Some observations on the breeding, age structure, dispersion and habitat of populations of Macropus robustus and Macropus antilopinus (Marsupialia)

Differences in breeding, population structure, dispersion and habitat are described between various species and subspecies of wallaroo (Macropus robustus robustus; M. r. cervinus; M. r. alligatoris; M. r. erubescens; Macropus antilopinus; Macropus bernardus).
Pouch young of Macropus robustus erubescens in western New South Wales were born throughout the year, while in both M. r. alligatoris and M. antilopinus then Northern Territory, most pouch young found were born during March and April.
In the populations of wallaroos in western New South Wales and the Northern Territory where there had been no systematic shooting of wallaroos for many years, 11|X% of the animals were immature. In the New England district of New South Wales where regular shooting occurs, 46|X% of the animals were immature.
The habitat of M. r. alligatoris of the Northern Territory was very similar to that of M. erubescens in inland Australia, amongst rocky hills and gullies. M. antilopinus , which is sympatric with M. r. alligatoris in the Northern Territory, also occurred in the rocky hills, but it was also found in open savannah woodland in flat and gently undulating country.
M. r. erubescens and M. r. alligatoris were almost always seen alone or in pairs, while M. antilopinus often formed larger groups.     

The Oriental Goby, Acanthogobius flavimanus (Temminck and Schlegel), an introduced fish in the coastal waters of New South Wales, Australia

Since 1971 over 100 specimens of the oriental goby, Acanthogobius flavimanus , have been collected from New South Wales' waters. When this species, a native of Japan, was introduced to San Francisco Bay (U.S.A.) it underwent a population explosion, becoming a common member of estuarine fish communities in that area.
The occurrence of both reproductively maturing females and juveniles in the harbours of the Sydney region (central New South Wales coast) suggests that the species may have bred successfully here. However, the relatively low numbers of A. flavimanus collected during the study indicate that as yet there has been no population explosion in New South Wales waters. A number of aspects of the biology and ecology of the species was examined in an attempt to identify features which may limit its distribution and abundance in the Sydney region.
The inhibition of successful reproduction by the relatively warm-water temperatures in this area and the potential for competition with native fishes are proposed as possible explanations.     

An analysis of genetic variation in natural populations of Sticherus flabellatus [R. Br. (St John)] using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers

Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) were used to characterize the genetic diversity within and among natural populations of Sticherus flabellatus. Eight populations within the Sydney region of New South Wales, Australia were surveyed using 11 primer combinations. A total of 1108 reproducible bands were detected of which 469 (42%) were polymorphic. FST estimates averaged over all polymorphic loci indicated that significant genomic differentiation occurs among populations (average = 0.783). Genetic diversity within populations was assessed according to average heterozygosity (H) and percentage polymorphic loci (P) per population. Within-population diversity ranged from H = 0.12 and P = 33.69 to H = 0.04 and P = 15.99. Analysis of genetic similarity among populations suggested that the eight populations studied fall into two groups of four populations, based on population size and the condition of the habitat. Phenetic analysis (AMOVA) indicated that genetic variation is greater among populations (74.34%) than within populations (25.66%). These findings suggest that the breeding system of S. flabellatus is predominantly inbreeding, with genetic diversity maintained by occasional outcrossing in larger populations. The results presented in this study could provide evidence to support the proposal to protect natural stands of S. flabellatus, which has implications for the Australian horticulture industry.     

A Multi-Site Study of Norovirus Molecular Epidemiology in Australia and New Zealand, 2013-2014

BackgroundNorovirus (NoV) is the major cause of acute gastroenteritis across all age groups. In particular, variants of genogroup II, genotype 4 (GII.4) have been associated with epidemics globally, occurring approximately every three years. The pandemic GII.4 variant, Sydney 2012, was first reported in early 2012 and soon became the predominant circulating NoV strain globally. Despite its broad impact, both clinically and economically, our understanding of the fundamental diversity and mechanisms by which new NoV strains emerge remains limited. In this study, we describe the molecular epidemiological trends of NoV-associated acute gastroenteritis in Australia and New Zealand between January 2013 and June 2014.MethodologyOverall, 647 NoV-positive clinical faecal samples from 409 outbreaks and 238 unlinked cases of acute gastroenteritis were examined by RT-PCR and sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis was then performed to identify NoV capsid genotypes and to establish the temporal dominance of circulating pandemic GII.4 variants. Recombinant viruses were also identified based on analysis of the ORF1/2 overlapping region.FindingsPeaks in NoV activity were observed, however the timing of these epidemics varied between different regions. Overall, GII.4 NoVs were the dominant cause of both outbreaks and cases of NoV-associated acute gastroenteritis (63.1%, n = 408/647), with Sydney 2012 being the most common GII.4 variant identified (98.8%, n = 403/408). Of the 409 reported NoV outbreaks, aged-care facilities were the most common setting in both Western Australia (87%, n = 20/23) and New Zealand (58.1%, n = 200/344) while most of the NoV outbreaks were reported from hospitals (38%, n = 16/42) in New South Wales, Australia. An analysis of a subset of non-GII.4 viruses from all locations (125/239) showed the majority (56.8%, n = 71/125) were inter-genotype recombinants. These recombinants were surprisingly diverse and could be classified into 18 distinct recombinant types, with GII.P16/GII.13 (24% of recombinants) the most common.ConclusionThis study revealed that following its emergence in 2012, GII.4 Sydney 2012 variant continued to be the predominant cause of NoV-associated acute gastroenteritis in Australia and New Zealand between 2013 and 2014.     

