Millipede Salvage in South-Western Victoria

2008·2.4 MB·English

by  Robert Mesibov

Research Reports
Millipede salvage in south-western Victoria
Robert Mesibov
QueenVictoriaMuseumandArtGallery,Launceston,Tasmania7250.Email:[email protected]
Abstract
Millipedesandotherlitterinvertebratesweresampledinforestpatchesscatteredoverapproximately
3000 km2 ofsouthwest Victorian farmland, mainly between the Eumeralla and Hopkins Rivers.
Three new, geographically restricted species ofSomethns (Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae) were
collected. Litterfaunainthesampledpatches, apartfrom Framlingham Forest, includedfewspecies
thatarepoordispersers. Absences maybethe historical legacyofpasthabitatfragmentation, subse-
quentlocalextinctionsandavery lowprobabilityofpatchrecolonisation.(The VictorianNaturalist125
(4),2008,96-104)
Introduction Methods
Polydesmida are the most abundant and Overviewofthestudyarea
diverse group of native Australian milli- The study area boundaries (Fig. 2) are the
pedes (Mesibov 2006-07). Until recently, Glenelg Highway (north), Hopkins River
only 18 species and subspecies ofnative (east), Princes Highway (south) and
Polydesmida had been recorded from Eumeralla River and its headwater swamps
Victoria (Mesibov 2004a). The author has (west). The eastern and western boundaries
since described 11 new species (Mesibov are those ofthe County ofVilliers, and the
2004a, 2006) and sorted at least 50 more included area is 2830 km2. Most of the
from museum collections. studyareais inMoyneShireandtheCityof
Among the undescribed new Polydes- Warrnambool. The north-western portion
mida are at least 20 species in the genus extendsinto SouthernGrampiansShire.
Somethus Chamberlin, 1920 (Fig. 1), Most ofthe study area is flat, with low
which also occurs in southeast New South basalt hills and stony rises in the east and
Wales, southeast South Australia and south. Flats in the west are covered in
northern Tasmania. Somethus appears to sandy loams and arepoorlydrained; inpre-
be particularly diverse in Victoria’s west- settlement times the west had numerous
ern district. This is unfortunate for milli- wetlands. Eight recording stations in and
mm
pede conservation, as Somethus spp. are bounding the study area average 706
restricted to woody vegetation (forest, annual rainfall (data from Bureau of
woodland and scrub) and most ofthe dis- Meteorology). Land use is predominantly
trict’s pre-European cover ofwoody vege- dairy and sheep grazing. Several thousand
tationhasbeen cleared. hectares ofEucalyptusglobulusplantations
As part ofan ongoing documentation of have been established in the west since the
Somethus diversity and distribution, a late 1990s. Forfurtherinformation on soils,
methodical salvage ofmillipedes and other climate, current vegetation and modelled
litter invertebrates was carried out by the pre-1750 Ecological Vegetation Classes,
author in a particularly well-cleared por- see the summaries for the study area’s two
tion of the Western District (Fig. 2). Victorian bioregions, Warrnambool Plain
Salvage sampling aims to recover speci- and Victorian Volcanic Plain (www.
mens and ecological and biogeographical dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/bio
information from severely degraded habi- diversity_bioregions_vic).
tats, or from better-quality habitats likely Early accounts and local histories ofthe
to be lost in the near future (Mesibov southern and eastern portions ofthe study
2004b). Details of the western district area describe a heavily timbered landscape
study are presented here aspossible guides (Bennett 1984; Sayers 1972; Yambuk
to salvage sampling elsewhere in rural Book Committee 1994). Eucalyptus vimi-
Australia. nalis and E. obliqua dominated over
96 The Victorian Naturalist
.
Research Reports
mm
Fig. 1.Somethusn. sp. ‘BigRiver’. MostSomethusspp. are lighttodarkbrownand25-30 long
asadults. Speciesaredistinguishedbythestructureofthemalegenitalia.
Fig. 2. Study area (black outline) in southwestVictoria. 2004 Landsat image, geographic projection
(NationalCarbonAccountingToolboxandDataViewer,version2.0,AustralianGreenhouseOffice).
