bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Two new genera and three new species of crabs (Decopoda : Anomura : Albuneidae) from Australia
Authors: Efford IE , Haig J
Published: June 2005

Austrolepidopa, gen. nov., and Stemonopa, gen. nov., are described. Austrolepidopa
contains two species: A. schmitti, sp. nov., from Queensland and A. trigonops,
sp. nov., from Western Australia. Stemonopa is represented by a single species: S.
insignis, sp. nov., from Western Australia. A key to the genera of Albuneidae is given
and the relationships of the new genera are discussed. Austrolepidopa is most closely
allied to Lepidopa and Stemonopa to Albunea.
Observations on the biology of some morabine grasshoppers
Authors: Blackith RE , Blackith RM
Published: June 2005

The Morabinae of Australia (0rthoptera : Eumastacidae) include species which
come to maturity in the winter and those which do so in the summer; both have high
threshold temperatures for development. For complete development nymphs of
"winter" species require temperatures above 24�C in the later instars of the females, but
"summer" species require high temperatures at all stages and in both sexes.
The eggs require about 7 days of moisture and will then hatch, even if in dry
sand, in about 30 days at 30-35�C; only the eggs of winter species will hatch at temperatures
below 25�C. The eggs lose negligible amounts of water once partly developed.
Water is absorbed until the weight of the egg is about doubled, but saline water is lethal
above about 2% salt concentration and sublethal concentrations delay absorption
of water.
Adults rarely reach population densities greater than one morabine per square
metre. The adults are long-lived, up to 16 weeks in the field and 30 weeks in the
laboratory, and may move as much as 5 m in a week. Morabines have an annual life
cycle with no true diapause. The eggs of some species may spend up to 6 months
in the soil.
On the population dynamics of the Eucalypt-defoliating sawfly Perga affinis affinis Kirby (Hymenoptera)
Authors: Carne PB
Published: June 2005

Changes of the abundance of the sawfly P. a. affinis were recorded during eight
successive years in a study region extending from the Southern Tablelands of New South
Wales to north-eastern Victoria.
The influences and processes which affected mortality and reproduction in
populations of the sawfly are described, and their contributions to the observed
fluctuations of abundance in the study region are discussed.
The major causes of mortality were desiccation, fungal disease, and parasitism.
The main parasites were tachinids (Froggattimyia spp.) and a trigonalid (Taeniogonalos
venatoria Riek). A variable proportion of the prepupae entered a diapause which persisted
for 2 or more years. Although extended diapause ensured the survival of the
subspecies during seasons unfavourable for its active stages, only a small proportion of
the prepupae involved survived to emerge as adults.
The consequences of very high numbers were: increased incidence of desiccation
mortality and of extended diapause, and a decrease of the fecundity of the subsequent
generation. Due to the benefits which accrued from colonial behaviour, survival of the
larvae was greater at moderately high than at low densities. These density-regulating
mechanisms of the life system of the sawfly operated conspicuously only at very high
and very low densities.
In the eastern portion of the study region, fluctuations of abundance were closely
synchronized in all sites. These fluctuations could be interpreted in terms of changing
environmental favourability during successive seasons. Analysis of weather data showed
that departures from long-term average temperatures and rainfalls were correlated
throughout the region. However, sawfly numbers fluctuated erratically in the western
subregion, the changes of density there often being at variance with those consistent
throughout the eastern subregion. Parasitism by T. venatoria, which was often very
severe in the western subregion, was the only process recognized that was likely to be
responsible for the differences observed.
Studies on marsupial nutrition. VI. The utilization of dietry urea by the Euro or Hill Kangaroo, Macropus robustus (Gould)
Authors: Brown GD
Published: June 2005

Macropod marsupials, the kangaroos and wallabies, are characterized by a
ruminant-like digestive physiology. One feature of digestion in eutherian species of
ruminants is the ability of these animals to utilize non-protein nitrogen through the
conversion of such nitrogen to microbial protein by the microorganisms in the rumen.
In the present experiments with the euro or hill kangaroo (M. robustus), the
utilization of dietary protein (casein) and non-protein nitrogen (urea) has been compared
by means of nitrogen balance feeding trials.
No consistent differences between the levels of nitrogen retention and urinary
nitrogen excretion were observed for euros fed rations supplemented with either casein
or urea.
It is suggested that the digestion of nitrogen by the ruminant-like macropod
marsupials is similar to that of eutherian species of ruminant herbivores.
Early development of Taenia crassiceps in the intermediate host, with a note on primitive cell types
Authors: Bilqees FM
Published: June 2005

The observations on the early development of T. crassiceps indicate that in the
intermediate host the 2-day-old embryo is a solid structure with hooks. The beginning
of the disappearance of hooks and the appearance of an eccentric cavity, the lacuna,
takes place somewhere between 2-4 days of development. Even if the embryonic hooks
are not lost during the first 4 days of development, they are no more functional. An
obvious host tissue reaction was noticed in the early stages of development of
T. crassiceps.
In a living embryo (= metacestode) the flickering movement of flame cells was
first noticed after 12 days of development. Most of the cells in the developing metacestodes
had vesicular nuclei and little cytopIasm. Besides these developing flame cells,
nerve cells and cells similar to the fibroblasts of other animals were also noticed.
A comparison of the early development of T. crassiceps in the subcutaneous
tissues and in the peritoneal cavity of the intermediate host clearly shows that the
metacestodes grow faster in the subcutaneous tissues than in the peritoneal cavity.
Effect of daily synchronization of sexual activity on mating success in laboratory populations of two species of Dacus (Diptera : Tephritidae)
Authors: Gee JH
Published: June 2005

