The discovery of the mountain pygmy-possum Burramys parvus on Mount Buller, Victoria

3 Pages·1998·1.7 MB·English

by  D Heinze

Research Reports
The Discovery ofthe Mountain Pygmy-possum
Burramys parvus on Mount Duller, Victoria
Dean Heinze1 and Lance Williams2
Abstract
In 1995theremainsofaMountainPygmy-possumwerefoundinafoxscatnearMountStirling. In
the following yearpotential habitat at Mount Buller and Mount Stirlingwas trapped and B. parvus
was detectedatMountBuller. TheB. parvuspopulation in Victoriaconsistsoffourknownsub-pop-
ulations,wherethe MountBullersub-population isthesouthern-mostcolonyandisrelatively isolat-
ed.(The VictorianNaturalist,115(4), 1998, 132-134).
Introduction In November 1995 Biosis conducted
The Mountain Pygmy-possum Burramys further survey work on Mount Stirling as
parvus is the only Australian mammal part ofthe EES. Stanley's Bowl, although
restricted to the alpine and sub-alpine having been trapped on at least two previ-
areas. It is endemic to Victoria and New ous occasions (by C. Meredith in 1973 and
South Wales (Mansergh 1984; Caughley M. McFarlane in 1983)with nocapturesof
1986). Burramys parvus appears to have B. parvus, was identified as the area of
very specific habitat requirements, of most suitable B. parvus habitat on Mount
which there are two components: Stirling, and 100 Elliottraps were setthere
(i) periglacial boulder streams/rock screes, for a total of 400 trapnights. However,
and(ii)associated vegetationcommunities, only the Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes and
the most distinctive being the Mountain Dusky Antechinus Antechinus swainsonii
Plum Pine Podocarpus lawrencei heath- weretrapped.
land (Gullan andNorris 1984; Manserghet In February 1996 the (then) Department
al. 1989). In Victoria the known distribu- of Conservation and Natural Resources
tion of B. parvus includes three distinct (DCNR) alsotrappedatStanley'sBowl for
areas - Mount Higginbotham to Mount 50 trapnights. Again only Bush Rat and
Loch, the Bogong High Plains and Mount Dusky Antechinus were trapped. In that
Bogong. Since each area is isolated by low same month DCNR also set traps on
altitude valleys below 1200 m the MountBuller.
aVsichtaovriianngtB.hrpeearsvuubs-ppooppuullaattiioonnsi(sMraengsaerrdgehd MountBuller
etal. 1989; Mansergh and Broome 1994). 20T-r2a8ppiFnegbruaarty 1M9o9u6ntresuBlutlelderin tohne
Background capture of eight B. parvus individuals
In April and May 1995 Biosis Research (Table 1), comprising six juvenile females
Pty. Ltd. conducted a fauna survey of (Fig. 2), one juvenile male and one adult
Mount Stirling as part of the Mount female.
Stirling Environmental Effects Statement
(EES). Analysis ofa canine scat collected
on the lower slopes of Mount Stirling
revealed B. parvus remains, most notably
the enlarged serrated premolar tooth pecu-
liar to the species (refer to Mansergh and VICTORIA lNEWSOUTHWALES
Broome 1994). As the closest known
B. parvus colony was at Mount Hotham,
60 km away, thisevidence suggestedthata
colony existed in the Mount Stirling-
MountBullerarea(Fig. 1).
1 School ofEnvironmental ManagementandEcology, tab mM"°"m *LocationofkiownB.parvuspopulations
LaTrobeUniversity,Wodonga,Victoria3689. Fig. 1. Known locations ofMountain Pygmy-
2 Biosis Research Pty. Ltd., 322 Bay Street, Port possumBurramysparvussince 1966.
Melbourne,Victoria3207.
132 The Victorian Naturalist
Research Reports
Fig. 2. A female juvenile Burramys parvus caught from the Federation area, Mount Buller.
Photo: FreddieMercay.
Table1.SummaryofBurramysparvustrappingatMountBuller.
Area Trapnights B.parvus Trapping Nontarget
captures success species*
Federationskislopes 260 4# 1.9 103
Mt. Buller-southsummit 440 4 0.9 164
Mt. Buller-northsummit 120 35
Mt.BullerTotal 820 8# 1.1 302
*BushRat,DuskyAntechinus,andAgileAntechinus.
#Oneindividualwascapturedontwoseparateoccasions.
All animals appeared to be healthy, three distinct patches: Mount Buller South
fallingwithinthe weight range of24-35 g. summit - 6.2 ha; Mount Buller North
Hair samples were collected from each summit- 7.8 haandFederation ski slopes -
animal as part ofgenetic research into the 6.2 ha (refer to Fig. 3). Habitat occurs at
speciesthat isbeingcarried outat LaTrobe altitudes from 1300-1700 m. The rock
University. Other mammal species trapped scree at Federation is a mixture ofgranite
included R. fuscipes, A. swainsonii and the and basalt boulders, whereas the Mount
Agile Antechinus A. agilis (previously Buller summit area consists ofboulders of
Brown Antechinus A. stuartii: see
Dickman et al. 1998; Sumner and adesresdiamreentuanrsytaobrliegina.ndThoefsteenscsrleieps/wbhoueln-