Breeding and age structure of the population of Macropus parma on Kawau Island,New Zealand

The parma wallaby, Macropus parma, is one of four species of wallaby introduced on to Kawau Island, New Zealand, in ahout 1870. A sample of sixty-four parmas was shot on the island in February 1973 to provide information on breeding activity and age structure of the population. Incidental data were also collected from the tammar wallaby, Macropus eugenii, which is the other common species on the island. Neither the sex ratio of the shot sample of parmas (thirty-seven males to twenty-seven females) nor that of the tammars (eleven males to eleven females) differed significantly from parity. Onset of sexual maturity of female parmas on Kawau I. was delayed when compared with that of captive females. One female was estimated to have bred at 19 months old but most females in the sample were not mature until 2 years old and a few not until 3 years old. In contrast, female tammars became sexually mature at about 12 months. There did not appear to be any delay in the onset of sexual maturity of male parma wallabies. In the shot sample, none of sixteen female parmas capable of having a young were carrying a pouch young whereas nine of ten female tammars had a pouch young. The mean date of birth of these latter young was 30 January (range 18 January - 11 February) which is consistent with the breeding season of tammars in Australia. Among the mature female parmas two had recently mated, six were in pro-oestrus and six were in anoestrus, indicating that the breeding season in 1973 had just commenced. Estimated months of birth for all parmas under 3 years of age suggested that breeding was continuous in 1970–71 but that there had been a defined breeding season in 1972 with births occurring between March and July. There was an excess of 1– and 2–year-old parmas in the sample. This was the result of continuous breeding in 1970–71, presumably due to the provision of pasture on farmland being developed on the island. A sample of thirty-three tammar skulls resulting from a shoot in November 1972 did not show a nmilar excess of 1– and 2–year-old animals as this species has a rigidly defined breeding pattern and the females can produce only one young a year.     

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in dingoes

Serum samples from 62 dingoes (Canis familiaris dingo) trapped in five areas of southeastern New South Wales, Australia were tested for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii. Six (10%) of the dingoes had direct agglutination test titers for T. gondii of greater than or equal to 1:64, and four of these animals had T. gondii-specific IgM, suggesting recent exposure.     

Progamotaenia ruficola sp. n. (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) from the red kangaroo, Macropus rufus (Marsupialia)

Progamotaenia ruficola sp. n. is described from the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) from New South Wales, Australia. It is distinguished from other similar species having paired, nondiverticulate uteri in each prolottis: Progamotaenia festiva (Rudolphi 1819), P. diaphana (Zschokke 1907), and P. macropodis Beveridge 1976, by the extremely broad, straight-edged velum, the lack of an external seminal vesicle, the cirrus armature, the number of testes, the lack of vaginal atrophy following insemination, and the morphology of the egg.     

Increased prevalence of Brucella suis and pseudorabies virus antibodies in adults of an isolated feral swine population in coastal South Carolina

Two hundred twenty seven adult (> 8 mo) feral swine (Sus scrofa) trapped from April through July 1999 at three locations on a coastal South Carolina (USA) peninsula with restricted ingress and egress were tested for Brucella suis and pseudorabies virus (PRV) antibodies. Approximately 44% of the animals tested positive for B. suis antibodies and 61% tested positive for antibodies to PRV. Previous surveys (1976 and 1992) of feral swine at the same location with similar methods indicated lower seroprevalences (28% and 18% for B. suis and 0% and 19% for PRV). We also found 39% of feral swine seropositive (n = 179) for Trichinella spiralis and 49% seropositive (n = 181) for Toxoplasma gondii. Results of repeated sampling demonstrated that seroprevalence to pathogens can increase with time in an isolated, unhunted population of feral swine suggesting an increased risk to local domestic livestock and potentially to human health.     