Acacia melanoxylon, Allocasuarina stricta Selectionofsamplinglocations
andExocarpos cupressiformis Most ofthe Digitised aerial photos of the study area
forest and woodland in the study area had taken in 1947-1950 (Department of
been cleared before 1900; some of the Sustainability and Environment 2006)
swampy forest north ofYambuk and east were georegistered into GIS using junc-
of Bessiebelle was cleared and drained tions and bends in the digitised Victorian
afterthe secondworldwar. road network as reference points. Polygons
were then hand-digitised around all
patches of forest, woodland and scrub
Vol. 125 (4) 2008 97
Research Reports
greater than 1 ha on the aerial photos; lin- Within the study area millipedes were
ear (probably planted) windbreaks were looked for also in roadside strips ofnative
excluded. The resulting GIS layer, ‘1950 woody vegetation, in Eucalyptus globulus
patches’, comprised all native woody rem- plantations closeto native forest, and in the
nants in the study area approximately 60 planted native vegetation ofthe Tower Hill
years ago, and totalled 62 km2 (This layer State Game Reserve. Justwest ofthe study
.
and those described below were projected area Big River State Forest, Mt Eccles
into the Universal Transverse Mercator National Park and Mt Napier State Park
system forareameasurements.) were visited. East of the study area the
A GIS grid layer, showing presence/ Ralph Illidge Sanctuary at Naringal East
absence offorest in the study area in 2005 was sampled.
Landsat imagery (National Carbon
Accounting Scheme, Australian Publicityandlandownercontacts
Greenhouse Office) as filled/unfilled 0.9 Thirteen of the 18 targeted locations in
degree (25 m) cells, was converted to a Table 1 were on private land. Before field-
polygon layer. ‘Forest’ is defined by the work began, Moyne Shire Council distrib-
NCAS as vegetation with a minimum 20% uted a letter regarding the study to owners
canopy cover, potentially reaching 2 m of land carrying or adjoining ‘persistents’
high with a minimum area of 0.2 ha. patches. The letter provided details about
Polygons smaller than 625 m2 (NCAS grid the author and the proposed study, and
resolution) were deleted. The edited layer, included close-up photos of a Portugese
‘2005 patches’, totalled 105 km2 and com- millipede and aSomethus sp. TheHamilton
prised remnant vegetation, windbreaks, Spectator newspaper published the photos
gardens and forest plantations in the study and a briefarticle about the work. Contact
area, as of2005. was made also with Trust for Nature, the
The spatial intersection of‘1950 patches’ Warrnambool Field Naturalists Club, the
and ‘2005 patches’ is a third polygon Aboriginal owners ofFramlingham Forest,
plaaytecrh,esheorfencaatlilveedw‘opeordsiystevnetgse’t.atIitoinncwlhuidcehs tTheeaSmout(hhtWteps:t//Iwnwtwe.grsawtiefdfFtl.onreat.aanud)F,autnhae
hadpersisted in the landscape fornearly60 Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management
years and were therefore priority sites for Authority, and forestry companies with
sampling. The ‘persistents’ layer, initially plantations in and around the study area.
totalling 26 km2 was transferred to paper All landowners contacted in the study area,
maps foruse in t,he field afterediting. 2004 including plantation companies, granted
Landsat imagery (National Carbon free access to their properties to sample
Accounting Toolbox and Data Viewer, millipedes, and several landowners were
version 2.0, Australian Greenhouse Office) generous in providing historical and other
was used to delete some plantation blocks. information.
Additional ‘persistents’ patches were Millipedesampling
culled later when ground truthing showed Searches by day for millipedes (and asso-
them to be plantations or small groups of ciated litter invertebrates) were made in
senescenteucalypts inpasture. and under litter (wood, bark and leaves);
The final set of 18 ‘persistents’ patches under loose bark on trees; under stones;
and patch clusters, totalling 14 km2, is list- and in moist soil under small accumula-
ed in Table 1 and shown in Fig. 3. There tions of rotting vegetation. The search
was insufficienttimeavailableduring field- effort was guided by the author’s experi-
work to inspect two ‘persistents’ patches ence as a millipede collector. The aim was
totalling 55 ha on private land west of to find and collect as many specimens as
Orford, between Pallisters and Codrington- possible in the time available by the most
Bessiebelle Roads. Both patches are shown efficient method, ie. searching (Mesibov et
as non-plantation forest in the online map- al. 1995, Snyderetal. 2006), ratherthan to
per ‘Forest Explorer Online’ (Department compare abundance and diversity at differ-
of Sustainability and Environment,
entsites.
http://nremap-sc.nre.vic.gov.au/
Sampling in the winter of2007 followed
MapShare.v2/imf.jsp?site=forestexplorer, ‘autumn break’ rains. Sampling dates were
accessed 15 October2007).
