burrowing-crayfish. Needless to say, no burrowing-crayfish were found on the island, though their presence in damp pockets remains a possibility and would be of conservation significance if confirmed. There is a record at TMAG of one further crab species from Lungtalanana Island: the freshwater crab Amarinus lacustris, recorded by John Whinray in

1979. Though there is no further locality information accompanying the record, it may have come from one of the inland lagoons, although the species also occurs intertidally.

Discussion In general, tides and currents around the island at the time of survey were not particularly conducive to the deposition of species-rich assemblages of empty shells. This was especially the case for fine shell-grit, which is the normal source of the micromollusc records that often constitute the majority of species in the regional coastal marine mollusc fauna. Nevertheless, the list of species for the island is now quite extensive, and it is clear that local assemblages show characteristics of the two biogeographic provinces that meet in the vicinity of Banks Strait. This is best illustrated by the partially overlapping ranges around lungtalanana of both of Tasmania’s species of black nerite, one of which is characteristic of the Peronian province (comprising the east coast of Tasmania and NSW), while the other is characteristic of the Maugean province, comprising the Bass Strait coasts of Tasmania and Victoria.

Acknowledgements With thanks to the Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust for funding the survey; to the team at Nature, Conservation and Heritage for coordinating it; and to NZ volunteers Charlotte Penniket and Jess Earnshaw for help with fieldwork. For assistance with specimen identification, thanks go to Dr Kevin Bonham (both of the snails).

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

105

106

lungtalanana AMPHIBIAN AND CHYTRID SURVEY Sam Thalmann Introduction Amphibian species previously recorded on lungtalanana are restricted to the brown tree frog (Litoria ewingii), Eastern banjo frog (Limnodynastes dumerilii), brown froglet (Crinea signifera) and southern toadlet (Pseudophryne semimarmorata) (Natural Values Atlas DPIPWE, 2015).

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

107

Given the relative size of lungtalanana (as Tasmaniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 8th largest island), availability of permanent water bodies, composition of vegetation communities and its close proximity to islands with higher recorded amphibian diversity, this paucity within the amphibian fauna may result from a lack of survey effort rather than reflecting the true distribution. Further survey work is required to provide clarity upon the presence/absence of amphibian fauna on lungtalanana. Chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) has been linked to the decline of amphibian species worldwide (Berger et al. 1998). First detected in Tasmania in 2004, research has found a number of potentially at-risk species (Philips et al. 2010). Surveys for chytrid fungus have not been conducted on lungtalanana, although the presence of the disease was confirmed on nearby Flinders Island in 2012 (Natural and Cultural Heritage Division, 2014). Accurate and

up to date knowledge on the distribution, prevalence and strain type of B. dendrobatidis is a key aim within the Tasmanian Chytrid Management Plan (Philips et al. 2010) in its efforts to restrict the spread and minimise the impact of chytrid fungus. The aim of the present survey was to update the presence/absence of amphibian species on lungtalanana, and to perform a preliminary assessment of the chytrid status for amphibian on lungtalanana.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

108

Methods Amphibian presence was determined though visual observations of frogs and tadpoles. Chytrid surveys were restricted to hand captured frogs. Vinyl gloves were worn for handling and changed between individuals. Fungal swabs were collected by gently rolling a sterile fine-tip swab (MW100, Medical Wire and Equipment) twice over their ventral, dorsal and lateral surfaces (Pauza and Driessen, 2008). All individuals were released at the capture site. Swabs were stored within sterile

Figure 1. The brown tree frog Litoria ewingii (Jesse Williams).

containers at room temperature until analysis. Each sample was analysed using Taqman real-time PCR assay at Tasmania Animal Health Laboratory, Launceston. Field equipment was minimised throughout the survey and strict hygine protocols followed in accordance with disease control (Phillott et al. 2010).

Results Amphibians were recorded opportunistically across lungtalanana. Four species were recorded: brown tree frog (Litoria ewingii) (Figure 1), Eastern banjo frog (Limnodynastes dumerilii)(Figure 2), brown froglet (Crinea signifera) and southern toadlet (Pseudophryne semimarmorata)(Figure 3). In particular a number of permanent water bodies showed high densities of C. signifera and L. ewingii. Four chytrid surveys were conducted at three sites (Table 1). A total of 20 chytrid swabs from three species all returned a negative result to chytrid PCR (Figure 4).

Discussion and Recommendations Our findings are consistent with previous descriptions of the amphibian fauna on lungtalanana. The four species recorded here are described as being common and widespread throughout Tasmania. Further investigations using nocturnal amphibian call surveys would be required to be confident of absence records, and detect the possible presence of other potentially threatened species (such as L. raniformis) as detected on nearby Flinders Island. Due to the small number of chytrid samples care must be exercised in declaring survey sites on the island free from chytrid fungus. While the key target

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Table 1. Chytrid sample results. Date

Site

Species and number

Chytrid status

Easting

Northing

3/12/2014 5/12/2014

Homestead Shevo Bay lagoon Homestead Airstrip

Limnodynastes dumerilii (x4) Litoria ewingii (x1), Crinea signifera (x5) Crinea signifera (x1) Limnodynastes dumerilii (x5), Litoria ewingii (x5)

Negative Negative

595568 601995

5514638 5510601

Negative Negative

595568 595449

5514638 5514005

7/12/2014 9/12/2014

Figure 2. An Eastern banjo frog Limnodynastes dumerilii (Simon Grove).

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

109

110

species for testing during our survey (L. ewingii and C. signifera) are reservoir species for the disease, they are just as likely to become infected and to carry the fungus as more susceptible species (Philips et al. 2010). As these species are sometime more detectable than other susceptible species they are good species to measure chytrid presence. While effective biosecurity should be a priority for all small offshore island to protect their biodiversity, until further surveys provide reasonable confidence of the chytrid status of the island, a precautionary principle should be implemented with strict inter and intra island biosecurity to reduce the likelihood of transmitting chytrid and other pathogens, weeds and pests.

Acknowledgements Thanks to the Hamish Saunders survey team who assisted in the fieldwork for this project. Thanks also to Annie Phillips who facilitated the analysis of the Chytrid samples and provided input into the discussion.

The presence of a number of permanent water drainages, ponds and wetlands suitable for Tasmanian species in association with the size of the island makes it a suitable refuge, and potentially a site for the translocation of insurance populations of threatened amphibians at risk from Chytridiomycosis.

Figure 3. Dorsal and ventral surface of a southern toadlet Pseudophryne semimarmorata (Jordy Gregg).

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

References

111

Berger, L., Speare, R., Daszak, P., Green, D., Cunningham, A., Goggin, C., Slocombeh, R., Ragan, M., Hyatt, A., McDonald, K., Hines, H., Lips, K., Marantellim, G., & Parkes, H. (1998). Chytridiomycosis causes amphibian mortality associated with population declines in the rain forests of Australia and Central America. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 95(15), 9031-9036. Natural Values Atlas (2015). (www.naturalvaluesatlas. tas.gov.au), 27/03/2015, ÂŠ State of Tasmania. Natural and Cultural Heritage Division (2014). Flinders Island: Natural Values Survey 2012. Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust, New Zealand and Natural Cultural Heritage Division, DPIPWE, Hobart. Nature Conservation Report Series 14/1. Pauza, M., & Driessen, M. (2008). Distribution and potential spread of amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Department of Primary Industries and Water.

Figure 4. Jess and Charlotte taking chytrid swabs (Matt Pauza)

Phillott, A., Speare, R., Hines, H., Skerratt, L., Meyer, E., McDonald, K., Cashins, S., Mendez, D. & Berger, L. (2010). Minimising exposure of amphibians to pathogens during field studies. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 92(2-3), 175-185. Philips, A., Voyles, J., Wilson, D., Driessen, M. (2010). Tasmanian Chytrid Management Plan. Hobart. Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

112

TERRESTRIAL MAMMALS OF lungtalanana WITH ADDITIONAL NOTES ON REPTILES Matthew Pauza Introduction There have been few detailed inventories of the terrestrial mammals of lungtalanana. Previous studies have recorded mammals opportunistically during broader vegetation surveys on the island (Harris and Reimer 1994), with no defined studies undertaken of the mammal fauna since 1966 (Winray 1971) and prior to that, the early 1900â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Le Souef 1929). Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

113

Humans have had and continue to have a significant influence on the mammal fauna on the island. In 1797 following the wreck of the Sydney Cove the crew of the salvage ship and later the explorer Matthew Flinders collected the type specimen of the Common wombat Vombatus Ursnus from lungtalanana (Harris and Reimer 1994). Soon after the island was colonised and the impact of Europeans land management practices, changing fire regime, introduced species and harvest for consumption and fur, resulted in the localized extinction of larger mammals including the Common wombat and Red-necked wallaby Macropus rufogriseus, from the island (Harris and Reimer 1994). Smaller mammals also appear to have suffered the same fate with no evidence for previously recorded species including the white footed dunnart Sminthopsis leucopus, swamp antechinus Antechinus minimus, Short-beaked echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus and long-nosed Potaroo

Potorous tridactylus since the late 1800â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and early 1900â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Harris and Reimer 1994) (Winray 1971) (Le Souef 1929). Domestic and feral mammals have also shaped the islands fauna, with sheep, cattle and goats released on the island for agricultural purposes in the 1800â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Following the establishment of grazing, rabbits were deliberately released in 1928 and rapidly grew to plague proportions (Harris and Reimer 1994). In an effort to control the growing rabbit problem large numbers of domestic cats were released across the island (Winray 1971) (Harris and Reimer 1994). Previous and historical records of reptiles are very limited for island. Search on the NVA 2015 showed records for a number of common reptiles. Here I will report on the results of a terrestrial mammal survey of lungtalanana. The size of the island, the need to

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

114

undertake repeated survey effort at each site, and requirement to access all traps in a timely manner resulted in a restricted area of survey to the northern portion of the island. Specifically, the surveys aimed to determine the presence, or otherwise of the small to medium sized mammals historically recorded on the island and to assess the presence and extent of rabbits and cats in the northern portion of the island

Figure 1. Mammal trapping survey effort on lungtalanana.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Methods Mammals were surveyed using camera trapping, livetrapping with both Elliot and mascot traps, pitfall traps, spotlight and Forward Facing Infra-Red (FLIR), harp traps and observations of mammals and their sign

Live trapping

Harp trapping

All trapped animals were released at the point of capture. No animals were marked or harmed, with all mice and rats handled to permit identification to species level.