In crowded laboratory populations of D. tryoni and D. neohumeralis, males of
both species locate mates by random attempts at copulation with nearby adults,
regardless of sex. But a much greater percentage of attempts by D. tryoni males
resulted in copulation. The daily period of mating of D. tryoni in crowded laboratory
populations was restricted to 1 hr at dusk while mating in populations of D. neohumeralis
extended over a 7-hr period, earlier in the day. If it is assumed that
individuals of both species remain sexually active for a similar duration of time each
day then both the higher frequency of mating and the greater percentage of successful
attempts at copulation found among D. tryoni can be explained by the resulting
synchronization in time of sexual activity.
The anatomy and physiology of the morabine grasshoppers IV. proteins and pigments in solution
Authors: Blackith RE , Blackith RM
Published: June 2005

The haemolymph of morabine grasshoppers (Orthoptera : Eumastacidae)
contains a green and a yellow pigment, each attached to one or more proteins. The
distribution of proteins has been investigated by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide
gels and on cellulose acetate strips. The distribution of proteins in the blood of the
green phenotypes of some groups of species differs markedly from that in the non-green
(grey, brown, and yellow) phenotypes; the green pigment is consistently
attached to one group of proteins in the green phenotypes of one group of species
whereas it is attached to another group of proteins in non-green phenotypes of the
same species group. In some morphs there are two bands of pigment. The yellow
pigment is attached to a late-running group of proteins irrespective of the nature
of the phenotype.
There are marked differences of protein distribution, and of the attachment
of the pigments to proteins in morabines, as compared with a pyrgomorphid and
two acridid grasshoppers. Altogether, 36 bands have been recognized in the
haemolymph of morabines, and several of these bands show esterase activity. At
least 25 bands are secreted by the largest of the male accessory glands, but none
seem to persist when the contents of the gland are ejaculated into the female spermatheca.
The seminal vesicles of the male do not secrete appreciable amounts of
protein.
The fate of residual bodies and denegrating germ cells and the lipid cycle in sertoli cells in the bandicoot Perameles nasuta Geoffroy (Marsupialia)
Authors: Sapsford CS , Rae CA , Cleland KW
Published: June 2005

After separation from mature spermatids, the residual bodies of the bandicoot
move within Sertoli cell cytoplasm towards the basement membrane of the tubule. As
the result of a reduction in volume and a condensation of its contents, the residual
body is transformed into a rather dense structure, the most obvious constituents of
which are tightly packed membranous whorls. The particulate lipid of such a body
then increases quite markedly, presumably as a consequence of the degradation of the
membranous whorls. Surface projections, some of which consist almost exclusively of
particulate lipid, develop and subsequently appear to break away from the main mass
of the body. Residual bodies of diminishing size and number persist throughout the
rest of the seminiferous cycle, conceivably to give rise to lysosome-like organelles
which could be utilized in the digestion of a new generation of residual bodies. A
characteristic lamellar inclusion present in spermatogonia and spermatocytes permits
a distinction to be made between degenerating forms of these cells and most forms of
residual bodies. The initiation of the lipid cycle in bandicoot Sertoli cells does not
appear to be strictly correlated with the release of lipid from residual bodies.
Salivary glands of kangaroos
Authors: Forbes DK , Tribe DE
Published: June 2005

The position and histological appearance of the parotid, submaxillary, and
sublingual glands in five red kangaroos (Megaleia rufa) and six grey kangaroos (Macropus
giganteus and M. fuliginosus melanops), including pouch young, are described. The
parotid of adult kangaroos, although histologically similar to that in calves and sheep,
was twice as heavy in relation to body weight. The submaxillary was of similar weight,
in relation to body weight, as the submaxillary of the ruminants, but had a much greater
proportion of serous-type secretory cells than the submaxillary of sheep. Weights of the
three types of glands were all significantly correlated with empty body weight. The
glands, particularly the parotid gland, were incompletely developed even in advanced
pouch young (250 days).
Saliva secretion was stimulated electrically in an anaesthetized red kangaroo
(M. rufa) and parotid and submaxillary saliva samples were collected via cannulae in
the ducts. The ionic composition of these samples resembled that of sheep and calf
saliva more than that of non-ruminants. It had high sodium and bicarbonate concentrations
which would afford good buffering capacity. However, the kangaroo parotid
saliva contained amylase, which is not found in ruminant saliva.
The identity of the fur seals of Australia
Authors: King JE
Published: June 2005