98 The Victorian Naturalist
Research Reports
oTradbelre; a1r.ea‘sPerasriestaepnptr’oxniatmiavtee.foLroecstatpiaotncshegsivaenndarpeataclhsoclaupsptrerosxiimnatteh;e csotluldeyctairnega,siitnesdweictrheiansipnagtcshiezse
wereaccuratelylocated. Patchnumberingasin Fig. 3.
Name Tenure Location Remarks
Visited:
1. Framlingham private 38°17’S 1000hablockofdenseregrowth,sparsenative
Forest 142°40’E understorey.(2visits)
2. ‘TheWickham’, private/ 38°12’S Formerlyprivateforest, lightlycutandburned;
Woolsthorpe public 142°23’E 230hain 1950.Now30haprivateshooting
range(north)and30haWoolsthorpeNature
Conservation Reserve(south). Denseregrowth,
diversenativeunderstoreyinWoolsthorpeNCR.
(3visits)
3. ‘FlockingBush’ private 38°12’S 50haofswampyforest,diversenative
142°02’E understorey; 115 hain 1950.OwnedbyTrust
forNature.(2visits)
4. Pallisters Road 1 private 38°14’S 50haofmixed-ageforest,diversenative
142°01’E understorey; 180hain 1950.(1 visit)
5. PallistersReserve private 38°13’S 35haofmixed-ageforest,formerlygrazed,
142°02’E sparsenativeunderstorey;260hain 1950.
OwnedbyTrustforNature.(1 visit)
6.StHelensFlora public 38°14’S 35ha(includingsmalladjoiningremnant)
Reserve 142°04’E ofswampyforestwithdense,diversenative
understorey;formerlypartof250haremnant
includingaRecreationReserve.(3visits)
7.ShadysLane, private 38°17’S 25haofmixed-ageforest,fragmented,with
MailorsFlat 142°29’E broomandpastureunderstorey.(1 visit)
8. RussellsRoad, private 38°16’S Clusterofforestfragments,7(1 visit),5and3
MailorsFlat 142°28’E haonseparateblocks;sparse,weedynative
understorey.
9. MtMiseryRoad, private 38°10’S 13 haofregrowthforestwith mainlyweedy
Broadwater 142°03’E understorey,grazed;50hain 1950.(Not
searched)
10.TerkaRoad, private 38°16’S Clusterof13 haofforestfragments,largest6
Kirkstall 142°15’E ha(1 visit)withbrackenpatchesinpasturegrass
andweedunderstorey,grazed;260hain 1950.
11. Moyne private 38°19’S Clusterof12haofsmall forestfragments,the
142°16’E largest3 ha,withmainlypasturegrass
understorey; 85 hain 1950.(Notsearched)
12.Orford public 38°12’S 10haofmixed-ageforestwithvariablyweedy
sportsground 142°06’E understorey.(1 visit)
13. MtRouse public 37°53’S 7haofregrowthforestwithpasturegrassand
142°18’E weedunderstorey;25hain 1950.(1 visit)
14. Broadwater private 38°09’S 4haofforestwithmainlypasturegrass
142°04’E understorey,grazed;70hain 1950. (Not
searched)
15. PallistersRoad2 public 38°11’S 4haofforestwithdense,diversenative
142°01’E understorey;220ha in 1950.(2visits)
16. DonovansLane, private 38°04’S Twoneighbouringforestfragments,4ha,with
Macarthur 142°05’E mainlypasturegrassunderstorey; 180hain
1950.(1 visit)
Notvisited:
