The Australian species of the carabid genus Perileptus (Coleoptera : Carabidae : Trechinae)

1987 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Baehr
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Australian Species ◽  
The North ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Phylogenetic Status ◽  
Northwestern Australia ◽  
North Western

The Australian species of the trechine genus Perileptus are revised and compared in a key. Perileptus convexicollis, sp. nov., P. subopacus, sp. nov., and P. minimus, sp. nov., all from northern or northwestern Australia, are described, and the subgenus Pyrrhotachys Sloane is reestablished. The species distribution is mapped. Patterns of distribution and the phylogenetic status of the species suggest at least two independent westward migrations, of different lineages and presumably at different times, within Australia, resulting in the evolution of several endemic species in refugia in northern or north-western Australia. As a consequence, the Perileptus fauna of Western Australia is today more diverse than that of eastern Australia, in spite of the rather unsuitable environmental conditions in the north-western refugia.

Biogeography and conservation of reptiles, mammals and birds across north-western Australia: an inventory and base for planning an ecological reserve system

1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 665 ◽  
Author(s):  
JCZ Woinarski
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Biological Information ◽  
High Rainfall ◽  
The North ◽  
Arnhem Land ◽  
Northern Fringe ◽  
Reserve System ◽  
North Western

The distributions of mammals (94 spp. =38% of the Australian total), land birds (252 spp. =52%), and terrestrial reptiles (269 spp. = 39%) in north-western Australia are analysed. Of these species, 133 (mostly reptiles) are restricted to this region. Reptiles (and especially endemic species) characteristically have small ranges in this area. For all three groups, diversity is highest in coastal, high rainfall areas (especially of Arnhem Land and the northern Kimberley). Such areas are relatively well represented in the existing nature reserve system. Assemblages of species are mapped, on the basis of classification of the 123 lo latitude by lo longitude cells in the region. For both mammal and bird species, four defined assemblages were distributed in high rainfall coastal areas, inland low rainfall areas and two transitional zones, all extending over a broad east-west span. Reptile assemblages show a similar initial (wet-dry) division, but then split into east and west subdivisions. For all three animal groups, transitional and inland assemblages are poorly reserved (<0.25% of land area). A total of 58 reserves occur in the region. Most are small (median 24km*2) and concentrated around population centres. Biological information is lacking for most reserves. Largely because of the dispersion of existing reserves, almost one quarter of the species considered (and about the same proportion of endemic species) are not known to occur in any conservation reserve in the region. Priorities are assigned for the placement of future reserves. The most significant additions should be in the north Kimberley, south-west Kimberley, northern fringe of the Tanami Desert, Gulf of Carpentaria hinterland and eastern Arnhem Land. The conservation of this fauna is not dependent solely on the provision of a park network, but demands also informed management of reserves and adequate environmental protection of land outside reserves.

Proterozoic Palaeocurrent directions in the Kimberley Region, Northwestern Australia

1970 ◽  
Vol 107 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. Gellatly ◽  
G. M. Derrick ◽  
K. A. Plumb
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Transport ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
The South ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
North West ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Northwestern Australia ◽  
North Western

SummaryPalaeocurrent directions from cross-beds in the Proterozoic Kimberley Basin sediments, north-western Australia indicate sediment transport predominantly from the north-east in the lower part of the succession, and from the north-west in the middle and upper parts. Most of the sediment was probably derived from the north and only a little from the adjacent exposed areas of older Pre-Cambrian rocks to the south. The suggested northerly source of the sediment is consistent with a probable former position of Western Australia close to Peninsular India and to Burma.

Patterns of Distribution of Acacia in Australia

1988 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 385 ◽  
Author(s):  
BR Maslin ◽  
L Pedley
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Patterns Of Distribution ◽  
The North ◽  
Geographic Patterns ◽  
South West ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Semiarid Areas ◽  
The Tropics