A brief history is given of the previous nomenclature of Australian fur seals.
Because of the availability of greater numbers of skulls it has been possible to confirm the
presence of the New Zealand fur seal Avctocephalus fovsteri in resident breeding colonies
off the Western Australian and South Australian coasts. The only other fur seal living
in Australian waters is A. doriferus from the coasts of Victoria, Tasmania, and New South
Wales. Methods of identifying skulls of the two animals are given, and also reasons for
adhering to the specific epithet doriferus. An estimate is given of the present numbers of
A. forsteri living in Australian waters.
The ultrastructual morphology of the midgut diverticulum of the calanoid copepod Calanus helgolandicus (Claus) (Crustacea)
Authors: Ong JE , Lake PS
Published: June 2005

The midgut diverticulum of the marine calanoid copepod C. helgolandicus consists of a columnar epithelial layer, a myoepithelial layer, and between these a well-developed basement membrane. The apical region of the epithelial cell is thrown into tightly packed microvilli which showed an alcian blue reaction indicating the presence of acid mucopolysaccharides. The apical half of the cell contains numerous microvesicles and mitochondria as well as tiny Golgi-like bodies. The plasma membrane of the basal region of the epithelium is extremely digitated. The digitations contain numerous mitochondria and the whole structure resembles mitochondrial pumps. The epithelial cells contain a large centrally situated oval nucleus with its single nucleolus. The myoepithelial cell is squamous and contains a flattened nucleus as well as very well-developed circularly and longitudinally arranged myofibrils. It is suggested that the midgut diverticulum of Calanus is probably analogous to the mammalian stomach in that food is mechanically churned. However, it does not appear to be involved in the secretion of digestive juices but only mucopolysaccharides; it is probably involved in the absorption of amino acids which are probably actively transported, by the "mitochondrial pump" in the basal region of the epithelial cells, into the haemocoel.
Observations on the Tasmanian Devil, Sarcophilus harrisii (Marsupialia : Dasyuridae) II. Reproduction, breeding and growth of pouch young
Authors: Guiler ER
Published: June 2005

The Tasmanian devil, S. harrisii, is polyovular and monoestrus and embryonic
diapause was not found. The mean number of pouch young for 69 litters was found
to be 2.95. The number of young in a litter varies with the age of the mother. More
young are born than can be accommodated in the pouch.
The time of breeding varies from year to year, mating taking place in March.
The percentage of breeding females varies annually as well as from place to place,
being found to be as low as 31 % in one area. The devil has a high reproductive
potential because there are no losses at the pouch-young stage. This is offset by poor
recruitment of juveniles into the population.
Pseudopregnancy was found to occur.
The sex ratio of both pouch young and adults favoured the female. The development and growth of the young is described.
Coelomotrema antechinomes, gen. et. sp. nov., A prosthogonimid trematode from antechinomys and antechinus (Marsupialia : Dasyuridae) from Australia
Authors: Angel LM
Published: June 2005

Coelomotrema antechinomes, gen. et sp. nov., is described. The hosts are
Antechinomys spenceri (Thomas) (from south-western Queensland) and Antechius
Flavipes leucogaster (Gray) (from near Perth, W.A.). It is the first trematode to be
described from either of these hosts, and is the third genus in the Prosthogonimidae with
a mammalian host. It is distinguished from other members of the family by the small
suckers and the anterior position of the acetabulum.
A comparative study of larval embryogenesis in the mosquito Culex fatigans Weidemann (Diptera : Culicidae) and the sheep-fly Lucilia sericata Meigen (Diptera : Calliphoridae) II. Casual interaction in embryonic development
Authors: Davis CWC
Published: June 2005

Results from cauterization and centrifugation experiments on the eggs of
C, fatigans, and from cauterization, ligature, and centrifugation experiments on the eggs
of L. sevicata give evidence that the mode and time of larval determination differ
between the two species.
All results for L. sericata indicate early larval determination with limited intragerm
layer regulation, but lack of autonomy in segmentation in eggs ligated to the end
of blastoderm formation.
In C. fatigans, centrifugation of cleaving eggs resulted in frequent duplication
of head structures. The results suggest the existence of an anterior centre responsible
for determination of feeding brushes, ocelli, antennae, egg-breaker, and brain.
Evidence for the existence of a posterior "activation" centre was inconclusive,
In both C, fatigans and L. sevicata, pole cells are required for induction of the
gonad sheath mesoderm. In C. fatigans the presumptive gonad sheath mesoderm is
localized at gastrulation but in L. sevicata localization either does not exist or is not so
precise. General confirmation of the presumptive fate maps constructed on the basis
of descriptive studies (Davis 1967) was obtained.
Reproduction in the mosaic-tailed rat, Melomys cervinipes (Rodentia :Muridae)
Authors: Taylor JM , Horner BE
Published: June 2005

The mosaic-tailed rat, M. cervinipes, is usually an abundant murid where it
occurs in the northern regions of Australia. It is an inhabitant of the forests and their
fringe associations and is semi-arboreal. Although the annual reproductive performance
is unknown, breeding occurs at least in late spring and summer in more
southern areas of its distribution and extends into autumn and winter farther north.
Litter size ranges from two to four. The nipple-clinging behaviour of the young
appears to be of selective advantage as an escape mechanism. Description of the
histology of the gonads and accessory sex glands is given for juveniles, breeding
adults, and sexually quiescent adults. M. cervinipes is polyoestrous and a spontaneous
ovulator and may experience a post-partum oestrus. Melomys is not known to occur in
plague proportions in its native habitat; its mode of reproduction favours a prolonged
and modest contribution of young within a breeding period.
Discovery of an apparent male soldier caste in a nest of a halictine bee (Hymenoptera : Halictidae), with notes on the nest
Authors: Houston TF
Published: June 2005