A single harp trap was alternated between two survey sites for the duration of the survey period. Both sites were located in the western portion of the island (figure 1) and provided ideal flyways within unburnt vegetation and nearby water sources.

Cage and Elliot traps Cage traps (20*20*56cm, Mascot Wireworks) and aluminum Elliott traps (11*11*33cm, Elliott Scientific) were used to live trap mammals. Elliot traps were baited with peanut butter and rolled oats balls. Cage traps were baited with peanut butter sandwiches with sesame oil sprayed over the bread. Traps were sheltered from the elements and leaf litter was supplied in the traps for bedding. Traps were set on the 3rd and 4th December and collected on the 8th and 9th of December. Five trapping sites were established across the island (figure 1) in areas that maintained a mosaic of burnt and unburnt vegetation, with one site surrounding an ephemeral wetland. The size of these mosaic patches was relatively small, varying from approximately 200m2 to 2500m2. At each site a series of 5 Elliot traps and 3 cage traps spaced between 10- 20 m apart. Three additional cage traps were placed around the residence and out buildings in an effort to capture feral cats that had been seen in the area. Pitfall trapping Two pitfall trap lines were established during the survey period between 3rd and 4th December an on the 8th and 9th of December (figure 1). Each trap consisted of approximately 15 meters of drift fence with 5 pit buckets along its length. Sponges were supplied in each pit bucket to provide shelter and refuge in case of heavy rain and flooding of the bucket. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s likely a range of reptiles and amphibians will also be captured in the pitfall traps, with any captures summerised in the results

Observational surveys Camera trapping Eight Reconyx (Hyperfire) cameras were deployed at 10 sites across the island (figure 1). Cameras were attached to suitable trees at a between 0.5m and 1m above the ground. Cameras were baited with sesame and tuna oil poured over disturbed ground, with baits placed between 1.5 and 2.5 m from the camera. Cameras were set to take a single photo at 10 second intervals after triggering. To extend battery life, cameras were set to function during night hours only. This may have limited the number of species detected but was determined to be a suitable tradeoff for extending the survey period. Spotlight and FLIR surveys Spotlight and FLIR surveys were undertaken throughout the open and lightly wooded areas in the central western portion of the island. The FLIR was used intermittently to scan open areas species that are not easily detected with spotlight. Other mammal and sign observations All survey staff were asked to record any observations of terrestrial mammals while conducting work on the island. Island residence and indigenous ranger staff were also asked to record any mammal sign and were also asked what mammals were known to inhabit the island.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

115

116

Results Mammals Live trapping produced an adequate capture rate for the effort provided but detected only four species of mammal (Table 1). The most common species trapped at all sites was the introduced House mouse Mus musculus and Black rat Rattus rattus. No bats were captured over the seven trap nights and none where recorded flying at dusk or dawn. Discussions with the island caretaker suggest micro-bats were commonly seen flying in previous years but none had been seen in the recent past. Observational surveys allowed the detection of species that are either in low abundance on the island or that are difficult to trap. Camera trapping detected the same relatively low diversity of mammal species as live trapping (Table 2). The most common native mammal captured by camera trapping was Tasmanian pademelon Thylogale billardierii (Figure 2).

No additional species were detected by spotlighting and FLIR surveys. Unfavorable weather conditions and time constraints reduced the time available to undertake these techniques more broadly across the island. Observations of mammal sign was recorded by all staff and participants of the survey, with four additional mammal species (European rabbit Oryctologus cuniculus, European cattle Bos Taurus, Domestic cat Felis catus Figure 3). and Goat Capra hircus) recorded from scats and skeletal remains. It remains unclear if rabbits, cattle or goats remain extant on the island with no evidence of live individuals recorded during the survey period or reported by the island care taker.

Figure 2. Tasmanian pademelon Thylogale billardierii captured by camera trapping.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Reptiles and Amphibians Eight species of reptile Mountain dragon Rankina Dimensis, Three-lined skink Bassiana duperreyi, Metallic skink Niveoscincus metallicus, Bloached blue-tongue Tiliqua nigrolutea, Tiger snake Notechis scutatus, White lipped snake Drysdalia coronoides and Copper head snake Austrelaps superbus and three species amphibian Banjo frog Limnodynates dumerilli, Common froglet Crinia signifiera and Southern toadlet Pseudophryne semimarmorata were detected from the pitfall trapping.

Discussion Mammals We recorded evidence of eight species of terrestrial mammal on lungtalanana, with six of these species being classified as introduced animals. The two native species recorded represent only 20% of the native mammal fauna previously recorded from the island. For its size and diversity of habitats the island appears to be depauperate in ground dwelling mammal species and it remains unclear why this is the case. Undoubtedly, hunting in the early 1900â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s had a significant part in the extinction of both the Common

Figure 3. Rabbit scat detected in grassland vegetation in the center of the island (Aine Nicholson).

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

117

118

wombat and Bennetts wallaby, however the absence of small mammals previously recorded on the island remains confusing (Winray 1971). A key factor that may have influenced the persistence of these species is fire. Many small mammal species rely on a regular but patchy fire regime to provide a mosaic habitat regime (Harris and Reimer 1994). Burning on the island is likely to have changed significantly over the past century to a regime of larger, less regular pattern (Harris and Reimer 1994). Together with the introduction of introduced species (ie. domestics cats, house mice and black rats) the change in fire regime may have been enough to push the small mammals to apparent extinction on the island and its possible the recent large fire on the island played a significant role

in this process. The absence of microchiropteran bats on the island may similarly be in-part due to changes in fire regime, specifically the recent large fire on the island. Unfavorable weather conditions during the survey period could have also played a significant role in the absence of these species. Unlike ground dwelling mammals, bats can easily re-colonise from adjacent islands.

Table 1. Summary of live trapping effort and results. Site

Co-ordinate

Easting 0601992

0600646

0599172

0598518

5513702

0596734

5514121

0595273

PIT 1

PIT 2

Trap type

Northing 5510544 Elliot and Cage trap 5511999 Elliot and Cage trap 5513063 Elliot and Cage trap

Number of Effort traps 5 Elliott, 3 cages 5 Elliott, 3 cages 5 Elliott, 3 cages

40 trap nights 40 trap nights 40 trap nights

5515043

Elliot and Cage trap Elliot and Cage trap Cage traps

5 Elliott, 3 cages 5 Elliott, 3 cages 3 cages

0595067

5514910

Pit fall

1 line with 5 buckets

40 trap nights 40 trap nights 15 trap night 5 trap night

0595515

5512861

Pitl fall

1 line with 5 buckets

4 trap night

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

# captures

Species captured Common name House mouse Black rat House mouse

Species name Mus musculus Rattus rattus Mus musculus

5 2 7

House mouse Tasmanian pademelon Black rat House mouse Tasmanian pademelon House mouse

Mus musculus Thylogale billardierii Rattus rattus Mus musculus Thylogale billardierii Mus musculus

4 2 1 8 1 4

Water rat Black rat House mouse Metallic skink Mountain dragon Banjo frog Common froglet House mouse Metallic skink Threeâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;lined skink White lipped snake Common froglet Toadlet ?

Hydromys chryogaster Rattus rattus Mus musculus Niveoscincus metallicus Rankina diemensis Limnodynastes dumerilii Crinea signifera Mus musculus Niveoscincus metallicus Bassiana duperreyi Drysdalia coronoides Crinea signifera Pseudophryne sp.

2 3 3 5 2 4 2 2 2 4 1 5 1

Despite scat and skeletal evidence for the presence of goats, cattle and rabbits on the island we did not detect any of these species during the survey period. This was further supported by the island caretakers, who had not observed any of these species on the island over proceeding years. Its likely goats are no longer present on the island with the skeletal remains found in a rocky cleft likely to have been there for many years. Scat from cattle appeared to be old and only present in small areas of heavily wooded unburnt vegetation. Nonetheless, given the presence of scat itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible a few individual cattle are still present. A single latrine site containing rabbit scat was recorded in an unburnt patch of grassland vegetation. Rabbit scats in these areas are unlikely to persist for long, so it can be assumed rabbits are still present on the island.

Reptiles The reptiles detected during the survey are commonly found throughout to the Furneaux island group. During the survey reptiles were detected predominately in areas of unburnt vegetation, around wetland areas and rocky outcrops. The amphibians detected are discussed within the amphibian section.

