Observations on the Feeding Habits of the Red-Tailed Phascogale Phascogale Calura in the Western Australian Wheatbelt

2011·1.2 MB·English

by  A Baxter

OBSERVATIONS ON THE EEEDING HABITS OE THE RED¬
TAILED PHASCOGALE PHASCOQALE CALURA IN THE
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN WHEATBELT
By A. BAXTER
Department of Environment and Conservation,
P.O. Box 100, Narrogin WA 6312
([email protected])
and A. CHAPMAN
PO BOX 264, Ravensthorpe WA 6346
([email protected])
Most Australian mammals With the development of
are nocturnal and in order to modern technology in digital
gain an understanding of their photography it is possible to see
biology it is sometimes necessary what many animals do at night
to make assumptions based on without adversely influencing
data obtained by indirect means. their behaviour. The use of infra¬
This is particularly true for small red flash photography coupled
carnivorous marsupials where with motion detector triggering
most of our knowledge of mechanisms offers a whole new
their diet is based on analyses view on life after dark.
of faecal pellets left in traps or
This paper reports on observations
nests. While this provides some
of feeding behaviour not
indication of part of their diet it
previously recorded for the Red¬
is biased towards those dietary
tailed Phascogale.
items that have a hard exoskeleton
From the 12-18 April 2010
(invertebrates) or indigestible parts
a fauna survey was conducted
of vertebrates such as teeth and
on a 200 hectare remnant
claws. What has been difficult
of native vegetation located 19
to discern is whether soft food
km south-south-east of Kulin
items such as nectar are consumed.
in the central wheatbelt. The
Similar examples occur in reptiles
bushland is privately owned and
where Dell (1985) reported on
is registered with the Department
observations of geckos feeding on
of Environment and Conservation
plant sap. Keeping some species in
captivity has allowed observations (DEC) Land for Wildlife Program.
to be made of what foods some The bushland is on a minor
animals will accept, but it is catchment divide and the general
difficult to determine between a habitat consists of laterite ridges,
natural food item and what might granite outcrops and slopes
have become an acquired taste. draining into broad valleys.
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Vegetation consists of granite Wattle Acacia lasiocalyx beneath
complexes, sheoak (Allocasuarina) a granite outcrop, and five in
shrublands, mallee, Gimlet a trapline located in a Gimlet
Eucalyptus salubris and Salmon Eucalyptus salubris woodland with
Gum E. salmonophloia woodlands an understorey of Boree Melaleuca
giving a very high degree of pauperiflora and M. acuminata.
habitat diversity. The bushland
A fixed video camera that was
has never been cleared, was fenced
placed near a trapline located in
when the adjoining paddocks
a thicket of Round-fruit Banksia
were developed for agriculture in
Banksia sphaerocarpa and B. cirsioides
the 1960’s, timber has never been
provided extensive visual data
removed, it has seldom been burnt
on the behaviour of Red-tailed
and is in very good condition.
Phascogale.
The survey used a range of
The camera was focused on a
methods to sample the native
Round-fruit Banksia shrub
fauna including three pit/bucket
and the five second video clips
trap lines with drift fences each
showed a Red-tailed Phascogale
of 12 traps, six Elliott trap lines
repeatedly visiting the shrub over
of 20 medium traps each baited
the course of three nights. Visits
with universal’ bait (DEC, 2009)
occurred every one to two hours
operated under DEC licence
during the night and provide
(SF007055), and three fixed digital
an interesting snapshot into the
cameras (Moultrie 160 Infra-red
feeding habits. On the first night
Digital Game Camera) provided
a Red-tailed Phascogale visited
by DEC through their Land for
the shrub once at 12.35 am when
Wildlife Program. Other methods
the recorded temperature was
used included litter raking, active
14°C. On the second night a Red¬
searching and head torching
tailed Phascogale first triggered the
at night, and identifying birds
camera at 7.09 pm (18°C) and finally
through sight and call at each
at 4.07 am (9°C). On the third night
trapping site.
visits started at 6:39 pm (18°C) and
A total of 40 species of birds,
finished at 5.49 am (11°C).
three native and two introduced
In five of the 25 instances in which
mammals, three frogs and four
the camera was triggered, the Red¬
reptiles were recorded during the
tailed Phascogale was foraging on
survey (Chapman 2010).
the ground beneath the shrub, in
The only small native mammal
another seven it was feeding on
trapped was the Red-tailed
the only fresh flower on the shrub,
Phascogale which was caught in
leaving the faded flowers alone.
five of the six Elliott trap lines.
On one occasion the Red-tailed
Sixteen individuals were captured
Phascogale appeared to follow a
with one recapture. Six were
moth up to the fresh flower.
caught in a trapline located in
a woodland of Tamma Sheoak The Red-tailed Phascogale has
Allocasuarina campestris and Silver previously been recorded as
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feeding on a wide range of insects, REFERENCES
small birds, small mammals and is
BROWN, E.M., BURBIDGE, A.H.,
known to feed extensively on the
DELL, J., EDINGER, D., HOPPER,
ground (Kitchener 1981). However,
S.D. and WILLS, R.T. 1997. Pollination
it has not been recorded visiting
in Western Australia: a Database of
flower blossoms or taking nectar or
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pollen. What were the individuals
No. 15. Western Australian
observed in this study actually
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doing? Were they visiting the
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insects within the flower or were Vertebrate Biological Survey of
they actually feeding on nectar or Remnant Vegetation on Williams
pollen? Location 15126. Unpublished report
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A literature search showed that
there are no reports of the Red¬ DEC 2009. Elliott traps for live
tailed Phascogale feeding on pollen capture of terrestrial vertebrates.
or nectar. However, there are Department of Environment and
reports for other Dasyuridae species Conservation Standard Operating
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calura (Gould, 1844) (Marsupialia:
visiting blossoms but gave no data
Dasyuridea) in the southern wheat
on the food items being consumed.
belt. Western Australia. Records of
Scarff et al (1988) in their work the Western Australian Museum 9:
on the Brush-tailed Phascogale in 173-196.
the Jarrah forest of south-western
SCARFF, F.R., RHIND, S.G. and
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semi-arid areas could also have utilized the jarrah forest of south-western
nectar sources to a much greater degree Australia. Wildlife Research 25; 511-
than those observed at Perup and 526.
Kingston”.
MORCOMBE, M.K. 1967. The
Observations reported in this
rediscovery after 83 years of
paper indicate that Red-tailed
the Dibbler Antechinus apicalis
Phascogales visit blossoms
(Marsupialia, Dasyuridea). Western
presumably to feed on nectar and
Australian Naturalist 10:103-111.
pollen. Can we add this species to
the list of potential mammalian
pollinators?
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