A communal nest of Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) sp., excavated in January 1970
in far western South Australia, produced adult bees of three kinds : females, an ordinary
male, and highly modified males. The modified males were characterized by relatively
very large heads and mandibles, reduced eyes, and small wings which made them
incapable of flight. Their gonads and terminalia appeared to be normally developed.
The modifications of these males seem appropriate to a subterranean existence and to a
soldier-like role in the community. The more ordinary flying males exhibit distinct
variation in the relative size and shape of the head and mandibles, those with the largest
heads being reminiscent of the soldiers. Some details of the nest and its occupants are
provided.
Season movement and distribution of the sexes in the water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis, in the Northern Territory
Authors: Tulloch DG
Published: June 2005

Regular aerial and land surveys of the coastal plains and adjoining high ground in the northern portion of the Northern Territory between the Adelaide and Wildman Rivers showed variations in the number of buffalo on the plains. When there were very few buffalo on the plains there were large numbers on the adjoining high timbered country.
During the wet season the plains flooded to varying depths and in those areas where the water was very deep all buffalo moved to higher ground. In the Northern Territory the wet season is the main breeding season, and at this time adult bulls were seen with cows in oestrus. During the dry season, which is the non-breeding season, the bulls and cows inhabited separate areas; the cows and their calves preferred those areas of the black soil plains adjoining high ground where there was water, shade, and some green feed. When rain fell at the end of the dry season, the buffalo moved to areas where it had rained.
Observations on pollen harvesting by brush-tongued lorikeets
Authors: Churchill DM , Christensen P
Published: June 2005

The staple item of diet of Glossopsitta porphyrocephala is pollen. The amount of karri pollen necessary to supply the energy for one bird's basal metabolism of 8.0 kcal/day is supplied by about 500 flowers. The moist papillae on the tongue of the lorikeets enable the birds to collect the dust-like pollen. Less than 1% of the anthers grazed are ingested during the driest months of the year when there is no nectar available. Karri nectar contains sucrose, glucose, fructose, and melibiose and is collected when it flows during the wetter flowering months. It is not a substitute for pollen, which the birds continue to harvest as their source of nitrogen. At the time the birds ingest nectar they accumulate subcutaneous fat. Nectar does not reach the stomach but is held in the crop, which enlarges to accommodate it.
Sexual maturation in the Australian rodent Rattus fuscipes assimilis
Authors: Taylor JM , Horner BE
Published: June 2005

Historically, the standard for reproductive biology in Rattus has developed from
extensive investigations of laboratory stocks of R. norvegicus. Our descriptive study of
the development of the gonads and the accessory sex glands in laboratory-reared R. f
assimilis compares time of maturation of these organs in the two species and demonstrates
that specific events vary to some extent in both absolute and relative timing in
the two forms. Although the time of sexual maturation is similar in the two species,
certain of the precursors to full spermatogenic activity appear variously later in assimilis
than norvegicus. In both species the laboratory stocks mature a month or more earlier
than do their counterparts in wild populations, suggesting that norvegicus and assimilis
are vulnerable to natural environmental or social influences that in the wild suppress the
genetic potential for earlier sexual maturation.
Obsevations on the behaviour of the european rabbit flea, Spilopsullus cuniculi (Dale), ona natural population of wild rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.), in Australia
Authors: Williams RT
Published: June 2005

The behaviour of S, cuniculi was studied on a natural rabbit population present
on an island in Lake Bathurst, N.S.W.
Four individually marked groups of fleas and an unmarked control group, a
total of 454 in all, were released onto five rabbits trapped at one location. Surveys of
the rabbits and their fleas were carried out during the first, second, eighth, and fourteenth
weeks after the fleas were released. Rabbit breeding before the fourteenth week resulted
in an increase, due to breeding, in the number of unmarked fleas recovered at that time.
During weeks one, two, and eight, 316 rabbits, equivalent to three times the
estimated population size, were examined for fleas, and only 77 were recovered. Of
these, 64 (88 %) were found on rabbits trapped within 25 yd of the point at which they
were released. Nine rabbits resident in this area accounted for 52 of these 64 fleas, and
there were frequent changes in the degree and composition of the infestations of these
rabbits. Two rabbits upon which fleas had been released had lost 94 and 96 % of their
fleas within 10 days.
It is suggested that these results indicate that many fleas were living freely within
the rabbit burrows in the immediate area in which they were released.
The influence of the parasite Comperiella bifasciata How. on the populations of two species of armoured scale insects, Aonidiella auramtii (Mask.) and A. citrina (Coq.), in South Australia
Authors: Brewer RH
Published: June 2005