Table 2. Summary of camera trapping effort and results. Camera Site

Effort (Trap nights)

Co-ordinate

Easting 0602122

Northing 5510502

2 3

0600646 0599161

5511999 5513078

6 6

0598532

5513720

0598711

5514390

0596736

5514189

7 8 9

0600757 0601847 0595783

5514640 5515209 5512545

3 3 3

0595696

5513104

Photo count

Species detected Common name Tasmanian pademelon House mouse Tasmanian pademelon Tasmanian pademelon House mouse Tasmanian pademelon House mouse Black rat Tasmanian pademelon Feral cat Tasmanian pademelon Feral cat Nothing detected Nothing detected Tasmanian pademelon House mouse Tasmanian pademelon

Species name Thylogale billardierii Mus musculus Thylogale billardierii Thylogale billardierii Mus musculus Thylogale billardierii Mus musculus Rattus rattus Thylogale billardierii Felis catus Thylogale billardierii Felis catus

Thylogale billardierii Mus musculus Thylogale billardierii

10 320 576 257 132 436 261 93 325 3 512 1 0 0 57 268 93

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

119

120

Recommendations Given the result of the surveys on lungtalanana a range of recommendations are made for future work on the island, including: • Targeted surveys could be undertaken in disturbed and open habitats to confirm the presence, or otherwise of rabbits on the island. If the surveys support our findings, then the feasibility of rabbit eradication could be assessed. It appears given the current low abundance of rabbits on the island eradication would be feasible.

• Additional surveys could be undertaken to gather more detailed information on the feral cat population on the island (Figure 4). Using the network of tracks across the island more thorough camera trapping surveys could be used to determine the feasibility of cat control or eradication. With the implementation of any cat control the impacts on prey species, specifically house mice need to be addressed. • A feasibility analyses could be conducted to assess the risks and benefits of re–introducing the small and medium mammal assemblage that appears to have become extinct from the island. Restoring the mammal fauna of the island would require ongoing control and/or eradication of feral cats, rabbits and house mice. • A fire management plan should be developed and implemented for the island, large and intense burns as has recently occurred need to be avoided and are likely to have a negative impact on the mammal fauna of the island.

Figure 4. Feral cat as captured by camera trapping.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

References

121

Harris S. and Reimer A. (1994) Flora and Fauna of Clarke island, Furneaux group. Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania. Hope, J.H. (1973) Mammals of the Bass Strait Islands. In: Bass strait , its coast and islands. Proceedings Royal Society of Victoria. 85. Le Souef, A.S. (1929) Notes on some mammals from Bass Strait islands, including a new subspecies of Pseudocheirus. Australian Zoologist. 5 :329-332. Whinray, J.S. (1971). The present distribution of some mammals in the Furneaux group, Bass strait, Tasmania. Victorian Naturalist. 88 279-286

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

122

AVIFAUNA OF lungtalanana Sally Bryant and Sam Thalmann Summary A bird survey of lungtalanana in December 2014 identified 62 species, 24 of these were confirmed or suspected as breeding on the island and 7 were new records. While the bird fauna was comparable in diversity to previous surveys, bird numbers were significantly reduced due to the impact of recent fires decimating native vegetation and eliminating structurally complex habitats.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

123

While the seabird and shorebird fauna remained relatively intact with good numbers counted; foliage gleening, mid-storey and ground dwelling species were significantly impacted. lungtalananaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s close proximity to Cape Barren Island and Flinders Island will provide a ready source of many species once habitat becomes established so it is likely that much of the islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bird fauna will be replenished over time. The potential regeneration of eucalypts species after fire may in the future provide forest habitat on the island for hollow nesting species which to date has been limited. A range of management recommendations are provided to improve bird security and reestablishment over time.

Introduction lungtalanana, also known as Clarke Island in the Furneaux Islands, Bass Strait, has had many layers of human occupation all of which have influenced its bird fauna. There is much archaeological evidence showing Aboriginal occupation of the island in olden times, so it is likely that seasonal burning and harvesting of some bird species were regular pursuits of Aboriginal people (TAC 2004). Since the early nineteenth century a succession of European settlements, firstly by sealers and their families, then ship builders clearing for timber and then pastoralists farming sheep, would have influenced bird densities especially around the coast and in the most accessible reaches of the island. The earliest records of the islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bird diversity can be gleaned from a series of notes published by J.D.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

124

Maclaine in the journal Emu from 1903 to 1907. The Maclaine family held the lease on Clarke Island from 1862 until 1943 and these notes provide a valuable insight into the seasonal movements and breeding habits of many of the species on the island during those early years (Maclaine 1903, 1904a, 1904b, 1904c, 1905a, 1905b, 1906a, 1906b, 1907). For example Maclaine expresses concern at the ongoing plight of the Short-tailed Shearwater, describes the persistent nesting of a pair of Wedge-tailed Eagle despite fire disturbance, and the breeding of cryptic species like Painted Button-quail, Bassian Thrush and species of local interest such as shorebirds and the Cape Barren Goose. More recently John Whinray has published lists of the bird fauna of the outer Furneaux Islands including those seen during his visits to Clarke Island in 1979, 1981 (Whinray 1981) and again in 1982 (unpublished report). Nigel Brothers identified a total of 40 marine and land birds on nearby Spike Island, Battery Island, Low Islets, Moriarty Rocks, Forsyth Island and Passage Island during the 1980s and 1990s (Brothers et al. 2001). Of those 15 species were recorded breeding including Little Penguin, Sooty Oystercatcher and White-faced Storm Petrel. Low Islets Nature Reserve includes two small islets to the east of lungtalanana each about 4ha in area which were reserved primarily as a breeding site for Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus (PWS 2000) but contain a high diversity of other breeding species. The two rock stacks comprising Moriarty Rocks Nature Reserve are slightly smaller in size and hold important breeding and roost sites for Black-faced Cormorant and other species including White-fronted Tern and Pacific Gull (Brothers et al. 2001). Bryant surveyed Clarke Island in 1998 and observed 56 bird species during that trip and collated a total of 76 species from the literature (Bryant 1998). While a good diversity of species were observed, Bryant noted the absence of some key groups particularly those requiring mature forest for foraging or nesting

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

and wetland species like crake and rail that were absent due to the seasonally dry conditions. In December 2008 Rudman and Visoiu undertook a vegetation mapping reconnaissance to the island and observed 37 bird species but no associated information was provided (RMC 2008). Since 1995 the island has been owned and managed by the Tasmanian Aboriginal community and their restoration work and firing practices have continued to influence the avifauna. Works crews have kept regular diary entries of birds seen including those prior to the fires in February 2014.

Methods Bird surveys were undertaken from 3 to 10 Dec 2014 and most members of the HSMT team contributed observations. The island was well covered inland and coastally by foot and boat. Surveys included 10 minute bird counts and two hectare searches using the methodology of the Birds Australia Atlas of Australian Birds Project www.birdsaustralia.com.au recording all species by sight and sound within (or flying over) the search area during a 20 minute period. However, due to the recent extensive fires habitat could not be partition into habitat types, so this methodology was problematic. On-ground and boat based surveys counted shorebirds, seabirds and searched for nests, burrows and clear paths or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;runwaysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; leading from the water. The sandy beaches were surveyed for shorebirds by walking slowly along the entire length of the beach on the waterline and active searching for nests above the high tide mark. Boat based survey did not include these areas to avoid duplication of records. Replicate point counts of roosting Pelicans on Low Islets were made with binoculars from Shevo Bay. To determine penguin population estimates on Spike Island we followed methodology adapted from shearwater

Figure 1. Seabirds and shorebirds identified during a coastal survey of the island. 125

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

126

surveys (WMB, 2010). We surveyed two, 50 x 2m transect lines (T1 start -40.5484/ 148.1100, T1 end -40.5480/ 148.1103, T2 start -40.5499/ 148.1105, T2 end -40.5495/ 148.1102). Within these .01 ha areas, we recorded an average of 1 (range 1) active burrows. Colony size was determined by mapping the outer boundary with handheld GPS (Garmin GPSmap 60Cx) and the resultant polygon area determined with modelling environment software (version 0.7.2.0) in ARC GIS 10.1. Species nomenclature and taxonomy follows Christidis and Boles (2008). Site locations were marked using GPS in decimal latitude and longitude.