Dickman 1998). Subsequent trapping has
walkedupon.
revealed aBurramys population ofapprox-
imately 300 breeding animals (D. Heinze All ofthe habitat is located within the
Mount Buller Alpine Resort. Burramys
unpubl. data).
Approximately 20.3 ha of B. parvus parvus habitat at the Federation Ski Run
has been modified bythe removal ofvege-
habitat occurs on Mount Buller, including
tation, blastingofboulders, burial ofrock
Vol. 115(4)1998 133
Research Reports
scree, and the construction ofmaintenance The Mount Buller B. parvus population
roads. Habitat surrounding the Mount is certainly unique. Research by the
Buller Summit appears not to be modified Department of Natural Resources and
by ski resortinfrastructure. Environment and LaTrobe University will
continue in the future to establish the pop-
Discussion ulation biology and dynamics, and will
Withtheadditional discovery ofB. parvus provide data comparable with that which
on Mount Buller, the Victorian population has, or is being carried out on the other
can be regarded as being made up offour sub-populations (Mansergh and Broome
sub-populations. However, itispossiblethat 1994; Heinze 1995; DNRE and LaTrobe
furtherpopulationscouldexistatotherloca- University, ongoingresearch).
tions that have hitherto been overlooked for
intensive surveys, e.g. Mount Speculation Acknowledgements
and The Cobberas. Based on our current Dean HeinzewouldliketothankmanyDNRE
knowledge ofthe species' distribution, the staff- in particular Ian Mansergh, Mat White
Mount Buller B. parvus population is the fainedldGlseunppJoorth;nsSonanfdoyr tJheeficrotvtalu(aAbllpeinaedvRiecseoarntsd
mostisolatedcolony. Commission) for organising accommodation,
Results from further trapping on Mount field support and providing survey information;
Bullersuggest ithas asmall population, with Daryl Rowe for designing the maps; and to
relatively little suitable habitat available. WilliamZormann who assistedwith fieldwork.
Mount Stirling, which adjoins Mount Buller, Lance Williamswould liketothank Sid Larwill
and Charles Meredith (Biosis Research), and
also appears to have very little suitable habi- Micheal Scroggie and Emma Moysey for field
tat. The only available habitaton Mt. Stirling assistance, and BarbaraTriggs for scat and hair
consists of granite boulder outcrops near analysis. Research by Dean Heinze was funded
the summit (Stanley's Bowl). Similar out- by the Flora and Fauna Branch, Natural
crops elsewhere contain few, if any, B. Resources and Environment (short term con-
parvus individuals, e.g. Mount McKay and tract).
The Niggerheads (Mansergh et al. 1989; References
Heinze 1995; D. Heinzepers. obs.). Dickman, C.R., Parnaby, H.E., Crowther, M.S. and
reMcoreuantitonBuplulreprosiessinatnedn,siavselayreustuillti,semdafnoyr KDplaiesnxygu,irniDds.aoHeu.)t,h(-a1e9an9s8tee)wr.nsApAneutcseitercashliifnaru.osmAuatsghitelriaAsl.i(asMntaurJasroluuipriinacalolimao-:f
areas ofB. parvus habitat have been modi- Zoology46(1),1-26.
fied. While the effectofsuch change isyet CaMuoguhlnetya,inJ.P(y1g9m86y)-.poDsissturmi,butBiuornraanmdysabpuanrvduasn,ceBroofotmh,e
to be determined, the example of Mount in Kosciusko National Park. Australian Wildlife
Hotham (Mansergh etal. 1989) shows that Research13,507-517.
the dispersal and migration patterns may Gullan, P.K. and Norris, K.C. (1984). The habitat of
the Mountain Pygmy-possum Burramysparvus in
have been affected, and the degradation of Victoria. Pp. 417-421. In PossumsandGliders, Eds
habitatmay beprevalent. A.P. Smith and I.D. Hume (Surrey Beatty & Sons:
ChippingNorton).
Heinze, D.A. (1995). Burramysparvusspecial investi-
gation and monitoring, Bogong High Plains, Jan.-
Feb. 1994, Dec.1994 and Feb. 1995 (Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources: Unpublished
report).
Mansergh,I.M.(1984). Ecological Studiesandconser-
vationofBurramysparvus.Pp. 545-552.InPossums
andGliders, EdsA.P. Smith andI.D. Hume(Surrey
Beatty&Sons:ChippingNorton).
Mansergh,I.M.andBroome,L.(1994). 'TheMountain
Pygmy-possum ofthe Australian Alps' (New South
WalesUniversityPress:Kensington).
Mansergh, I.M., Kelly, P. and Scotts D.J. (1989).
Management strategy and guidelines forthe conser-
vation ofthe Mountain Pygmy-possum (Burramys
parvus) in Victoria. Arthur Rylah Institute
EnvironmentalResearchTechnicalReport66.
Sumner,J.andDickman,C.R.(1998).Distributionand
identity ofspecies in the Antechinus stuartii-A.
flavipes group (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) in south-
Fig. 3. Burramys parvus habitat and trapping eastern Australia. Australian Journal ofZoology
sitesatMountBuller. 46(1),27-42.
134 The Victorian Naturalist