17. WestofMasons private 38°12’S 35ha;200hain 1950.
Road, Bessiebelle 141°59’E
18. PallistersRoad3 private 38°14’S 20ha;250hain 1950.
142°00’E
Vol. 125 (4) 2008 99
Research Reports
Fig. 3. Collecting sites (squares) and approximate locations of‘persistent’ patches (numbers). Patch
nStuamtbeePrairnkg,aRs1i=nRTaalbplheI1l.lBidRge=SaBnicgtuRairvye,rTSHtat=eTFoorweestr,HMilElS=taMtetGEaccmleesReNsaetrivoen.alMPearrcka,toMrNpr=ojeMcttiNona.pier
26-28 May, 5-9 July and 30 August - 4 1950. A diverse and abundant native litter
September. On those 14 days, searching in fauna was found in the Forest, despite its
and aroundthe studyareaoccupied 10 full- long history oflight timber harvesting and
day equivalents. The author’s wife, also an frequent burning, a scarcity ofrotting logs,
experienced millipede collector, assisted and an intense wildfire that had burned
on most days. Up to two hours were spent more than 90% ofthe Forest in the preced-
searching at a site, and several sites were ing summer.
repeatedly visited. Search time on-site The remaining 390 ha ofsurviving ‘per-
totalled 38 person-hours in the study area sistents’ patches had been reduced from
and another 12 person-hours in the near 2400 ha since 1950 (Table 1) through con-
surrounds. version to pasture and E. globulus planta-
Collection localities were recorded with a tion. The habitatquality ofthe 340 havisit-
hand-held GPS. Atseveral siteswhere satel- ed was variable. Healthy forest over a
lite signals were weak, positions were noted diverse native understorey was found in
inthe fieldand located laterusingthe online Woolsthorpe Nature Conservation Reserve,
mappingresourceGoogleEarth. StHelens FloraReserve and several private
Specimens were preserved in 80% blockswestofOrford(Table 1). Mostother
ethanol and deposited after study in patches had a sparse, weedy understorey
Museum Victoria. andshowedsignsofrecentgrazing.
Results Samplingresults
Overviewofpatches Three new species ofSomethus were sort-
Of the 14 km2 of surviving ‘persistents’ ed from highly disjunct localities in the
patches in the study area, the Aboriginal- study area and its nearsurrounds. All three
owned and managed Framlingham Forest Somethus spp. were found mainly in thin
block accounted for 10 km2 and had not (1-2 cm deep) layers ofleaflitter orrichly
been significantly reduced in area since organic topsoil in the shade ofEucalyptus
100 The Victorian Naturalist
Research Reports
orAcacia. Somethus n. sp. ‘Big River’ was geophilomorph and cryptopid scolopendro-
collected in Big River State Forest, 10 km morph centipedes.
west of the study area. Somethus n. sp.
Discussion
‘Orford’ was found in St Helens Flora
Reserve, 20 km east of Big River State Millipedesalvage
Forest. Somethus n. sp. ‘Kikkabush’ was Polydesmida were found atonly two ofthe
collected in Framlingham Forest, 50 km 16 locations visited in the study area:
Framlingham Forest and St Helens Flora
teawsot osfpSetcHiemleennss FolforaSoRemseetrhveu.sInn.200s6p,. Reserve. It is possible that Polydesmida
were present in very low numbers in the
‘Kikkabush’ had been found at a house in
Ralph Illidge Sanctuary, 20 km southeast larger of the other 14 patches visited, or
of Framlingham Forest, by the resident were restricted to unsearched places within
those patches, or both. Although eight per-
caretaker.
A fourth species of paradoxosomatid son-hours were spentsearching inthe 35 ha
Polydesmida, here code-named ‘V141-1-1’ St Helens Flora Reserve, only nine adult
was also found in Framlingham Forest and tsapkeecni,mfernosmotfwSoomseptothsus50n.mspa.pa‘rOtr.ford’ were
pRraelvpihouIlslliydgebeSeannctrueacroyr.deTdhinsesaprecNieelssohna,d Nevertheless, it was suspected that
Polydesmida were genuinely absent from
Victoria (Museum Victoria lot K-10302),
most ofthe patches visited. Three explana-
close to the coast and the South Australian
tions for contemporary absence might be
border, and thus has a linear range of at
considered. The simplest is that
least 160 km.