Results Table 1 contains a comprehensive list of 94 bird species recorded on lungtalanana and its nearby islands during this survey and from historical sources reported in the literature. During this 2014 trip, a total of 62 species were observed, of which 5 were endemic, 5 non-native and 7 were newly recorded for the island. Thirteen species were positively confirmed with nests, eggs or young and a further 11 species were inferred as breeding due to their paired behavior or sedentary nature; making at least 24 breeding species on the island in 2014. The highest diversity of bird species centered on the homestead and airstrip region as this was one of the few remnants that survived unburnt during the February fire. The sandy beaches and coastal fringe also supported good assemblages and densities of seabirds but across the remainder of the island, numbers were depauperate with few birds seen or heard. The results of coastal surveys for shorebirds and seabirds are provided in Table 2 and densities in Figure 1.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Seabirds Black-faced Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscescens were abundant throughout the rocky coastal sections of the island, particularly on the shallow north coast where foraging conditions are favorable. In this region group sizes ranging from 1 to 14 individuals were observed. Birds were often seen roosting on small outcropping rock stacks. Large roosting sites on rocks adjacent to Spike Island (n=98), the islands northwest tip (n=23) and on the northwest island of the Low Islet group (n=84) contributed to the total population estimate of over 250 individuals. No direct observations of breeding activity were observed. On two occasions Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus were observed flying overhead; with a group of three observed in Spike Bay, and a second group of four individuals observed on the north coast. Three point counts of the Low Islets were made from Shevo Bay on three separate occasions. Estimates of five, seven and eight birds were recorded. An onground survey subsequently surveyed a total of seven pelicans, all located on the western islet. These birds were roosting within a central area of the western Low Islet, with a subsequent investigation showing no evidence of nesting or recent breeding activity (Figure 2). Four species of terns were observed during the boat based survey. With a striking red bill, the Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest tern, was present at seven locations around the island. A total of 13 birds were observed with four pairs, two single animals and a group of three recorded. Caspian Terns were not recorded on the east coast, but distributed across the north and south east. An active nest containing 3 eggs was recorded on the Low Islets. The total population of White-fronted Tern Sterna striata was seven birds seen in two groups. A pair was observed south from Rebecca Bay, with a group of five individuals located on the offshore rocks at Seal Point in the northeast. These birds were viewed from

the zodiac and exhibited strong territorial behaviour with a hovering and swooping flight, associated with aggressive calling. A further two birds remained firmly on the ground, suggesting nesting behaviour. Three pairs of Fairy Tern Sternula nereis were observed on the north tip around the offshore rocks at Seal Point, and a pair of Crested Tern, Thalasseus bergii were seen at the southern tip of the island. Small roosting flocks of Silver Gull and Pacific Gull were scattered around the coast and on near inshore rocks. The coastal survey identified a population total of 86 Pacific Gull Larus pacificus along the coast of lungtalanana and its offshore islands. Along the main island coastline this species was observed in 15 locations, with most sites in the north. From these sites 70% (n=20 birds) of the observations were of pairs, with the remainder being individuals and a group of three. The offshore islets provided ideal habitat for Pacific Gulls with numerous birds on both the outer Spike Island (n=4 pairs) with two nests

observed, and the Inner Spike Island (n=2 pairs). Similarly the west and east islets within the Low Islet group had a high abundance of Pacific Gulls. In particular the southeast corner of the west islet showed a high abundance with over 36 individuals counted and at least six nests observed. Within the east islet a total of six individuals with one nest were observed. Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae were more abundant with a total of 128 counted within the survey and they showed a more cosmopolitan distribution around the island coastline. A search of the north and eastern coastline did not detect any burrows or runways of Little Penguin Eudyptula minor in tussock, scrub or rock cavities. As such penguin colonies are restricted to the offshore islands with Spike Islands and Low Islets surveyed for penguins within this survey. We determined the total area of penguin habitat at 2.41ha and 0.31ha for Outer and Inner Spike Island respectively. Using our derived density value of one active burrow per 0.1 ha

Figure 2. Australian Pelicans at Low Islets (Sam Thalmann).

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

127

128

we estimate the population at 241 and 31 breeding pairs for Outer and Inner Spike Island respectively. Density estimate were not determined for the Low Islets, although two penguin carcasses were located during the survey indicating their presence. We assessed the chick condition and breeding phenology for three active burrows on Spike Island. Two downy chicks were present within each active burrow and appeared to be in good body condition (Figure 3). Two beach-washed Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris carcasses were strewn along the tide-line near Browns Cove.

Shorebirds

Figure 3. Charlotte Pennekit assessing penguin body condition and breeding phenology at Spike Islands (Sam Thalmann).

Robust populations of Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis, Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus and Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris were breeding on sandy beaches around the coast and small flocks of migratory waders, especially Rednecked Stint Calidris ruficollis and Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres were observed coastally and on inland lagoons (Figure 4, Table 2). All the sandy beaches were surveyed and three of the four species of resident shorebird were confirmed breeding (Table 2). Red-capped Plover were recorded with small chicks (n=55 individuals), Hooded Plover (n=47 individuals) were on eggs and Pied Oystercatcher (n=40 individuals) were exhibiting aggressive nesting defense behavior. Pied Oystercatcher comprised 18 pair groups, a group of three individuals and a single individual were distributed over the north, east and west coasts, but absent from the west. Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuligonosus were distributed around the island, with birds occupying regularly spaced rocky headlands and shorelines. A total of 38 birds were counted, and generally observed as pairs (n=12) or singles (n=10), with a group of four observed on outcropping rocks at Seal Point, suggesting two pairs. No nests or chicks were seen however most birds exhibited territorial behavior when disturbed and flew to the adjacent territory boundary. As such a minimum of 15 breeding territories were recorded. Encroachment by marram grass Aminophila arenaria and coastal sea spurge Euphorbia paralias was rapidly removing breeding habitat on most beaches and causing a raised dune profile above the high tide mark. There is limited tidal mudflat habitat on lungtalanana but the inland lagoons especially Sandy Lagoon offer good foraging habitat when wet and a small flock of 57 Red-necked Stint were observed there. No flags or leg bands were detected.

Raptors

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Single birds of White-bellied Sea-eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster and Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax fleayii were foraging over the island. In particular, sea-eagles were seen repeatedly in the area around Spike Bay. Visual searches of this area were conducted during the coastal survey but no nest was found. No nesting habitat exists for either of these species and it is likely they are from Cape Barren Island. One pair of Swamp Harrier Circus approximans foraged daily over paddocks and burnt areas and these may be resident birds as extensive breeding habitat exists in tussock and bracken, which will improve over time. The population estimate was 2 birds (1 pair). One Brown Falcon Falco berigora regularly foraged over the tussock grassland, burnt woodland and coastally between Bullock Hill and Green Hill. Marginal breeding habitat exists on the island which is likely to be a limiting factor to this species establishing in the short to medium term. One pair of Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides were regularly observed foraging and hovering over burnt tussock around the

coast. While breeding habitat is limited the extensive grassland on the island is likely to sustain one pair in the short to medium term. A single Collared Sparrowhawk Accipiter cirrocephalus was observed flying through the burnt canopy immediately above the jetty at the homestead. Very vocal during its flight, this is a new record for this species on lungtalanana.

Understory species A range of understory and foliage feeding species were recorded, but number of individuals was extremely low. Birds were widely dispersed and habitat limited to small (usually < 1ha) copses of unburnt or partly burnt vegetation. For many species only one to two calls were heard and there was an absence of nearly all medium to large sized species. Small numbers of Grey Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa, Beautiful Firetail Stagonopleura bella, White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis and Tasmanian Thornbill Acanthiza ewingii were confined to unburnt vegetation around the homestead and airstrip precinct. Flame

Figure 4. Ruddy Turnstones (Simon Grove).

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

129

130

Robin Petroica phoenicea were the most widespread understory species and observed foraging on burnt stems over the island.

Ground nesting species Habitat for ground nesting birds comprised largely bracken and weed species. Brown Quail Coturnix ypsilophora occupied exotic grassland, burnt Poa tussock and the edges of low scrubby vegetation where they were heard calling and occasionally flushed in small coveys of up to 6-8 birds. Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles were recorded breeding in recovering wetland vegetation behind Black Point on the east coast (Figure 5). There were few records of the conspicuous Brush Bronzewing Phaps elegans, however, the Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae was more numerous and recorded breeding and using inland lagoons. Small flocks of Cape Barren Geese Cereopsis novaehollandiae were using exotic pasture and Poa

Figure 5. Masked Lapwing chick (Sam Thalmann).

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

tussock. Two runners (non-flying juveniles) were accompanying adults near Rebecca Bay and a disused nest at an inland lagoon confirmed breeding on the island. Highest densities occurred around the homestead and small flocks of 1 to 6 birds roamed in coastal bays and beaches. Similarly the Spike Islands had up to 6 breeding pairs. The population estimate was less than 30 birds.

Exotic species Five exotic bird species were recorded with Eurasian skylark Alauda arvensis probably the most abundant species on the island. Skylark were commonly seen hovering over degraded pasture and burnt tussock areas and frequently heard calling and performing aerial displays. No nests were found but the extent of burnt rough pasture and emerging weeds is suitable breeding habitat. Common Starling Sternus vulgaris were sighted in two locations. One pair were feeding young in a nest in

the roof cavity of the staff house, and a single bird was observed carrying sticks and grasses on rocks west of Browns Cove. Blackbird Turdus merula were using the vegetable garden as a food source and were active around the homestead precinct. Small numbers of European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis and Greenfinch Chloris chloris were heard calling around the homestead and airstrip area but it is unknown whether they are recent arrivals or have become established in past years.