C. bifasciata is an internal parasite of the armoured scales A. aurantii, red scale,
and A, citrina, yellow scale. The red-scale race of this parasite stabilizes the population
of A. citrina, buthas little influence upon populations of A. aurantii. Itis suggested that
these different outcomes are due not to the population biology of the parasite, but rather
to the different biological characteristics of itstwo hosts. Experiments show that, in the
case of mature A. aurantii, the effects of parasitization are offset to some extent by
the killing, through encapsulation, of a minimum of nearly 60% of the immature
stages of C. bifasciata; 50% of these parasitized scale survive and reproduce. On
the other hand, nearly 100% of the eggs of C. bifasciata laid in A, citrina develop
normally, lead to successful eclosion, and thus kill their host. Field samples of scale
corroborate this difference in the ability to encapsulate the immature stages of
C. bifasciata. Parasites that feed externally on their hosts are not subject to the hosts'
immune responses in the same way as C. bifasciata in A. aurantii, and for this reason
may have a greater influence on populations of their hosts than internal parasites
under the same conditions.
Contact hybridization in the Crinia laevis complex (Anura : Leoptodactylidae)
Authors: Littlejohn MJ , Watson GF , Loftus-Hills JJ
Published: June 2005

Mating-call structure was used to determine the nature and extent of an interaction
between the two morphologically indistinguishable taxa, C. laevis and C. victoriana,
where their geographic ranges contact in south-western Victoria.
Intermediacy of mating-call structure was detected in a zone about 115 km long
and less than 2 km wide. Acoustic analysis of call samples from six localities indicated
that hybrids, backcross progeny, and one or both parental types were present in this
zone.
Results of reciprocal artificial hybridization tests between allopatric individuals
of the two taxa showed that there was a high level of interfertility in both combinations,
but with slightly reduced survival to metamorphosis. Presumed backcrosses using
males from the hybrid zone resulted in a higher level of survival to metamorphosis.
The zone does not coincide with any conspicuous ecotone and presumably
represents a complex balance point with various environmental factors contributing to
a greater or lesser extent in different parts of the contact.
In spite of this lack of reproductive isolation, the narrowness of the zone and the
presumed antiquity of the contact demonstrate that the taxa will continue to maintain
their distinctness, and should retain their specific status.
Flights after sunset by the Australian plagye locust, Chortoicetes terminifera (Walk.) and their significance in dispersal and migration
Authors: Clark DP
Published: June 2005

Adult C. terminifera take off shortly after sunset, climb steeply into the air,
and fly out of sight. This steep take-off differs from that of locusts that take flight during
the day. One important factor which induces take-off appears to be decreasing
light intensity.
Take-off has been recorded at air temperatures as low as 17*5"C, relative
humidities that ranged from 9 to 70%, and surface wind speeds (at 2 m) which
varied from 1 .7 to 21 -2 ft/sec.
Initially the locusts take off into wind. At low surface wind speeds individuals
subsequently fly out of sight, dispersing in various directions, but at winds in excess
of 6 ftlsec the locusts orient and fly downwind.
Hundreds of individuals were seen flying away from concentrations of sexually
immature adults on successive evenings in 1969. It appears that flight occurs on
practically every evening when temperatures are suitable.
Significant numbers of C. terminifera appear at lights during the night only
during disturbed weather caused by the approach and passage of depressions.
In view of the random orientation of flying locusts with respect to wind at low
wind speeds, it is suggested that under dry anticyclonic conditions with slight pressure
gradients flights after sunset would lead to widespread dispersal, i.e. scattering of
individuals over large areas.
The downwind orientation at higher wind speeds, which would result in greater
displacement, is associated with the approach and passage of depressions (low
pressure systems) and the development of storms. In addition to this the increased
turbulence of the winds accelerating ahead of the depression (mainly northerlies)
and the convergent air flow from the opposite quarter behind the depression would
lead to concentration of the locusts in flight.
The hypothesis outlined above would explain the striking changes in distribution
and densities that frequently occur among populations of adult C. terminifera.
Dispersal under dry anticyclonic conditions, and concentration and mass displacement
during periods of disturbed weather during which rain-storms may produce
conditions favourable for breeding, play an important part in the survival of
C. terminifera. In the major part of its distribution area the probability of effective
rain in any particular locality is low.
Changes in behaviour with temperature in the red kangaroo, Megaleia rufa
Authors: Russell EM
Published: June 2005

The behaviour of a group of six red kangaroos in captivity was observed
during the middle of the day in summer and winter. Time spent in nine activities was
recorded, and the patterns of behaviour at different temperatures compared. Most
time was spent lying down, in shade in summer and sun in winter, but most animals
showed a decrease in time lying down as temperature rose from 20 to > 30�C. This
is related to licking of forelimbs and abdomen, which occurred in hot weather,
generally when an animal was standing, and also to the increased frequency of
changes in position in summer, from sun to shade and from shade to sun. In winter,
the periods of time spent in sun or shade were longer than in summer. The significance
for survival of such minor behavioural attributes is discussed.
Daily and seasonal movements of the quokka, setinux brachyurus (Marsupialia), on Rottnest Island
Authors: Nicholls DG
Published: June 2005