Two other native millipede species were Polydesmida were also largely absent from
forests and woodlands in the study area in
collected in the study area, both in order
dPaolnytzoinniibdoat.hSFiprhaomnloitindghsap.m1Fowraesstabaunnd- pprroep-oEsuirtoipoena,natsimPeosl.yTdheissmiisdaa (dnooutbatbfluly
Woolsthorpe Nature Conservation Somethus spp.) have been collected by the
Reserve, while Siphonotid sp. 2 was found author in little-disturbed forest, woodland
and woody scrub elsewhere in south-west-
onlyin Framlingham Forest.
The only other millipede seen in the ern Victoria in recent years, as well as by
study area was the introduced Ommatoi- other collectors (specimens examined by
ulus moreleti (Lucas, 1860) (Julida: theauthorin Museum Victoria).
Julidae), commonly known as the A second possibility is that past habitat
fragmentation reduced patch size to the
Portugese millipede. O. moreleti is very
abundant in gardens, weedy bushland and pointwhere millipede populations were too
coastal scrub around Port Fairy and small to be self-sustaining in the face of
tWhaerrpnlaamnbtoeodl.busIthlisanadlsoofvetrhye aTbouwnedrantHililn fniarteusr,aldidsiesaassetearsndsuicnhtenassedprroeudgahtti,onintpernesse-
State Game Reserve, on Mt Rouse at sure. Surrounding barriers ofpasture would
Penshurst, and in some of the wooded have maderecolonisation from larger,near-
roIandsmiodsetstorfipsthien psaotutchheersnvMisoiytendeaSbhuirned.ant byAfotrheisrtdppaotscshiebsiliimtpyosasdidbslea.nother class of
disturbance, namely intense grazing by
native arthropods were found from groups
with widely dispersing life stages, e.g. sheep and (before the 1950s) rabbits. Both
ants, termites, cockroaches, tenebrionid species are known to have reduced some
beetles and spiders. The introduced wood- Australian woodlands to ‘trees over dust’
louse Porcel/io scaher Latreille, 1804 and during droughts. In this view, the apparent
the introduced snails Arion intermedins suitabilityofsomeoftoday’sremnantforest
Normand, 1852, Deroceras spp. and/or patches as millipede habitat is misleading.
Oxychilus spp. were present at several of There may have been periods in post-set-
the sites with pasture grass and weedy tlement western Victoria when compo-
ground layers. The sampling also yielded a nents of the local litter fauna were wiped
small by-catch ofnative velvetworms(one out in remnants on or adjoining farms. The
sp.) and native land snails (seven spp.), as vegetation may have since recovered, but
well as unidentified carabid beetles and notthe fauna.
Vol. 125(4) 2008 101
ResearchReports
This ‘recovery’ scenario has been pro- larger private forest, and published an
posed for remnant vegetation in farmed early photo ofa local family sawing a log
landscapes elsewhere in south-eastern there after a bushfire. Her son, zoologist
Australia (Lunt and Spooner 2005). Andrew Bennett, surveyed the mammals
However, it needs support from high-qual- of the Woolsthorpe area, and commented
ity documentation that is unavailable for that
the study area, such as ground-level pho- when one considers that the original habi-
tography ofparticular forest patches in the tat has been transformed from forest to
period 1850-1950. The only evidence open pasture land, and from native vegeta-
known to the author is oral testimony from tion to introduced pasture grasses and
a farmer he met south of Mt Napier, just trees,togetherwiththeinvasionandspread
outside the study area. Very few litter ofintroduced mammals and the introduc-
invertebrates (and no millipedes) were tion ofhuge numbers ofdomestic stock, it
found in dense eucalypt regrowth with a is surprising that any native mammals
sparse wattle understorey along Harmans remainatall! (Bennett 1982:239).
Road. The farmer had known the area for The history ofSt Helens Flora Reserve is
more than 60 years, and said that prior to similar to that ofother high-quality rem-
the introduction of myxomatosis in the nants in south-east Australia (Lunt and
1950s, rabbit and stock browsing had pre- Spooner 2005), in that the large block of
vented tree regeneration. At the time, the land which formerly included the Reserve
Harmans Road area carried only scattered was firstsurveyed as acommunityreserve.
