The Diverse Land Snail Community of Bruxner Park on the North Coast of New South Wales, Australia

2007·0.3 MB·English

by  Michael J Murphy

Contributions
The diverse land snail community ofBruxner Park on the
north coast ofNew South Wales, Australia
Michael J Murphy
'BlackbirdGrange’,2RundleStreet,Coonabarabran,NSW2357
Abstract
Australia has a diverse land snail fauna ofinternational significance. This short paper presents the
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found there. Bruxner Park is one ofthe richest known sites for land snail diversity on the NSW
North Coast, with 30 species recorded to date and more likely to occurthere. Thishigh diversity is
particularlynotablegiventheacidic, calcium-poornatureofthesoilspresent. (The VictorianNaturalist
124(5),2007,306-309)
Introduction
Australia has a rich native land snail fauna A field study ofthe land snails and slugs
with an estimated several thousand species of Bruxner Park was done between
in 25 families (Stanisic 1994; Stanisic and December 1998 and November2001, sam-
Ponder 2004). The fauna comprises an pling the range ofvegetationtypes present.
ancient Gondwanan element (probably Survey methods comprised lifting and
over 100 millionyears old) andarelatively replacing ground debris such as logs and
recent (less than 15 million years old) loose rocks, hand-raking leaflitter, exami-
Asian element (Smith and Kershaw 1979; nation of tree trunks and vegetation and
Bishop 1981). The majority of species searching around rocks used as anvils by
occur in rainforests, where long-term the Noisy Pitta Pitta versicolor, as well as
moisture stability and the diversity of searches by torchlight for active animals
available microhabitats have supported the on wet nights. Searching was done over a
evolution and survival of complex land total ofabout 35 hours on about 60 sepa-
snail communities (Stanisic 1994). The rate days or nights. Reference was also
rainforests ofthe northcoast ofNew South made to the Australian Museum (Sydney)
Wales (NSW) provide some of the most and Queensland Museum (Brisbane) col-
interesting areas to study land snails in lections for records of additional species
Australia (Shea 1978). An example ofthe from the studyarea.
land snail community found in one such
Results and Discussion
area is briefly presented here to help pro-
mote a wider appreciation ofthe region’s Thirty species from eight families were
diverseand significant land snail fauna. recorded in Bruxner Park (see Table 1).
This is a high species diversity for a site in
StudyArea and Methods the NSW north coast region. Typical land
Bruxner Park Flora Reserve (30°15’S, snail species diversities in the region are
153°06’E) is a 407 hectare conservation 10-20 species for rainforest sites and about
reserve near the city ofCoffs Harbour, in five species for dry eucalypt forest sites
NGuSmWbaynggirr Aboriginal country in the (Stanisic 1994). The few sites in the region
north coast bioregion. The vegeta- where rainforest occurs on limestone have
tion of the reserve is mainly subtropical had up to 39 species recorded per site
rainforest and moist eucalypt forest with a (Stanisic 1997). Non-limestone rainforest
few small areas ofdry eucalypt forest, on sites can also have very high land snail
an underlying geology ofmetamorphosed species diversities but, withpopulation den-
shale. The climate is subtropical maritime, sities lower than in limestone areas, detect-
with an average annual rainfall of about ing all speciespresenttakes agreatersearch
2000 mm, peaking in late summer/autumn effort (De Winter and Gittenberger 1998;
(ForestryCommissionofNSW 1989). Schilthuizen and Rutjes 2001). Overall land
306 The Victorian Naturalist