THE OCCURRENCE OF PHYTOSEIULUS PERSIMILIS ATHIAS-HENRIOT (ACARINA:PHYTOSEIIDAE) IN AN ORCHARD IN VICTORIA

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High numbers of the predatory mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis , were found on apple and nectarine trees in a commercial orchard at Werribee, Victoria in February 1981. In the following season, again it was not detected on trees or broad-leaved weeds in the orchard until late summer. Slide-dip tests on the Werribee population of P. persimilis and a population originating from strawberries in Sydney, New South Wales, showed that azinphos-methyl was equally toxic to the 2 strains and DDT was considerably less toxic to both.     

Observations on changes in the quality of food eaten by the wild rabbit*

The quality of the food eaten by rabbits can be predicted from the quality of the recently ingested food in the anterior portion of the stomach using the equation: crude protein in food (% dry weight) = 1.42 × crude protein in stomach (% dry weight). The relationship which food bears to the ecology of rabbits differs from population to population. In semi-arid north-western and mediterranean New South Wales changes in food quality are closely related to changes in climate and to various important aspects of rabbit biology. In southern Queensland and subalpine New South Wales, quality of food in the stomach is less significantly related to changes in climate and the biological parameters measured.     

The Indomitable Miss Pink: A Life in Anthropology

The Indomitable Miss Pink:. Life in Anthropology. Julie Marcus. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press, 2001. 340 pp.     

Widespread occurrence in Australian marsupials of neutralizing antibodies to a herpesvirus from a parma wallaby.

Serum neutralizing antibodies to a parma wallaby herpesvirus (PWHV) have been detected in a wide range of marsupials from different locations across Australia, including several islands. A study of 242 animals (mostly macropods) sampled in the wild showed that 23% had antibodies; a significantly higher frequency (41%) of 116 animals in captivity had antibodies, which were generally at higher levels than those of animals in the wild. Antibodies to PWHV were also detected among parma wallabies from a colony on Kawau Island, New Zealand. The highest antibody levels were found in a group of captive tammar wallabies during recurrent outbreaks of clinical infection. It is suggested that PWHV has evolved along with a marsupial host, and that the high antibody levels among captive animals reflects ease of virus transmission due to crowding, or to conditions of stress leading to expression of latent virus.     

Absence of Ross River virus amongst Common brushtail possums (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichosurus vulpecula</Emphasis>) from metropolitan Sydney,Australia

Ross River virus (RRV) is a mosquito-transmitted Alphavirus emerging in urban centres throughout Australia. The Common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), a native marsupial that has successfully adapted to human settlement, has been implicated as a maintenance reservoir for RRV. In the present study, RRV exposure was assessed amongst 72 urban-adapted possums from Northern Sydney and ten possums from a woodland area, remote from urbanisation. Serological screening was performed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect RRV antibodies in possum sera. Findings indicated that both possum populations from urban and woodland habitats were negative for the presence of RRV antibodies. Lack of exposure to RRV highlights that the host status of possums is contingent upon factors other than their abundance and proximity to human settlement. In view of the potential for climate change to favour transmission of mosquito-borne disease in Australia, identification of wildlife populations entirely absent of RRV may prove useful for monitoring the predicted spread of the virus.     

Molecular relationships within Bostrychia tenuissima (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta)

Bostrychia tenuissima King and Puttock is restricted to southern Australia and New Zealand. Previous studies in Australia have revealed two distinct patterns in the presence of osmotically active polyols. Southern populations only have D-sorbitol whereas northern populations have both D-sorbitol and D-dulcitol. These polyol patterns lead to speculation on the ecotypic differentiation of these two population types. Using single-stranded confirmation polymorphism to rapidly score plastid haplotypes, plus DNA sequencing, a 100% congruence was found between polyol patterns and plastid haplotype. Analysis of 33 B. tenuissima isolates shows that the plastid relationships closely follow biogeo-graphic regions, with south-eastern Australia (southern NSW and Victoria) and South Australia and Tasmania having one haplotype and central and northern NSW having two alternate haplotypes. There is an overlap at the haplotype boundary just south of Sydney, New South Wales.     

A new genus and species of native exotic millipede in Australia (Diplopoda,Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae)

Taxidiotisoma portabile gen. n., sp. n. is described from scattered populations in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. Populations of Taxidiotisoma portabile in Victoria, Tasmania and parts of New South Wales occur in urban, suburban and agricultural areas, with no collections of the species in natural habitats in the same district. Taxidiotisoma portabile is likely to be a native exotic species whose home range is in eastern New South Wales.     