old eucalypts overfrequentlyburnedgrass- Until the late 1930s the ‘Race Course and
land. When the rabbit population declined, Recreation Purposes’ reserve was the site
eucalypt regeneration succeeded, and with ofthe Yambuk Picnic Races, and an article
the gradual ‘thickening’ ofthe vegetation, in the Port Fairy Gazette for 27 February
wattles established where protected from 1939 referred to ‘The picturesque St
browsing. In agreement with this account, Helens racecourse, fringed with its belt of
1948 aerial photography ofHarmans Road trees...’ The racetrack is still clearlyvisible
(Department of Sustainability and in 1950 aerial photography (Department of
Environment 2006) shows woodland with Sustainability and Environment 2006); its
large-crowned trees, not dense forest. southern portion loops through today’s
Similar accounts ofpost-rabbit vegetation Flora Reserve. Sincethe 1970sthe Reserve
‘thickening’ are referenced in Lunt and has been informally managed by the
Spooner (2005): ‘Before this regeneration adjoining landowner. Arguing thatthe resi-
pulse, thevegetation structure in mostrem- dent population of bandicoots will be
nants would have been extremely simple exposed to increased fox predation ifthe
(mature trees above a heavily denuded Reserve is burned, the landowner has suc-
understorey), as rabbits precluded recruit- cessfully excluded fire from the Reserve
mentofmostspecies’ (p. 1864). formany years, with the resultthat leafand
It is easy to think that natural habitats bark litterhasrotted intorichlyorganictop-
have been in steady decline since soil in manyplaces.
European settlement, and thatsalvage sam-
Millipedeconservation
pling is needed to documentvanishing bio-
diversity before more clearing, weed inva- Conserving patches ofnative forest, wood-
sions and climate change result in local land and woody scrub in Victoria isa prac-
extinctions in future. The situation maynot tical meansofconservingnative millipedes
be that simple. Local extinctions may have and other poorly dispersing litter inverte-
happened 50 or more years ago in habitats brates, but only if those invertebrates are
whose ‘naturalness’ has been increasing still present on site. While restoration of
ever since. Salvage in such places will be degraded patches in the Western District is
manyyearstoo late. ofvalue in conserving readily dispersing
This may be the case for Polydesmida in vertebrates and invertebrates, it will not
‘The Wickham’ bush west ofWoolsthorpe bring back locally extinct populations of
forest-dwelling species which cannot
(Table 1). Local historian Ruth Bennett
(2002) described it as a remnant ofa much orefcgorlaosnsilsaends.uch patches across kilometres
102 The Victorian Naturalist
Research Reports
Species-by-species conservation ofcryp- ity and administrative assistance; to The
tpircobilnevemratteibcr,ataesltshuocuhghaspomsislilbilpeed(esMeissiablosvo Htlihacemitiyl;tDtoeonptaShpreetcAmtueastntortralnioeanwfsGprSaeupesentrhafoionurasbefirilOefinftdiylcyepaaunnbdd-
2007). Ofthe three new and geographically Environment, Victoria for spatial data; and to
restricted Somethus spp. discovered in this Kevin Bonham (Hobart) forsnail identifications
study, two (n. spp. ‘Big River’ and and distribution information. I thank my wife,
‘Kikkabush’) are known to occur in large Trina Moule, for her patient assistance in the
blocks ofnative forests in good condition. field.Thisstudywasfundedbytheauthor.
Somethus n. sp. ‘Orford’ may be present at References
low density in private forest blocks west Bennett AF (1982) The mammals ofthe Woolsthorpe
and north of its only currently known area, western Victoria: and the changes that have
occurred since European settlement. The Victorian
locality, St Helens Flora Reserve. Informal Naturalist99 229-240.
