Australian Bryozoa. Volume 1: Biology, Ecology and Natural History. Edited by Patricia L. Cook, Philip E. Bock, Dennis P. Gordon, and Haylee J. Weaver. Clayton South (Australia): CSIRO Publishing. AU $140.00. v + 194 p.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-1-4863-0679-4. 2018.

2019 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-213
Author(s):  
Andrea Waeschenbach
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Csiro Publishing

New host records for ticks (Acari : Ixodidae) from the echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) revealed in Australian museum survey

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Sheree Krige ◽  
Siew-May Loh ◽  
Charlotte L. Oskam
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Tick Species ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Australian Capital Territory ◽  
New Host ◽  
Australian Museum ◽  
First Time ◽  
New Host Records ◽  
Tachyglossus Aculeatus

A nationwide survey was conducted for ticks (Ixodidae) removed from echidnas, Tachyglossus aculeatus (Shaw, 1792), that had been previously collected between 1928 and 2013, and archived within Australian national (Australian National Insect Collection, Australian Capital Territory) and state (Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia) natural history collections. A total of 850 ticks from 89 T. aculeatus hosts were morphologically identified to determine instar, sex and species. Seven larvae, 349 nymphs and 494 adults were identified; 235 were female and 259 were male. The most common tick species was Bothriocroton concolor (Neumann, 1899) (89.2%). In addition, ticks previously recorded from T. aculeatus were identified, including Amblyomma australiense Neumann, 1905 (1.8%), Amblyomma echidnae Roberts, 1953 (0.1%), Bothriocroton hydrosauri (Denny, 1843) (1.4%), Bothriocroton tachyglossi (Roberts, 1953) (1.5%) and Ixodes tasmani Neumann, 1899 (1.2%). For the first time, 22 Amblyomma fimbriatum Koch, 1844 (2.6%) and 19 Amblyomma triguttatum Koch, 1844 (2.2%) ticks were recorded from T. aculeatus. This is the first survey to utilise archived Australian tick collections for the purpose of acquiring new data on tick species that parasitise T. aculeatus.

Some aspects of the ecology of the land snail, Helicella virgata, in South Australia

1969 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 495 ◽  
Author(s):  
DE Pomeroy
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Natural Population ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Growth Curves ◽  
Land Snail ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Winter Dormancy ◽  
Rate Of Growth ◽  
Length Of Life

H. virgata was introduced to South Australia from Europe and has since become remarkably numerous. Its natural history is described, including breeding, growth, and food. There is normally one generation per year, the eggs mostly hatching in autumn and the young growing rapidly until spring. Marking and recapture were used to determine growth curves in the field. Snails are only active when the ground is moist and the humidity high. Even in winter dormancy is frequent, and in summer it is prolonged. H. virgata is microphagous, feeding mainly on the topsoil and surface litter, avoiding places from which these are removed. It was shown experimentally that the numbers of young produced, their rate of growth, and the length of life of adults all decreased with increasing density. This was explained in terms of increasing starvation. A natural population was studied for nearly 2 years. In places the density of this population was high and there was evidence of a consequent shortage of food, which affected young and adults differently. "Effective fecundity" (p. 509) was inversely proportional to the density of the population. There were marked aggregations, apparently reflecting the distribution of food. However, the degree of "patchiness" (Lloyd 1967) remained fairly constant with time. Over most of its range H. virgata is relatively scarce and the numbers in these places are less likely to press upon the food resources. The effects of cultivation and trampling, lack of calcium in the soil, and other factors must explain this scarcity. Weather can certainly be important; the drought of 1965-66 reduced all populations severely.

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