Patterns of distribution are described for the three subgenera and nine sections that make up the Australian Acacia flora. Subgenus Phyllodineae (833 species) is widespread and contains 99% of the species; subgenus Acacia (six species) and subgenus Aculeiferum (one species) are poorly represented and virtually confined to the north of the continent. The geographic patterns of species-richness are strongly influenced by sections Phyllodineae (352 species), Juliflorae (219 species) and Plurinerves (178 species). Section Phyllodineae has centres of richness south of the Tropic of Capricorn in temperate and adjacent semiarid areas of eastern, south-eastern and south-western Australia. The section is poorly represented in the tropics. The closely related sections Juliflorae and Plurinerves predominate in the north of the continent, semiarid areas of the south-west, many rocky tablelands of the Arid Zone and along the Great Dividing Range and adjacent inland riverine lowland areas in eastern Australia. The remaining four sections contribute little to the overall patterns of species-richness. The principal speciespoor areas are sandy and fluvial lowland regions of the Arid Zone. In eastern Australia, sections Botrycephalae, Juliflorae, Phyllodineae and Plurinerves show discontinuous patterns of species-richness along the Great Dividing Range. All sections have species whose ranges terminate in the area of the McPherson-Macleay Overlap region.

Community structure and zoogeographic affinities of the coastal fishes of the Dampier region of north-western Australia.

1985 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 247 ◽  
Author(s):  
SJM Blaber ◽  
JW Young ◽  
MC Dunning
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Organic Content ◽  
Tidal Range ◽  
Nursery Ground ◽  
North West ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
The North ◽  
North Western

The species composition and broad trophic structure of the mangrove creek and open shore fish communities of the Dampier region in tropical north-western Australia are described. The habitats are characterized by a lack of freshwater influence, low turbidity and a tidal range in excess of 4 m. Both mangroves and open shores have a diversity of species typical of Indo-west Pacific coastal waters but the physical conditions have modified the community structure both to exclude many families that prefer areas of higher turbidity and reduced salinity, and to include others that usually occur only in clear waters. The fish faunas of the mangroves (113 species) and open shores (106 species) are compared: 54 species were common to both. The deeper waters were dominated by piscivores, which penetrated throughout the mangroves at high tide. Iliophagous species were abundant, particularly in the mangroves where the organic content of the substratum (7.8-8.2%) was not reduced markedly compared with other areas of the Indo-Pacific, despite the lack of freshwater inflow. The clear and deep water in the mangroves at high tide favour predation on juveniles by piscivorous fishes and reduce the effectiveness of such areas as nurseries. There is virtually no overlap of the fauna with that of the deeper waters (>20 m) of the North West Shelf, and the inshore region is not a significant nursery ground for any of the commercially important deeper water species.

Second representative of the order Misophrioida (Crustacea, Copepoda) from Australia challenges the hypothesis of the Tethyan origin of some anchialine faunas

Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2059 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
TOMISLAV KARANOVIC ◽  
STEFAN M. EBERHARD
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Apical Seta ◽  
Aquatic Fauna ◽  
The North ◽  
Ecological Implications ◽  
Coastal Margin ◽  
North Western ◽  
A New Species ◽  
Swimming Leg

A new species of the genus Speleophria is described from a cave in the Nullarbor region in southern Western Australia. Its congeners include species from the Balearics, Croatia, Bermuda, Yucatan peninsula and north-western Western Australia, all considered to be Tethyan relicts. However, the discovery of the new speleophriid in the Nullarbor region has important biogeographic and ecological implications. From the biogeographic perspective, it either suggests dispersal as the process determining the current distribution pattern of the aquatic fauna found on the Roe Plains or significantly extends the Tethyan track across Australia, from the north-western coastal margin of the continent to the southern coastal margin. From an ecologic perspective, the new speleophriid suggests the possible existence of anchialine habitats in southern Australia. Speleophria nullarborensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from its four congeners by its plesiomorphic 3-segmented endopod of the first swimming leg (2-segmented in other species) and unusually long innermost apical seta on the caudal ramus. Another character that easily distinguishes our new species, and seems to be an autapomorphic feature, is its constricted preanal somite.