Discussion lungtalanana continues to have a diverse bird fauna which is to be expected for a relatively large island of over 8,000 ha in size surrounded by numerous islets and rock stacks and with the larger Cape Barren Island and Flinders Island located nearby. Traditionally the island has always lacked some key groups due to its low elevation (<200 m), few structurally complex vegetation types especially mature forest, and its limited permanent freshwater water and reliance on seasonal rains. Absences include many waterfowl and wetland species, larger sized nectivorous and insectivorous trunk gleaning species, hollow nesting species like parrots and migratory shorebirds. Over the last 100 years, changes in grazing pressure, burning of the tussock grassland and establishment of feral cats is likely to have reduced or eliminated key ground nesting species like Painted Button Quail, grass wren, Bassian Thrush and some crakes or rail which have limited potential of re-invasion. This survey recorded 62 bird species on lungtalanana, 24 of which were confirmed with nests, eggs, chicks or inferred as breeding. On the surface this would suggest that the island is maintaining a robust bird fauna, however, the vast majority of land birds were represented by very few individuals often confined to isolated remnants or the homestead and airstrip area. The February fire caused almost the complete

destruction of native habitat on the island and subsequently decimated population densities. The most notable effects of the fire has been the increase in raptor species, reduction in midlayer species and the overall significantly reduced numbers of birds on the island probably by as much as 90%. The diurnal raptor guild has increased due to increased food availability and improved hunting conditions. The islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s large areas of tussock grassland are attractive to low foraging species like Kestrel, Swamp Harrier and Brown Falcon and are likely to consume any surviving ground birds seeking refuge. However, the resilience of some bird species and lungtalanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s close proximity to neighbouring feeder sites means that as habitat recovers many species will migrate and re-occupy available niches. The significance of this fire, however, puts at risk island unique species like Tasmanian Scrubwren and Tasmanian Thornbill that have limited dispersal ability and may have been confined to this island for thousands of years, evolving island sub-species status. An influx of predatory bird species and increased prey for feral cats means those bird species surviving the fire are exposed to increased risk of predation and breeding in sub-standard conditions. The island will recover but it will take many decades and will never be ecologically the same. Fortunately some groups have remained relatively robust. Seabirds, being highly mobile, appear to be unimpacted by fire and as such are doing well especially on offshore islets. While our density estimate for Spike Islands is derived from a small sample size, our population assessment of 241 and 31 breeding pairs is consistent with previous estimates of 250 and 50 pairs for Outer and Inner Spike Islands respectively (Brothers et al. 2001). Furthermore the high species diversity around sites such as Seal Point and at the Low Islets further supports the conservation importance of these offshore islets. The clear absence of recent breeding activity of the Australian Pelican

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

131

132

on the Low Islets may be environmentally related as reproduction in this species is highly correlated with environmental factors such as rainfall. Resident shorebirds continue to occupy and breed on the sandy beaches and rocky coastline in good numbers and take advantage of the inland sandy lagoons whether wet or dry. Migratory shorebird numbers are likely to be seasonal and fluctuate on an annual and longterm basis depending on global conditions and pressures.

Figure 6. Hooded plover nest (Simon Grove).

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Recommendations 1. A cat eradication program is a priority to reduce ongoing pressure on bird species recovering after fire. Cameras installed around the track network and homestead precinct may give an estimate of cat abundance for planned eradication efforts. 2. A fire management strategy is needed to ensure any future burns maintain a cool patchwork burning regime for the long term viability of tussock grassland for breeding seabirds and ground nesting birds. In the short to medium term, habitat around the homestead and airstrip needs priority protection from fire as it is a refuge and source point for species recovering after fire. Any rehabilitation of burnt areas should consider creating habitat by heaping burnt vegetation to provide refuge for ground dwelling species and promote seeding and invertebrate supply. 3. Remove the starlings nesting in the homestead roof cavities and blackbirds from the vegetable garden before numbers continue to build and they displace native bird species.

4. Ensure no disturbance or vehicle access onto inland lagoons especially Sandy Lagoon, as these are source points for shorebird breeding and for post breeding flocks and migratory species. 5. Marram grass and coastal sea spurge is limiting the fore and back dunes of sandy beaches as shorebird breeding habitat and any removal efforts would be advantageous (Figure 6). 6. As the only recorded breeding site for Australian Pelican, population monitoring on Low Islets can be performed by point counts from Shevo Bay. Establish population counts of these birds during the breeding season. 7. The rocky islets around Seal Point contain important habitat for the threatened Whitefronted Tern and care should be exercised not to create disturbance in this area. 8. lungtalanana is an important site to further investigate the taxonomy of Tasmanian Scrubwren and Tasmanian Thornbill as potentially unique island subspecies.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

133

134

References Bird Australia Atlas of Australian Birds Project www.birdsaustralia.com.au. Brothers, N., Pemberton, D., Pryor, H. & Halley, V. (2001) Tasmaniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Offshore Islands: Seabirds and other Natural Features. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart. Bryant, S.L. (1998) Birds of Clarke Island, Banks Strait. Tasmanian Bird Report 27, 13-16. Christidis, L. & W.E. Boles. (2008) Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne. Edgecombe, J. (1986) Flinders Island and Eastern Bass Strait. Published by author, Thornleigh, Sydney, NSW. Green, R. H. (1969) The Birds of Flinders Island. Records of the Queen Victoria Museum No. 34. Harris, S. (1980). Report on a reconnaissance survey of Clarke Island 8-10 September 1980. Internal Report to Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania. Harris, S. & Reimer, A. (1994) Flora and fauna of Clarke Island, Furneaux Group. Internal Report to Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania. Maclaine, J.D. (1903). Clarke Island (Bass Strait) notes. EMU 3:62-64. Maclaine, J.D. (1904a). Clarke Island (Bass Strait) notes. EMU 3:191-192. Maclaine, J.D. (1904b). Clarke Island (Bass Strait) notes. EMU 4:21-22. Maclaine, J.D. (1904c). Clarke Island (Bass Strait) notes. EMU 4:70. Maclaine, J.D. (1905a). Clarke Island (Bass Strait) notes. EMU 5:34-35.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Maclaine, J.D. (1905b). Clarke Island (Bass Strait) notes. EMU 5:174-175. Maclaine, J.D. (1906a). Clarke Island (Bass Strait) notes. EMU 5:208-209. Maclaine, J.D. (1906b). Clarke Island (Bass Strait) notes. EMU 6:67-68. Maclaine, J.D. (1907). Bass Strait notes. EMU 6:194195. Marchant, S. & Higgins, P.J. (1990) (Eds) Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Vol 1 Part A&B. RAOU. Oxford University Press, Australia. Magnus, Z. & Harris, S. (2004) Source documents for a management framework: Goose, Clarke and Cape Barren Islands. Nature Conservation Branch, Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Tasmania. PWS (2000). Small Bass Strait Island Reserves Draft Management Plan 2000. Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania. RMC (2008). lungtalanana (Clarke Island): Trip Report. Internal report RMC, Department Primary Industries, Parks, Wildlife and Environment, Tasmania. TAC (2004). lungtalanana Clarke Island. Its place in the long history of Aboriginal Land Ownership. Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania, Hobart. Whinray, J.S. (1981). A preliminary report on Clarke Island. Report to National Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania. WMB (2010). Establishment Report for DPIPWE Wildlife Monitoring Program â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Short-tailed Shearwater (muttonbird). Wildlife Management Branch, DPIPWE, Tasmania.

Table 1. Bird species recorded on lungtalanana and nearby islands from 1903 to 2014. Bird Species * endemic, # non-native

Sightings and notes this trip @ = confirmed breeding, ‡ = inferred breeding

Brown Quail Coturnix ypsilophora

Small coveys flushed homestead, airstrip and Green Hill Not recorded this survey Not recorded this survey @ - Small numbers with runners at Rebecca Bay @ - Maclaines Creek, Rebecca Bay with goslings, old nest at unnamed inland lagoon Not recorded this survey Not recorded this survey Not recorded this survey Coastal and inland waterways Few on Maclaines Creek Not recorded this survey Not recorded this survey

RMC, B, Br, W, H, M

One flushed Green Hill, very low numbers Not recorded this survey

RMC, B, W, HR, M M

2 beach washed near Browns Cove Not recorded this survey

B, Br, M Br

Not recorded this survey

@ Spike Island and Low Islets, population estimates given in text Small numbers offshore rocks coastally

Br, M

Small numbers offshore rocks coastally Not recorded this survey

W H, HR

Small numbers coastally on offshore rocks, pop estimate > 250 Few birds flying over Green Hill, 5 over Rebecca Bay One bird seen Maclaines Beach One bird flying over Maclaines Bay

RMC, B, Br, W, H, HR

Not recorded this survey Confirmed flying through re-vegetated understory canopy immediately above wharf at homestead. ‡-2 birds regularly seen foraging over burnt areas across island Single bird seen flying over ‡-Seen regularly foraging over burnt areas across island including the airstrip and near homestead, at least 2 birds Bird foraging over Green Hill Not recorded this survey Not recorded this survey

RMC, H, HR

#Feral Turkey Meleagris gallopavo Musk Duck Biziura lobata Cape Barren Goose Cereopsis novaehollandiae Black Swan Cygnus atratus Australian Shelduck Tadorna tadornoides Australasian Shoveler Anas rhynchotis Grey Teal Anas gracilis Chestnut Teal Anas castanea Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa #Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Hoary-headed Grebe Poliocephalus poliocephalus Brush Bronzewing Phaps elegans White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus Short-tailed Shearwater Ardenna tenuirostris White-faced Storm Petrel Pelagodroma marina Common Diving Petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix Little Penguin Eudyptula minor Little Pied Cormorant Microcarbo melanoleucos Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris Black-faced Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscescens Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus Collared Sparrowhawk Accipiter cirrocephalus Swamp Harrier Circus approximans Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides Brown Falcon Falco berigora Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus Eurasian Coot Fulica atra