The changes in the home ranges and the movements of individual quokkas were
studied using radio-telemetry. In all, 27 individuals were tracked and located 526 times,
between 27 February 1967 and 27 May 1968.
There were large differences in the behaviour of individuals.
The variety of daytime shelter sites, and of nocturnal feeding locations, are
described. An individual returned daily to the same or nearby sites for most of the year.
During May and June some individuals changed their diurnal shelter by more than
400 m from the site used most of the year. For any individual the nocturnal and diurnal
areas were adjacent for most of the year. In the dry season (November-April) the size
of the feeding area increased, and in some cases between February and June it changed
completely to an area more than 400 m from the usual diurnal shelter. The direction of
this change and that of the diurnal site (if it occurred) were the same for any individual.
The changes in the areas occupied and in the animals' movements were explicable
in terms of the distribution of vegetation, which provides shelter from the weather, and
seasonal changes in food plants. It was neither necessary nor possible to postulate
social factors to account for the animals' distribution.
Studies on the behaviour on the South Ausralian fur seal, Arctocephalus forsteri (Lesson) II. Adult females and pups
Authors: Stirling I
Published: June 2005

A. forsteri pups were all weaned by 1 year old and were then totally absent
from the island during the breeding season. The recorded intervals, for three tagged
females, between apparent weaning of one pup and birth of the next were 29, 40,
and 60 days. Some females became infested with barnacles during the period of feeding
at sea prior to parturition. Adult females showed a high degree of fidelity to
specific breeding colonies. Little specific behaviour, other than restlessness, preceded
birth. Five observed births took from 5 sec to 4 min. Pups could swim when born.
Male and female newborn pups weighed 4.41 =0.60 and 4.11 +O.47 kg respectively;
the sex ratio was not significantly different from unity. Pups stayed with their mothers
at a specific location for the first few days, after which the females began to feed at
sea and the pups began to associate with each other. Females had not established
regular patterns of presence and absence in the pupping colony by early February,
but did so by late April. Females did not defend even newborn pups from approaching
humans.
Coccidiosis in wild rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.) at a site on the coastal plain in eastern Australia
Authors: Stodart E
Published: June 2005

Fourteen samples of about 50 rabbits each were shot at 8-weekly intervals on
the south coast of New South Wales near Moruya during the years 1966-68. Seven
species of Eimeria (E. stiedae, E, media, E. perforans, E. irresidua, E. magna, E.
piriformis, and E. exigua) were recorded in the faeces.
The oocyst counts of each species had a highly significant negative regression
with dried eye lens weight, which is used to indicate the age of the rabbit. When oocyst
count was adjusted for lens weightthe seasonal variation showed a winter peakin 1967,
but none in 1968, possibly because of the drought that occurred in the area in that
year.
In multiple regression analyses relating oocyst count to various other variates,
eye lens weight (age), kidney fat index, and liver weight were significant variables.
Rainfall and sex of host each increased the significance of the multiple regression in
one species.
The foregut glands of vermivorous cone shells
Authors: Marsh H
Published: June 2005

Salivary, snout, and secondary salivary glands are recorded in the foregut
region of Conus Javidus, C. lividus, C. litteratus, C. miles, C. vexillum, and C. virgo.
C. imperialis has a salivary gland only.
The histology and histochemistry of these glands in C. Javidus and C, lividus
is investigated. The salivary gland secretion consists of granules composed of polysaccharide
and protein. The snout gland secretes sulphated acid mucosubstances.
The secondary salivary gland secretion contains polysaccharide and protein.
Protease activity was detected histochemically in the salivary gland, indicating
that a function of this gland in Conus is the secretion of proteolytic enzymes into the
short arm of the radular sac. The functions of the snout gland, which is peculiar to
some species of Conus, and of the secondary salivary gland, which occurs sporadically
throughout the Stenoglossidae, are not immediately apparent.
The ultrastructure of the saccus vasculosus of teleost fishes III supporting tissue, innervation, vascularization
Authors: Lanzing WJR , van Lennep EW
Published: June 2005

The ultrastructure of the supporting cells, the nerve fibres, and the blood vessels
of the saccus vasculosus was investigated. Apart from the apical protuberance, the
coronet cells are usually enveloped by thin sheets of supporting-cell cytoplasm. Although
pinocytotic vesicles were not evident, the distal region of the supporting cells often
contains cytoplasmic vesicles. The possibility of transfer of fluid by these cells is
discussed.
The network of nerve fibres contains both vesiculated and non-vesiculated nerve
endings. Some of these endings lie adjacent to coronet cells and, occasionally, to
supporting cells.
In considering the function of the coronet cell undue emphasis was probably
placed in the past on the possible possession of an axon and, also, on the vicarious
presence of a secretory product in the lumen of the saccus vasculosus. It is suggested
that the coronet cell could function as a chemoreceptor monitoring the composition of the
cerebrospinal fluid.
Differential mortatlity of Antechinus stuartii (Macleay) : nitrogen balance and somatic changes
Authors: Woollard P
Published: June 2005

The female marsupial mouse, A. stuartii, is able to live and breed for up to
three times as long as the male. At the end of the mating period, at about 11.5
months of age, all male Antechinus become reproductively senescent and, in the
field, die. In the laboratory death after the breeding season is not inevitable. Postreproductive
males were found to be in poor condition (decreased body weight and
some loss of fur), lethargic, polyphagous, and in markedly negative nitrogen balance:
females of the same age showed none of these changes.
Age estimation in the Parma wallaby, Macropus parma Waterhouse
Authors: Maynes GM
Published: June 2005