management ofthis Reserve (see above) Bennett, R. (19,84) RichardBennett's Early Days of
has probably benefited litter fauna. Ifthe Port Fairy. (Warrnambool Institute Press:
Warrnambool)
Reserve were to be regularly burned in Bennett R.(2002)GlimpsesintothePast. AHistoryof
fmuotruere,suiittecdoutlodtwheellPobrteucgoemsee mwieleldiipeerdeanO.d BoDWniovohelarssmtihtoyKrJpa,en.dM(aeBbseuninnbdeoatnvtcFeRamoiaflngyd:roWuBanards-rhdnfwaoemrlbldoionRlg)i(n2v0er0t2e)-
moIrneletrio,aadsliikdeelycocmopnesteirtvoratoifoSnometsthruisp.s, Abruasttersaliina.plFaonrteatsitonEcvos.longaytivaendforMeasntsaginemTeansmtan1i5a8,,
Ommatoiulus. moreleti was found but no De2p3a7r-t2m4e7n.t ofSustainability and Environment (2006)
native millipedes. Although many ofthese VictorianAerialPhotoMosaics 1930-1940's, vols. 1
strips in Moyne Shire carry old-growth and2 [on CD-ROM]. (DepartmentofSustainability
andEnvironment:Melbourne)
eucalypts, their ground layers typically ElliottH(1971)Theroleofmillipedesinthedecompo-
consistofpasturegrass andweeds. sitionofPinusradiatalitterintheAustralianCapital
It is interesting also that no millipedes LuTnetrrIiDtorayn.dASupsotroanleiranPGFor(e2s0t05R)esUesairncghhi4s,t3o-r1ic0a.lecolo-
were found in the study area in E. globulus gytounderstandpatternsofbiodiversityinfragment-
plantations whose edges closely paralleled ed agricultural landscapes.JournalofBiogeography
(separation 20 m or less) an adjacent block Me3s2,ib1o85v9-R187(32.004a) A new genus ofmillipedes
of native forest. Native millipedes are (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae) from wet
known to thrive in forest plantations in forests in southern Victoria, with briefremarks on
Australia (Elliott 1971, Bonham et al. the Victorian Polydesmida. Memoirs ofMuseum
Victoria61 41-45.
2002, Mesibov 2005), particularly under Mesibov R. ,(2004b) Spare a thought for the losers.
Pinus radiata and a dense population of AustralianZoologist32,505-507.
Somethus sco,piferus Jeekel, 2002 was Mesibov R (2005) Native species dominate the milli-
pedefaunainasecond-rotationPinusradiataplanta-
found in pines in Rennick State Forest, 90 tion in Tasmania, Australia. Pacific Conservation
kmwestofthe studyarea, in the2007 win- Biology11,17-22.
Mesibov R (2006-07) Millipedes ofAustralia.
ter. Native millipedes also occur in www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/zoology/mi pedes/
Tasmanian plantations of Eucalyptus index.html,accessed 1 October2007. 11i
nitens (Bonham et al. 2002) and E. globu- MeCshiabmobverRli(n20,06)19T2h0e(mDiillpilpoepdoedgae:nuPsolLiysdseosdmeisdmau:s
lus (pers. obs.). Millipedes may be absent Dalodesmidae) from Tasmania and Victoria, with
from local E. globulus stands becausethere descriptions ofa new genus and 24 new species.
are no source populations in adjoining MeMseimbooirvsoRfMu(s2e00u7m)VicTthoeriaT6r2a,f1a0l3g-a14r6.millipede
native vegetation, or because not enough Lissodesmus johnsi Mesibov, 2006. The Victorian
time has passed for successful colonisa- Naturalist 124, 197-203.
tion. Most of the study area plantations Mesibov R, Taylor RJ and Brereton RN (1995)
Relative efficiency ofpitfall trapping and hand-col-
were established after2000. lecting from plots for sampling ofmillipedes.
BiodiversityandConservation4,429-439.
Acknowledgements Sayers, CE (1972) OfMany Things: A History of
aIcacmesgsrattoeftulhetiortphreoplearntdioewsnefrosrwmhiloliapleldoewesdamme- SnWyadrerrnaBmAb,oolDrSahinree.y(OMlLindaanBdooSkise:rOwlailndda)P (2006)
pSlaincntgu;artyo)SfhorirmlielylipDeudfefsipeelcdim(eRnsa;lptho AInlldirdegwe CmDoienlvsleeilrpovepadmteiesonnt(1o0Dfi2pa7ln7o-op2po8td8ia.m)a.l sJaomuprlninaglprooftocIonlsefcotr
Bennett (Deakin University), Len Clarke Yambuk BookCom,mittee(1994) Yambukanddistrict
(Kikkabush Aboriginal Pastoral and Advance- 1839-1994, a local history compiledby local resi-
ment Association, Framlingham) and David and dents.(YambukBookCommittee:Warrnambool)
Sue Rowbottom (St Helens) for advice on site
history;to MoyneShireCouncil staffforpublic- Received25October2007;accepted28February2008
Vol. 125(4) 2008 103