Previous References

B W, M RMC, B, Br, HR, M RMC, B, W, H, HR, M W, M M W B, W, H, HR, M B, W, M B W

B, W

RMC, B, Br, W, H, HR RMC, W, HR, M B, Br, M

RMC, B, Br, HR B, HR, M

RMC, B, Br, W, HR, M M W

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

135

Bird Species * endemic, # non-native

136

Sightings and notes this trip @ = confirmed breeding, ‡ = inferred breeding

Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus ‡ - Small numbers coastally, often in pairs holding territories Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris @ – Most sandy beaches coastally Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus @ – Breeding on sandy beaches and inland lagoons Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis @ – Breeding on sandy beaches and inland lagoons Banded Lapwing Vanellus tricolor Not recorded this survey Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles @- Calling on airstrip and grassland, nest seen inland from Black Point Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa breviceps Single individual seen with flock of RCP on the north coast at -40.5386, 148.2216. Recorded on 2 separate occasions by different observers Latham’s Snipe Gallinago hardwickii Not recorded this survey Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres Small flock seen on north coast, and 16 counted just north of Black Point Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis 57 birds foraging on Sandy Lagoon, also coast west of Seal Point Painted Button-quail Turnix varius Not recorded this survey Fairy Tern Sternula nereis ‡- 3 pairs observed on the north tip around the offshore rocks at Seal Point. Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia @-2 birds at seven sites coastally, nest seen on Low Islets White-fronted Tern Sterna striata ‡- A pair were seen on the southern tip of the island, and a group of 5 observed on rocks at Seal Point Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii A pair were seen on offshore rocks on the southern tip Australasian Gannet Morus serrator Two birds feeding 200 m off Shevo Bay Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus Not recorded this survey Pacific Gull Larus pacificus @- Pairs & small flocks coastally, nests observed Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae Small flocks on beaches and rock stacks around the coast Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Small flock flying over homestead Calyptorhynchus funereus Galah Eolophus roseicapillus Few birds in a flock flying over homestead *Green Rosella Platycercus caledonicus 2 birds calling near homestead, limited breeding habitat Blue-winged Parrot Neophema chrysostoma 2 birds calling while flying over Green Hill Shining Bronze-Cuckoo Chalcites lucidus 1 bird calling Maclaines Bay Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis Calling near homestead Pallid Cuckoo Cacomantis pallidus Not recorded this survey Southern Boobook Ninox novaeseelandiae Not recorded this survey *Tasmanian Scrubwren Sericornis humilis @ – Using thickets around the homestead, breeding in rocks at Browns Cove *Tasmanian Thornbill Acanthiza ewingii ‡- Few around Maclaines Creek, airstrip and homestead Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla Not recorded this survey Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris Not recorded this survey

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Previous References RMC, B, Br, W, HR,M RMC, B, H, HR, M RMC, B, W, HR, M RMC, B, Br, W, H, HR,M RMC, W RMC, B, Br, W, H, HR, M

W Br, HR B B, W, M B B, Br, HR, M RMC, Br Br, H Br RMC, B, Br, W, HR, M RMC, B, Br, W, H, HR, M RMC, B, Br, W, H

Br B, W B, W RMC, H RMC, W, HR RMC, B, W, H W RMC, B, Br, H? B, M

Bird Species * endemic, # non-native

Sightings and notes this trip @ = confirmed breeding, ‡ = inferred breeding

White-fronted Chat Epthianura albifrons

Small flock at Moriarty Bay, 2 birds at Sandy RMC, B, Br, W, H Lagoon Not recorded this survey B, W, M

Tawny-crowned Honeyeater Glyciphila melanops *Yellow-throated Honeyeater Lichenostomus flavicollis Crescent Honeyeater Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae Olive Whistler Pachycephala olivacea Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonica Dusky Woodswallow Artamus cyanopterus Grey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus *Black Currawong Strepera fuliginosa Grey Currawong Strepera versicolor Grey Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa Forest Raven Corvus tasmanicus Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula Flame Robin Petroica phoenicea * Dusky Robin Melanodryas vittata Little Grassbird Megalurus gramineus Silvereye Zosterops lateralis Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena Tree Martin Petrochelidon nigricans Bassian Thrush Zoothera lunulata #Common Blackbird Turdus merula #Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris Beautiful Firetail Stagonopleura bella Australian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae #Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis #European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis #Common Greenfinch Chloris chloris

Previous References

Not recorded this survey

B, W, HR, M

1 bird called once above Browns Cove

RMC, B, Br, W, H, HR, M RMC, B, Br, W, HR

2 birds in thicket near Green Hill, not elsewhere Not recorded this survey One calling near homestead and at Sandy Lagoon Not recorded this survey Calling near homestead and inland lagoons, few birds Not recorded this survey One bird called near Sandy Lagoon Calling homestead area and Steep Hill, breeding habitat limited Not recorded this survey Few birds calling in thickets near homestead 20-30 seen near Green Hill, regularly seen and heard calling across island, breeding habitat limited Not recorded this survey Calling near homestead, Maclaines Bay and thickets across island ‡ - One bird calling Sandy Lagoon Not recorded this survey ‡- Small flocks in remnant thickets around island ‡- 2 – 4 birds homestead area and Sandy Lagoon Not recorded this survey Not recorded this survey @-In vegetable garden near homestead and nesting near Browns Cove @ – pair breeding in roof cavity of guest house ‡ - One calling behind homestead @ - airstrip, coastally and breeding on inland lagoons ‡ - Abundant on most burnt paddocks Grassland and thickets near homestead One bird calling near homestead

B, W, H, HR, M RMC, B, Br, W, H, M B, W RMC, B, W, H, HR, M RMC, H, M B, W, M RMC, H RMC, B, Br, W, H, HR RMC, B, Br, W, H, HR, M W B, Br, W, H, HR B, W, H Br RMC, B, Br, W, HR, M RMC, B, Br, W, HR B, Br W, M B, Br, W, H RMC, B, Br, W, H, HR B B, W RMC, B, Br, W, H, HR B, Br, HR Br

SOURCES: RMC-RMC 2008, Br-Brothers et al. 2001, B-Bryant 1998, HR-Harris & Reimer 1994, W-Whinray 1981, H-Harris 1980, M-Maclaine 1903 to 1907

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

137

138

Pacific Gull

Silver Gull

Ruddy T’stone

Red N’ Stint

Red C’Plover

Survey Site

Survey method

Lat

Long

Shevo Bay start

on ground

-40.5014

148.1301

nest with 0 3 eggs*

Shevo territory 1 Shevo territory 2

on ground on ground

-40.5543 -40.5679

148.2086 148.1969

2 (1 pair) 0 2 (1 pair) 2

0 0

0 3

Shevo territory 3

on ground

-40.5690

148.1960

Shevo territory 4

on ground

-40.5797

148.1923

6 birds

Shevo Bay end Shevo total Moriarty Bay start Moriarty Bay end

on ground

-40.5827

148.1958

0 4 0 0

0 0 0 4

0 0 0 0

0 3 0 0

Pied O’C

Hooded Plover

Sooty O’C

Table 2. Shorebird survey of the coast and inland lagoons of lungtalanana 3 – 10 Dec 2014.

-40.5870 -40.5891

148.1929 148.1849

10 0 0

Moriarty total Homestead to NE tip Boat based -40.4762 Homestead to NE tip Boat based -40.4769 MacLaines Beach on ground -40.5091

148.2427 148.2429 148.1274

0 0 0 4 (2 pair)

0 0 0 0

4 0 4 1

0 0 0 0

0 2 0 0

Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip

Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based

-40.4791 -40.4847 -40.4892 -40.4896 -40.4900

148.2471 148.2285 148.2240 148.1875 148.2242

0 0 0 0 0

0 2 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 1

0 0 8 0 0

0 0 0 0 0

25 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 2 0

Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip

Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based

-40.4904 -40.4925 -40.4926 -40.4930 -40.4930 -40.4940 -40.4950 -40.4955 -40.4956 -40.4962 -40.4981 -40.4981 -40.4982 -40.4995 -40.4998 -40.4999 -40.5000 -40.5003 -40.5004 -40.5006 -40.5006 -40.5006 -40.5008

148.1952 148.1813 148.1987 148.1820 148.1787 148.2231 148.1790 148.1770 148.1998 148.2218 148.1681 148.1690 148.2197 148.1597 148.1454 148.1390 148.1599 148.2059 148.1545 148.2170 148.1280 148.1591 148.1571

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2

0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0

2 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 4 0 0 2 0 1 0 0

on ground on ground

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Notes * pic of nest by M Pauza 6 chestnut teal 6 chestnut teal 2 Aust. Gannett feeding at sea

1 swamp harrier

2 Caspian Tern roosting on rocks

Greytailed Tattler also present

Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Kangaroo Bay Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip Homestead to NE tip total Homestead to Spike Islands Homestead to Spike Islands Homestead to Spike Islands Homestead to Spike Islands Homestead to Spike Islands Homestead to Spike Islands Homestead to Spike Islands Homestead to Spike Islands Homestead to Spike Islands Homestead to Spike Islands Homestead to Spike Islands Homestead to Spike Islands Homestead to Spike Islands Homestead to Spike Islands total Black Point and north Black Point and north Black Point and north Black Point and north Black Point and north Black Point and north Black Point and north Black Point and north Black Point and north Black Point and north Black Point and north Black Point and north Black Point and north Black Point and north Black Point and north total Spike Island to Moriarty Point