Population dynamics and life history of a geographically restricted seahorse, Hippocampus whitei

The aim of this study was to collect data on population dynamics and life history for White's seahorse Hippocampus whitei, a geographically restricted species that is listed as data deficient under the IUCN Red List. Data from H. whitei populations were collected from two regions, Port Stephens (north) and Sydney Harbour (south) in New South Wales, Australia, covering most of the known range of H. whitei, from 2005 to 2010. Over 1000 individuals were tagged using fluorescent elastomer and on subsequent recaptures were re-measured for growth data that were used in a forced Gulland-Holt plot to develop growth parameters for use in a specialized von Bertalanffy growth-function model. Growth parameters for Port Stephens were: females L(∞) = 149·2 mm and K = 2·034 per year and males L(∞) = 147·9 mm and K = 2·520 per year compared with estimates from Sydney Harbour: females L(∞) = 139·8 mm and K = 1·285 per year and males L(∞) = 141·6 mm and K = 1·223 per year. Whilst there was no significant difference in growth between sexes for each region, H. whitei in Port Stephens grew significantly quicker and larger and matured and reproduced at a younger age than those from Sydney Harbour. The life span of H. whitei is at least 5 years in the wild with six individuals recorded reaching this age. Data collected on breeding pairs found that H. whitei displays life-long monogamy with three pairs observed remaining pair bonded over three consecutive breeding years. Baseline population densities were derived for two Port Stephens' sites (0·035 and 0·110 m(-2) ) and for Manly in Sydney Harbour (1·050 m(-2) ). Even though the life-history parameters of H. whitei suggest it may be reasonably resilient, precaution should be taken in its future management as a result of its limited geographical distribution and increasing pressures from anthropogenic sources on its habitats.     

Parasites and associated pathology of the swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor (Marsupialia)

Thirty-five swamp wallabies from Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, Australia were examined for parasites. Thirty-nine species of nematodes, five species of cestodes and eight species of arthropods were found. Wallabies from Queensland and northern New South Wales had a less diverse helminth fauna (23 species) than did wallabies from southern New South Wales and Victoria (32 species). Rugopharynx spp. and Cloacina spp. occurred in large numbers in the stomach but provoked no pathological changes. Known pathogenic species (Globocephaloides trifidospicularis and Hypodontus macropi) were encountered in small numbers only and did not produce any lesions. Pathological changes associated with parasites were: gastric nodules associated with Labiostrongylus clelandi and Parazoniolaimus collaris, bronchopneumonia due to Marsupostrongylus spp., biliary fibrosis associated with Progamotaenia festiva and fibrous peritonitis, pleuritis, pericarditis and eosinophilic splenitis due to Breinlia mundayi. Echinococcus granulosus was the only parasite found which also occurs in domestic animals.     

Incipient speciation of Catostylus mosaicus (Scyphozoa, Rhizostomeae, Catostylidae), comparative phylogeography and biogeography in south-east Australia

Aim Phylogeography provides a framework to explain and integrate patterns of marine biodiversity at infra‐ and supra‐specific levels. As originally expounded, the phylogeographic hypotheses are generalities that have limited discriminatory power; the goal of this study is to generate and test specific instances of the hypotheses, thereby better elucidating both local patterns of evolution and the conditions under which the generalities do or do not apply. Location Coastal south‐east Australia (New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria), and south‐west North America (California and Baja California). Methods Phylogeographic hypotheses specific to coastal south‐east Australia were generated a priori, principally from existing detailed distributional analyses of echinoderms and decapods. The hypotheses are tested using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) DNA sequence data describing population variation in the jellyfish Catostylus mosaicus, integrated with comparable data from the literature. Results Mitochondrial COI distinguished two reciprocally monophyletic clades of C. mosaicus (mean ± SD: 3.61 ± 0.40% pairwise sequence divergence) that were also differentiated by ITS1 haplotype frequency differences; the boundary between the clades was geographically proximate to a provincial zoogeographic boundary in the vicinity of Bass Strait. There was also limited evidence of another genetic inhomogeneity, of considerably smaller magnitude, in close proximity to a second hypothesized zoogeographic discontinuity near Sydney. Other coastal marine species also show genetic divergences in the vicinity of Bass Strait, although they are not closely concordant with each other or with reported biogeographic discontinuities in the region, being up to several hundreds of kilometres apart. None of the species studied to date show a strong phylogeographic discontinuity across the biogeographic transition zone near Sydney. Main conclusions Patterns of evolution in the Bass Strait and coastal New South Wales regions differ fundamentally because of long‐term differences in extrinsic factors. Since the late Pliocene, periods of cold climate and low sea‐level segregated warm temperate organisms east or west of an emergent Bassian Isthmus resulting in population divergence and speciation; during subsequent periods of warmer and higher seas, sister taxa expanded into the Bass Strait region leading to weakly correlated phylogeographic and biogeographic patterns. The Sydney region, by contrast, has been more consistently favourable to shifts in species’ ranges and long‐distance movement, resulting in a lack of intra‐specific and species‐level diversification. Comparisons between the Sydney and Bass Strait regions and prior studies in North America suggest that vicariance plays a key role in generating coastal biodiversity and that dispersal explains many of the deviations from the phylogeographic hypotheses.