Phylogeographic structure of a freshwater crayfish (Decapoda:Parastacidae:Cherax preissii) in south-western Australia

2006 ◽  
Vol 57 (8) ◽  
pp. 837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Gouws ◽  
Barbara A. Stewart ◽  
Savel R. Daniels
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Molecular Dating ◽  
Phylogeographic Structure ◽  
Freshwater Crayfish ◽  
The North ◽  
South West ◽  
Biogeographical Regions ◽  
Freshwater Decapods ◽  
North Western

Although phylogeographic patterns of freshwater decapods elsewhere in Australia are well documented, little is known of the phylogeography and biogeography of the endemic freshwater fauna of south-western Australia. Here, the phylogeographic structure of a freshwater crayfish, Cherax preissii Erichson, 1846, was investigated to determine contemporary and historical patterns of gene flow and to examined evolutionary and biogeographical scenarios. Allozyme and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I mitochondrial DNA data were collected from 15 populations, sampled across the known C. preissii distribution. Both markers revealed a clear distinction and separation among populations occurring in the north-western and southern portions of the distribution. Inferences of allopatric fragmentation and molecular dating attributed the divergence of the aquatic fauna of these regions to periods of Pliocene–Pleistocene aridity. Connectivity appeared to be greater within each of these regions. Evidence suggested contemporary, but not ongoing, gene flow, particularly within the southern region. This was possibly facilitated by dispersal during pluvial Pleistocene periods or drainage connectivity during episodic marine regressions. The divergence and distributions of these lineages parallels patterns seen in other freshwater crayfish of the region. More explicit investigation of these and further fine-scale phylogeographic studies may contribute to the understanding of biogeography and evolution in the south-west, and may further refine currently recognised biogeographical regions.

Analysis of mitochondrial DNA clarifies the taxonomy and distribution of the Australian snubfin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni) in northern Australian waters

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 1303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Palmer ◽  
Stephen A. Murphy ◽  
Deborah Thiele ◽  
Guido J. Parra ◽  
Kelly M. Robertson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Mitochondrial Control Region ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Metapopulation Structure ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Nucleotide Divergence ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
North Western

Conservation management relies on being able to identify and describe species. Recent morphological and molecular analyses of the dolphin genus Orcaella show a species-level disjunction between eastern Australia and South-east Asia. However, because of restricted sampling, the taxonomic affinities of the geographically intermediate populations in the Northern Territory and Western Australia remained uncertain. We sequenced 403 base pairs of the mitochondrial control region from five free-ranging Orcaella individuals sampled from north-western Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Low net nucleotide divergence (0.11–0.67%) among the Australian Orcaella populations show that populations occurring in the Northern Territory and Western Australia belong to the Australian snubfin (O. heinsohni) rather than the Asian Irrawaddy dolphin (O. brevirostris). Clarifying the distribution of Orcaella is an important first step in the conservation and management for both species; however, an understanding of the metapopulation structure and patterns of dispersal among populations is now needed.

Tropical inshore dolphins of north-western Australia: Unknown populations in a rapidly changing region.

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon J Allen ◽  
Daniele D Cagnazzi ◽  
Amanda J Hodgson ◽  
Neil R Loneragan ◽  
Lars Bejder
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Urban Centre ◽  
The North ◽  
Dolphin Population ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
Commonwealth Government ◽  
Western Australian ◽  
North Western

Australian Snubfin Orcaella heinsohni, Indo-Pacific Humpback Sousa chinensis and Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins Tursiops aduncus inhabit Australia’s tropical north-western coastline, a region undergoing extensive port development associated with the massive expansion of the oil, gas and mining industries. The current lack of data on dolphin population sizes or trends precludes impact assessments of developments on these protected species. Furthermore, the Western Australian and Commonwealth Government conservation listings of tropical inshore dolphins do not reflect their international listings. From April to July, 2010, we conducted ad hoc boat-based surveys (n=55) of inshore delphinids at seven sites across north-western Australia from Coral Bay in the south (23.1°S: 113.8°E) to Cable Beach in the north (17.9°S: 122.2°E). We documented the locations of these three species from which we obtained photoidentification and biopsy data, as well as reports of Australian Snubfin Dolphin sightings from researchers and community groups. The data from this limited field effort confirm that Indo-Pacific Humpback and Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins occur in the waters adjacent to each north-western Australian urban centre and show that the range of the Australian Snubfin Dolphin extends considerably further south-west than previously reported. Given the scale of coastal developments and the vulnerability of isolated cetacean populations to fragmentation or extirpation, assessments of the viability of dolphin populations are required. Our data suggest that the Australian Snubfin, Indo-Pacific Humpback and Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins need to be considered as likely to be impacted by coastal developments across north-western Australia.

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