Pacific Gull

Silver Gull

Ruddy T’stone

Red N’ Stint

Red C’Plover

Lat

Long

Boat based Boat based on ground Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based

-40.5009 -40.5027 -40.5031 -40.5041 -40.5077 -40.5080 -40.5099 -40.5674

148.1554 148.2076 148.2104 148.1292 148.1282 148.1282 148.1245 148.1969

0 0 5 birds 0 0 2 0 0 17

2 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 19

0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 16

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 31

0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 20

Boat based -40.5141

148.1151

Boat based -40.5191

148.1040

Boat based -40.5202

148.1037

Boat based -40.5210

148.1029

Boat based -40.5230

148.1025

Boat based -40.5239

148.1021

Boat based -40.5485

148.1093

Boat based -40.5485

148.1097

Boat based -40.5486

148.1134

Boat based -40.5486

148.1122

Boat based -40.5310

148.0964

Boat based -40.5320

148.2300

Boat based -40.5325

148.2304

Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based Boat based

Hooded Plover

Sooty O’C

Survey method

Pied O’C

Survey Site

-40.5212 -40.5243 -40.5281 -40.5291 -40.5293 -40.5296 -40.5299 -40.5299 -40.5300 -40.5330 -40.5374 -40.5387 -40.5424 -40.5428

148.2307 148.2286 148.2296 148.2298 148.2300 148.2329 148.2306 148.2290 148.2307 148.2308 148.2262 148.2217 148.2199 148.2193

0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 6

0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 6

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 3 0 15 0 0 8 0 0 2 0 0 28

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

7 4 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15

0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2

Boat based -40.5295

148.2294

Notes

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

139

140

Pacific Gull

Silver Gull

Ruddy T’stone

Hooded Plover

Red N’ Stint

Long

Red C’Plover

Lat

Sooty O’C

Survey method

Pied O’C

Survey Site Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Rebecca Bay

Boat based -40.5542

148.1149

Boat based -40.5607

148.1135

Boat based -40.5660

148.1480

Boat based -40.5663

148.1373

Boat based -40.5666

148.1311

Boat based -40.5669

148.1489

Boat based -40.5670

148.1190

Boat based -40.5671

148.1297

Boat based -40.5671

148.1969

Boat based -40.5674

148.1969

on ground

-40.5665

148.1311

2 (1 pair) 0

Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point Spike Island to Moriarty Point total Inland-Sandy Lagoon (dry)

Boat based -40.5679

148.1199

Boat based -40.5687

148.1237

Boat based -40.5712

148.1530

Boat based -40.5808

148.1937

Boat based -40.5815

148.1945

Boat based -40.5859

148.1709

Boat based -40.5892

148.1968

Boat based -40.5902

148.1861

Boat based -40.5913

148.1820

Boat based -40.5918

148.1812

on ground

-40.5146

148.1806

8 birds

22+ 57 2

Inland-Unamed Lagoon 1 Inland total Island totals

on ground

-40.5121

148.1927

10 47

0 40

0 38

24 55

57 77

0 15

0 129

0 32

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Notes

5 pelican, Cape Barren geese (5 adults + 1 juvenile), black swan + goslings

14 adult pipit + 2 juvenile using salt pan

141

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

142

A NOTE ON THE NEARBY FUR SEAL COLONY AT MORIARTY ROCKS Sam Thalmann Prior to commercial sealing in the 1800s historical records indicate that Australian fur seal (AFS) (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus) were once present in numerous numbers around the south end of lungtalanana, with an extensive colony at Cone Point on nearby Cape Barren Island (Cumpston 1973 in Harris and Magnus 2004). The present breeding distribution of recovering AFS population is restricted to offshore islands in Bass Strait. Whilst there are no breeding colonies on lungtalanana, the Moriarty Rocks that lie 6.5 km to the Southeast have an established breeding colony, with up to 1035 pups born annually. Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

143

The Moriarty Rocks (East and West) comprise two major formations and several smaller ones of exposed granite from the Moriarty Reef. These low lying rocks support very little vegetation due to their exposure and significant amount of wave wash during storm activity. While westerly winds predominate throughout December (Figure 1a), the extended period of unseasonal easterly weather experienced during our survey provided an indication of the impact that strong winds have on breeding AFS on Moriarty Rocks. Wind speed data from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology shows that during our survey Northeast winds peaked on the 7 December with maximum gusts of 78 km/h (Figure 1b). Coastal surveys conducted at Shevo and Moriarty Bayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s following this wind peak recorded eight deceased fur seal pups. It is likely that this number represents a minimum of the

total number that where washed off the rocks during this storm event. Australian fur seals exhibit a synchronised annual breeding cycle where pups are born in November and early December each year with peak pupping around 26 November. As evidenced during our survey, strong winds during the initial first weeks following birth can result in mass mortality of young fur seal pups if they are washed of the rocks. Given the predominance of westerly winds (Figure 1a) most pups washed from the breeding grounds would be carried out to the east and die at sea. Census counts of AFS pups on Moriarty Rocks over the past 20 years reflect this exposure to environmental conditions with a large variation of between 97 and 1035 pups born annually (Kirkwood et al, 2005). The high variability in pup numbers recorded over this period is in part, due to the high exposure of these

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

144

colonies to storm activity. Whilst the occurrence of large scale mortality of AFS pups on Moriarty Rocks has been previously documented (Pemberton and Kirkwood, 1994), by observing this event and quantifying the prevailing weather conditions we can highlight how susceptible this breeding colony is to wave wash and the subsequent impacts upon this recovering population of AFS.

References Cumpston, J. S. (1973). First Visitors to Bass Strait. Canberra, Roebuck. Kirkwood, R., Gales, R., Terauds, A., Arnould, J., Pemberton, D., Shaughnessy, P., Mitchell, A., and Gibbens, J. (2005). Pup production and population trends of the Australian fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus). Marine Mammal Science, 21(2), 260-282. Pemberton, D., and Kirkwood, R. 1994. Pup production and distribution of the Australian fur seal, Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus in Tasmania. Wildlife Research 21: 341-352. Magnus, Z., and Harris, S. (2004). Source documents for a management framework: Goose, Clarke and Cape Barren Islands. Nature Conservation Branch. Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

Figure 1. Wind speed and direction leading to Australian fur seal mortalities from Moriarty Rocks. 145

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

146

CHARLOTTE PENNIKET - Travel award recipient repor t It is difficult to put into words how inspirational and life changing the Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust lungtalanana (Clarke Island) trip was for me. Being surrounded by such knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and hospitable people with so many common interests to me was a wonderful experience.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

147

In the middle of my end of year exams I hastily compiled my application for the trip and was excited to receive the acceptance email from David Saunders. It also meant a lot for me to have been accepted as I wrote the application in the few days following my Grandfather’s death and I know he would’ve been so proud of me. Before long I was in Hobart airport waiting to collect my luggage and was approached by the other volunteer, Jess, and we hit it off immediately and then we heard a “And you two must be the kiwi Hamish Saunders volunteers” from the forever welcoming Margaret from DPIPWE. Within five minutes of the team meeting the next day the first jab of the sibling rivalry between New Zealand and Australia was fired by Matt, stating that Jess and I would be using sheep as our mode of transport to lungtalanana. Between the airplane propeller blades I got my first

view of lungtalanana and was filled with nervous excitement. Circumnavigating the island before landing helped me gather my bearings and I noted how badly scorched it had been in a fire nine months prior. In New Zealand fire plays such a small role in the environment and it was very interesting to have been exposed to a place where fire plays such an important role. Just near the airstrip on the North-West coast was our homestead for the week. Every morning I had my breakfast on the verandah as it was an uplifting way to start the day looking across to the gentle waves at MacLaines Bay and the strait to Cape Barren beyond. After getting settled in and receiving a very important lesson on snakes for we kiwis, Jess and I went for a walk to MacLaines Bay. Sally called us over to the dunes where we saw an impressive Mountain Dragon, turning his scaly head to watch us. That afternoon

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

148

we were whisked off to set up pitfall traps with Sam and Matt. To my surprise we caught a scorpion in the pitfall trap near the end of our time on the island. I didn’t realise that there were scorpions in Tasmania and it was my first time seeing one so it was very exciting. When deciding what we’re going to do each day, Jess and I were spoilt for choice! On the first full day we were with Sally, the bird expert, and we monitored the populations of Hooded Plovers along the South East coast. To find out how far a pair’s territory extends we would follow them down the beach until they stopped and flew back behind us. We would mark this point on the GPS, which enabled us to gauge the territory sizes. It was new to me to be on a survey trip looking at the territories of birds so it was very interesting to learn one method of measuring them. We also spent time setting up different forms of traps with Matt. Having never been involved in bat studies before it was particularly interesting setting up harp traps in the forest remnants on the island. Although we were keenly checking the trap each night, we didn’t catch any bats. Just one month after getting back to New Zealand I was already able to apply this knowledge. I visited a Department of Conservation team working with bats in Fiordland and they were using very similar traps up trees and catching lots of bats. During the trip we helped catch frogs to swab them to see whether they had chytrid fungus. This involved holding their back legs between in your fingers while another person wipes them with the swab for later analysis on mainland. It was very cute to see the frogs up close, especially when their little hands would grab on to the swab! One very hot afternoon Jess and I made our way down to MacLaines Bay for a swim. The others sitting on the verandah were amused to see us suddenly sprint in the opposite direction screaming (perhaps