Pouch young of M. parma were weighed and measured at weekly intervals from
birth until shortly after the end of pouch life. Tables giving means and standard deviations
of these measurements are provided for estimation of the age of pouch young.
The size and shape of the teeth of juvenile and adult animals were studied to
facilitate correct identification of the premolar and molar teeth. Vestigial canine teeth
were found to be present for a variable period in all juvenile animals studied.
Times of eruption of the various teeth were determined for pouch young, juvenile,
and young adult animals of known age. Using these data the ages of nine animals from
Kawau I., N.Z., were estimated and their subsequent tooth eruption sequences added
to the known age sequence. A curve relating age and the molar eruption stage from
M 0.2 to M 111.3 is presented for the combined data. The molar teeth appear to be
fully erupted at about 5 yr of age, based on extrapolation from the curve.
The molar index also shows promise as a means of estimating age. The regression
equation :
log (age in days) = 2.1912+0.3895 (molar index)
is suggested as a working estimate to 3 yr of age.
Observations on the sex ratio and the position of the lactating mammary gland in the brush-tailed possum, Trichosurus vulpecula (Kerr) (Marsupialia)
Authors: Hope RM
Published: June 2005

Data on age, sex, and location of the lactating mammary gland in T. vulpecula have been obtained from animals captured in 14 different localities in southern Australia. There is no evidence of differences between localities in the sex ratio of pouch young and the overall totals of 113 males and 94 females do not differ significantly from equality. When these data are combined with data on the sex ratio of T. vulpecula pouch young obtained by other workers, there is a consistent and significant excess of males. On partitioning the data obtained in this study into four age groups of 50 days, the 0 to 50-day group contains a significant excess of males, whereas the older groups show a sex ratio close to 1. Also, there is a significant regression of sex ratio on age, the proportion of males decreasing with increasing age. These observations may be accounted for by proposing that the sex ratio at birth favours an excess of males, and that differential mortality between the sexes occurs during pouch life. A sample of adults and independently living juveniles from Rocky River, Kangaroo I., S.A., contains a highly significant excess of males (202 males, 92 females). In all other population samples the sex ratio is close to 1. In samples from two of the localities, namely Rocky River and Adelaide, there is a significant departure from equality with respect to the number of pouch young suckling from the left and right teat. At Rocky River the right teat appears to be favoured, while in Adelaide the situation is reversed.
Observations on the Australian sea lion, Neophoca cinerea (Peron)
Authors: Stirling I
Published: June 2005

N. cinerea was studied at the South Neptune Is. and Kangaroo I., S.A., in 1969
and 1970. This paper outlines the annual cycle and general behaviour. Sound spectrographs
of several vocalizations are given. The vocalizations given by females and pups
when relocating each other were very similar to those given by Arctocephalus pusillus
doriferus. Pups may suckle for 2 yr prior to weaning and females were recorded suckling
both a yearling and a 2-yr-old pup. N, cinerea is positively thigmotropic. Ambient
temperature affects daily distribution and movements on land. They normally fear
humans but local populations can develop a surprising degree of tameness. Adults
commonly reach 8 or 9 yr of age.
A live-trapping of Australian brush-tailed possums, Trichosurus vulpecula (Kerr), in the Orongorongo Valley, Wellington, New Zealand
Authors: Crawley MC
Published: June 2005

A live-trapping study of a population of Australian brush-tailed possums, Trichosurus vulpecula (Kerr), in indigenous forest of the Orongorongo Valley, Wellington, N.Z., was carried out from March 1966 to November 1968. In 14 ha of podocarp-mixed broadleaf forest, 301 possums (150; 151) were individually marked and repeatedly captured in a series of trapping periods. The population comprised residents and transients of both sexes with sub- adults forming the bulk of the latter, particularly in spring. The estimated population density varied from 10.6 per ha in November 1966 to 6.4 per ha in August 1968. There was one well-defined season of births each autumn and a few births in winter. On average, 73% (67-92%) of mature females produced pouch young each year. Females resident throughout the study had the highest breeding success (79%). Achievement of sexual maturity was delayed; no females bred until they were 2 yr old, and some not even at 3 yr. Losses occurred at all stages of the life history and averaged 62% between the pouch young and subadult stages; thus only 28 subadults per 100 females were recruited. Adult losses averaged 26% per annum. Adult males (mean weight 2.46 kg) were heavier than adult females (2.33 kg). Weights varied seasonally, with males heaviest in summer and lightest in spring, and females heaviest in winter and lightest in summer. Possums of both sexes were rather sedentary, with males (95% of captures within 115 m of the initial capture site) being less so than females (95 % of captures within 90 m of the initial capture site). More than half of the captures (55% for males, 62% for females) were made within 30 m of the site of initial capture. Males moved farther in autumn and summer than in other seasons, while females did so in autumn and winter. Subadults were apparently more sedentary than adults. Home ranges of adult males (mean 0.81 ha) were significantly larger than those of adult females (0.46 ha). Considerable overlapping of the ranges of both sexes occurred, and territorial behaviour was not conspicuous. The dispersion of the population remained the same throughout the study although the component individuals changed. The results of the present study are compared with those of similar studies in New Zealand and Australia, and the dynamics of the Orongorongo Valley possum population are discussed with reference to variable rates of reproduction and mortality.
Taxonomy and relationships of myobatrachine frogs (Leptodactylidae) : A numerical approach
Authors: Blake AJD
Published: June 2005

The current generic classification of Australian myobatrachine leptodactylids
is essentially unchanged from that of Parker (1940). Since then, however, the concept
of the genus has altered, and many new species have been described in this subfamily.
Some of these species were erected on the basis of differentiation in only one character
(male mating-call structure). Hence a re-examination of generic boundaries and
species relationships is warranted.
Specimens of the five myobatrachine genera Crinia Tschudi, Metacrinia
Parker, Pseudophryne Fitzinger, Taudactylus Straughan & Lee, and Uperoleia Gray
were collected and studied. Numerical strategies employing a large array of
characters (morphological, anatomical, ecological, and ethological) were used to
develop a series of phenetic classifications and ordinations of the specimens.
Interpretation of the results has led to a taxonomic revision which splits the
genus Crinia into three separate genera, returns Metacrinia nichollsi to its former
classification in Pseudophryne, and confirms the generic status of Taudactylus and
Uperoleia. In addition, a hypothetical phylogeny of these genera is proposed.
Development of horns in merino sheep
Authors: Lyne AG , Hollis DE
Published: June 2005

Development of horns has been studied in 20 foetuses ranging in age from 55
to 144 days of gestation, and in 16 lambs, ranging in age from birth to 42 days. Samples
from one adult have also been examined.
An increase in the thickness of the epidermis appears to be the first indication
of horn development, recognizable in a 75-day-old male foetus and in an 84-day-old
female foetus. Primary hair follicles develop in the horn region and produce emerging
hairs, but these follicles later degenerate and disappear. The sweat glands and sebaceous
glands formed in association with these follicles also degenerate, usually after hair
growth has ceased. Fusion of primary follicles is a common feature in the horn growing
skin, particularly before hair formation; a common connective tissue sheath surrounds
the lower parts of these fused follicles. No secondary follicles are formed in the horn
region but some branching of the primary follicles has been observed.
By 118 days of gestation the epidermis in the horn region becomes greatly
thickened, with very long dermal papillae which are well vascularized and innervated.
Medulla-like columns of cells are formed above each dermal papilla and these cells
keratinize later than the cells between the columns. These medullary cells remain in
contact with each other longer than do the other cells of the horny sheath.
Numerous arteriovenous anastomoses, which develop at two levels in the
dermis of the horn region, are in continuity with capillaries which enter the dermal
papillae of the epidermis. An outgrowth of bone from the frontal region of the skull,
which later becomes the bony core of the horn, is first seen in a male foetus at 118 days.
Acetylcholinesterase-positive branched cells (Langerhans cells), present in the
lower part of the thick epidermis of developing horns, are not discernible in fully
formed horns.
Structure and dynamics of a cave population of the Guano mite, Uroobovella coprophila (Womersley)
Authors: Harris JA
Published: June 2005

The biology and ecology of U. coprophila was studied in mite cultures in the
laboratory and from analyses of samples taken from a heap of bat guano in a small
cave chamber. The guano heap was formed over many years of cyclical roosting in the
chamber by several thousand bent-winged bats, whose faeces and urine form the
source of energy for the permanent community of organisms in the heap. U, coprophila
is a major component of this guano community because of its exceedingly high numbers
(up to 33.7 x l0*6 per square metre).
Freshly defaecated bat guano was collected from the cave and used as a substrate
for laboratory cultures of mites. The mites feed and mature on fungi. There are
five stages in the life cycle: eggs, larvae, protonymphs, deutonymphs, and adults of
both sexes. No phoretic nymphs were found. The mean duration in days of each
of these stages was determined at 14,20, and 24�C. There was a positive linear relationship
between temperature and the rate of development of larvae and protonymphs.
Age-specific fertility and mortality were determined.
Laboratory experiments supported the hypothesis that a regular supply of
fresh bat guano was necessary for continuous growth and reproduction of U. coprophila.
When fresh dung was not available, females ceased laying eggs and growth of the
immature stages ceased. Nymphs and adults became quiescent.
Annual changes in the cave population of mites and their vertical distribution
in the guano heap were determined from quantitative samples of bat guano collected
at regular intervals from August 1966 to July 1970. A sieve-sampling method for
guano deposits is described; mites were extracted by a modified Tullgren funnel.
Mites feed primarily in the surface layers of guano and move into the heap to moult.
Sex ratios were found to be significantly biased towards males at most times of the
year. Several generations were produced each year. These overlapped and became
indistinguishable. A graphical method was used to determine instar-specific mortality
of the mites.
Recruitment to the population occurred when bats were present in the chamber
and fresh dung was being deposited. When bats were not present, the fresh guano
was used up rapidly and growth and reproduction of the mite population ceased.
It is suggested that the mite population progresses through an annual cycle of four
phases keyed with the annual roosting cycle of the bats and that limitation of the
mite numbers is by a complex interaction between fly larvae, food, and temperature
of the guano until an absolute shortage of food occurs and mites become quiescent.