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

not the advice we were given in our training session). It was our first close-up encounter with a snake, and luckily our only one. On the return walk from the beach we saw the Tiger snake again and observed it from a distance. It was wonderful to see the animal in the wild and its beautiful golden bands stretching up from its underside. Much to the Australian’s entertainment I found myself getting frightened from lots of sticks during the week. Jess and I parted our ways on day four as I went out on the zodiac to explore the South West coast and Spike Island with Sam and some of the Land and Heritage Management Team young volunteers. We mapped out part of Spike Island that had Little Penguin burrows and then did a transect counting the number of burrows a metre either side; I was impressed by the density of the burrows and how hidden they were. This was a great experience learning how to estimate population sizes in the field... and it involved cuddling some very cute penguin chicks!! Next I spent a day beach combing on the North East coast with Simon, the invertebrate scientist. Collecting a small sample of the beach gravel for analysis under the microscope back in Hobart revealed around 40 species not yet recorded on the island. It really makes you realise there’s so much more out there than what meets the eye. Back in New Zealand I received the pictures that Simon had taken. They showed such fantastic detail and how incredible each animal was. It was a great privilege to have been given this wonderful opportunity and to have been exposed to such an inspiring team and field techniques I hadn’t encountered before. With one more semester to go until I graduate with my BSc in Ecology and Zoology I am faced with a feeling of not knowing of what will come next in my life however I will be forever grateful to the Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust and the amazing opportunity they gave me in going to Tasmania. I learnt so much and it made my love and

interest in conservation and the outdoors grow only stronger and whatever I do in life I am sure it will be centered on these interests. I want to thank the incredible luntalanana team; Sally Bryant, Matt Pauza, Felicity Hargraves, Jason Bradbury, Simon Grove, the fantastic trip leader Sam Thalmann; and Jess Earnshaw for being the best kiwi I could have wished for to share the trip with. Thanks to Margaret Horton and the others for all the behind the scenes

work in making this trip happen. And thank you to Hamish Saunders, who will forever be remembered as a huge inspiration with the work he was involved in, and his loving family and friends, who continue to provide young ecologists with this once in a lifetime experience, helping them to pursue their dreams and passions. As Australians may say: Crikey mate! I had a ripper of a time!

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

149

150

JESS EARNSHAW - Travel award recipient repor t Prelogue Reading back on the many Hamish Saunders volunteer submissions and the fabulous time they had made me realise what a beautiful tradition the Hamish Saunders Family has started. Not only me but many other New Zealanders have had the opportunity to be thrown into the world of Tasmanian conservation where we have made long lasting connections, learnt valuable information about Tasmanian ecology and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure, just like me, have memories theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never forget.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

151

It is heart-warming to see that from such sad beginnings the Hamish Saunders Trust has inspired budding Ecologists, of which many have gone on to have successful science careers, to continue to explore and enquire about our natural world, ask the difficult questions and keep searching for them. There’s a lot to be said about the importance of curiosity and certainly in my trip to lungatalanana (Clarke Island) my curiosity for the natural world has been spiked!

The beginning

thinking it was at all likely. I read the title of the email over and over again before I mustered up the courage to open it hoping I could tease the outcome from what little info I had. Nope, I’d just have to open it… The rest was all a blur; my adrenaline kicked in when I opened that email and kept on going until…well until I got settled on the Island really. There were a lot of firsts for me on this trip. It was my first time out of New Zealand, out of the North Island actually and my first time boarding any kind of aircraft. So in the weeks preparing for the trip, as well as sorting my passport, I was preparing for, what was for me, quite a big adventure.

For me, it started in my room when I first received the congratulatory email – it’s cliché I know but it was such a big shock for me, seeing as I had applied on a whim hoping, just maybe, I’d get the call but not

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

152

An insight Flying towards lungtalanana in our little 10-seater was a sight I’ll never forget. The Island, ten months prior, had been almost totally burnt. It was quite haunting and I was taken aback, because in the 84 square miles of the island it was a real struggle to locate any green. It was as if that colour had been wiped from the Island completely. All that was visible from the air were a vast array of charcoal twigs, some larger than others and then there were areas that had been completely burnt to the ground, which I was told later were the result of ‘fire tornados’. Where the sheer high temperatures created a vortex of superheated fire and air – later when we explored the island we found remnants of these tornados in the form of twigs which had been windswept into circular patterns. Of course, I was used to the idea that a forest remained a forest for a very long time without much disturbance. Living in a country such as New Zealand, with its slow growing Gondwanan tree species which can live for thousands of years without disturbance, caused me to look at Clarke Island with such sorrow. As in my mind it would take a long time for the area to be restored to its original state. At University I had learnt about disturbance and its role in creating and maintaining diversity. I had learnt about the importance of fire ecology specifically. And I had seen on the television how South West Australia, when there was a particularly strong El nino event, would be ravished by forest fires. I understood all of the science behind why fire was important but I still could not pull all the facts together to convince myself that what I was seeing was a good thing.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

However, I want to say now that my opinion of Clarke Island went through a drastic remoulding. After landing in the North West corner of the Island, meeting the caretakers of the island, claiming a bunk bed and doing all of the little things to make lungtalanana my home for the next eight days Charlotte and I set out with Matt and Sam for some pitfall trapping on the beach nearby. I learnt a lot about how the New Zealand accent could be mocked and my horrible trench digging skills. But after about half an hour we had made, what looked to be, a short wall that led into two buckets flush with the sand. The idea being insects and small reptiles would follow the ‘wall’ and fall into the buckets on either side thus allowing us to see what species might have survived the fire. On our way back to the homestead I looked again onto the monotonousness that was the rest of the island, still wrestling with and trying to picture this whole setting in a beautiful way. It wasn’t until the next day, when we had access to a vehicle, that my thoughts started to change. Charlotte, Sally and I all squished into the back of a truck and headed south for Southern Beach, aptly name. We passed through the bracken fields where cows and sheep were originally kept when the island was used for farming. The road then passed alongside a creek which contained the most greenery I had seen on the island. This was where the fire had not got to, or if it had not to the extent of the rest of the island. We kept traveling along the road and as we did we moved away from the sheltered grove as ash became more of a common sight. But what struck me was every so often there was a tree, or ‘large black twig’ as I thought of them now, which had green shoots with blue leaves protruding out of the trunk. It seemed like such a strange sight to me – that something seemingly dead had enough energy to produce these thriving outcrops.

I later learnt that these were blue gum a very common tree in Australia. But unlike Eucalyptus that thrive on fire and help fuel it with their highly flammable oily centres and quick-to-catch bark – the blue gum has a reactive mechanism. There are specific chemicals in smoke that trigger a reaction in blue gum so that, in the case of a fire, the tree, if still living, can create a way to photosynthesise. This made me realise two things. Firstly that just because a tree looks dead does not make it so. Seeing the black trunk of a bluegum with these vibrant branches proved this to me. But I think more astoundingly I was beginning to see the importance and, dare I say it, beauty of fire ecology. Like a phoenix rising out of the ashes, the bluegum was a sign of hope that the Island would be green again.

Every night we sat down to a hearty meal in front of the fire and exchanged stories of who did what embarrassing thing, who had found a new species of bird or what treachery had befallen them that day. On a few nights we met up with the Aboriginal community and had the privilege of seeing Riki the caretaker’s world renown natural and portrait photography. The last day was filled with packing up and getting ready to leave and so there wasn’t a lot of time to be sad. It didn’t really hit until I was up in the air again looking back on lungtalanana now with glimpses of blue and green amongst the black. Eyes that originally looked on in sorrow now did with hope.

I hadn’t realised how quickly the trees would bounce back to life. Following on from this I chatted with Sally, Simon, Sam, and Felicity and realised that the blue gum and eucalyptus were not the only species to have fire resistant qualities. And that with time we might see a plethora of trees beginning to grow from the seed bank. That is during the fire many species released a mass of seeds that are now hopefully beginning to grow, like the bluegum, because of smoke acting as a catalyst. Of course plants are not the only grouping to have fire resistant qualities. There are a number of insect species that burrow beneath the earth to escape the fire, but they may become dormant and not come to the surface for many months. Lastly while out in the field with Sally we were able to find a few shorebird species in low numbers that originally disheartened us. However Sally located a salt lake where we spotted a group of over 100 birds. These little victories although small demonstrated to me the persistence of the natural world to take what could be viewed as a horrible tragedy and turn it into a new beginning.

lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Natural Values Survey 2014

153

154

Acknowledgements There are so many people that have made this trip possible. I want to thank firstly the Saunders Family and devoted trustees for allowing me to be a part of such an awesome tradition. I want to thank Margaret Horton for being our personal chaperone while in Hobart, showing us the sights as well as helping with all the planning of the trip. Sam Thalman, Simon Grove, Matt Pauza, Felicity Hargraves, Sally Bryant and Jason Bradbury, the awesome researchers who put up with a couple of small kiwis on lungtalanana and who gave us so many insights into their respective fields, especially Simon and Matt who opened up their homes to us â&#x20AC;&#x201C; thank you. Lastly Charlotte or â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chazzaâ&#x20AC;? thanks for being a barrel of laughs.

Hamish Saunders Memorial Island Survey Program

10988BL

Natur al and Cultur al Her itage Division Depar tment of Pr imar y Industr ies, Par ks, Water and Environment GPO Box 44 Hobar t TAS 7001 www.dpipwe .tas.gov.au