Publications
Environment Australia, 2001
Western Swamp Tortoise
Pseudemydura umbrina
National Conservation Status: Endangered
Habitat
Now mainly restricted to ephemeral Melaleuca swamps with dense heath and low Banksia woodland in Ellen Brook Nature Reserve near Perth.
Features
A small reptile which aestivates (sleeps) in leaf litter or under fallen branches during summer and autumn when the swamps are dry. During winter and spring the western swamp tortoise feeds on small aquatic invertebrates such as small crustaceans and insect larvae. Females lay eggs in November/December. The eggs hatch the following May and hatchlings enter the swamps when they fill in June or July.
Rose Mallee
Eucalyptus rhodantha var. rhodantha
National Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Habitat
Only a few stands of rose mallee remain on road side verges and in remnant native vegetation near Three Springs and Watheroo, in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia. The plants occur in sandy soils on flat or undulating country.
Features
Rose mallee is a low spreading tree up to 4 metres high. It has silvery grey leaves attached directly to the stem and flowers between March and November. The red flowers are 7.5 cm across, with yellow anthers containing lots of nectar.
Gouldian Finch
Erythrura gouldiae
National Conservation Status: Endangered
Habitat
The gouldian finch occurs in open woodlands with grassy understorey near sources of permanent water in north-central Queensland, northern Northern Territory and the Kimberleys in Western Australia.
Features
The colourful gouldian finch is the only Australian finch which nests exclusively in hollow branches of trees or in termite mounds. It feeds on grass seeds and insects.
Greater Bilby
Macrotis logotis
National Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Habitat
The greater bilby is sparsely distributed throughout the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory, and in the Gibson and Great Sandy Deserts of Western Australia. It occurs in a variety of habitats on landforms with level to low slopes and light to medium soils.
Features
The greater bilby is a small mammal with large rabbit-like ears and a distinctive white-tipped tail. Bilbiles are active at night and shelter in burrows during the daytime. They are mostly solitary, but sometimes live in groups of two to four.
Mahogany Glider
Petaurus gracilis
National Conservation Status: Endangered
Habitat
The mahogany glider is restricted to a narrow band of fragmented medium to low woodland on swampy coastal plains north of Banbaroo near Ingham in Queensland. This area has very high, seasonal precipitation and the woodland vegetation is influenced by fire.
Features
The mahogany glider looks similar to the squirrel glider but is larger and has a longer tail. It feeds on nectar from blossoms of eucalyptus and the grass tree Xanthorrhoea johnsonii, exudates from grass trees, bloodwoods, red mahogany and wattles as well as invertebrates.
Southern Corroboree Frog
Pseudophryne corroboree
National Conservation Status: Endangered
Habitat
The southern corroboree frog is restricted to subalpine and montane habitats between 1300 and 1760 m in Kosciuszko National Park. It occurs in sphagnum bogs, pools, seepages, in vegetation beside creeks and in subalpine forest.
Features
This distinctively marked frog is bright yellow with black stripes. The ventral surface is broadly marbled with black and white or black and yellow.
The southern corroboree frog feeds on small ants and other invertebrates.
Giant Gippsland Earthworm
Megascolides australis
National conservation Status: Vulnerable
Habitat
Bass River Valley in Victoria, in forest on blue grey or red clay soils along stream banks, gullies, soaks and some south or west facing hills.
Features
The giant gippsland earthworm is one of the largest earthworms in the world. This unusually large worm is 80 - 200 cm long with a diameter of 2 cm. It has a striking dark purple head and pinkish-grey coloured body.
As the worm tunnels through the ground, it ingests and absorbs nutrients from the soil. Earth worms are often called "nature's plough", as they keep soil healthy by decomposing organic material, recycling plant nutrients and improving soil structure.
Buxton Gum
Eucalyptus crenulata
National Conservation Status: Endangered
Habitat
The buxton gum is restricted to small areas of swampy, fertile river flats in the Acheron and Yarra river valleys, north-east of Melbourne.
Features
This graceful eucalypt grows to 8 m. It has dense glaucous foliage reaching almost to ground level and produces clusters of cream honey-scented flowers. The small, stem-clasping, heart- shaped leaves have distinctive crenulate margins.
Spotted Handfish
Brachionichthys hirsutus
National Conservation Status: Endangered
Habitat
The spotted handfish is restricted to soft substrate habitats of the Derwent Estuary and adjoining bays in south-eastern Tasmania.
Features
This bottom dwelling carnivorous fish is brightly coloured. It is a slow swimmer which 'walks' on leg-like fins and feeds on little shrimps and polychaete worms.
Orange-bellied Parrot
Neophema chrysogaster
National Conservation Status: Endangered
Habitat
The orange-bellied parrot is a migratory bird. It breeds in Tasmania and over winters in coastal Victoria and South Australia. The breeding range of the Orange-bellied Parrot is confined to coastal south-west Tasmania from Birchs Inlet, Macquarie Harbour, south to South West Cape, including Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour, and then east from South West Cape to Louisa Bay. It breeds in forested margins of coastal sedgeplains, and winters in coastal saltmarshes and dunes.
Features
The orange-bellied parrot has bright green plumage above and is mostly yellow below with a bright orange patch in the centre of the lower belly, a bright blue patch on the outer wing and a blue bar across the forehead.
In breeding areas the orange-bellied parrot feeds on seeds of a range of sedge and heath species, mostly at the sites which have not been burnt for 3 to 15 years. They feed on beach-front vegetation and coastal native and introduced grasses while migrating north, and on seeds of various saltmarsh plants or coastal vegetation during winter.
Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard
Tiliqua adelaidensis
National Conservation Status: Endangered
Habitat
The pygmy bluetongue lizard occurs in small, remnant patches of native tussock grassland in the mid-north of South Australia.
Features
The pygmy bluetongue is less than 20 cm, resembling a miniature version of larger bluetongue lizard. It has a pink tongue and the body scales are smooth, flat and overlapping.
It feeds mostly on invertebrates and some plant material, and shelters in spider holes.
Wilkinti (Dusky Hopping-Mouse)
Notomys fuscus
National Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Habitat
The Wilkinti occurs in north-east South Australia and south-west Queensland in sand dunes.
Features
The Wilkinti is a small rodent with distinctively large ears. It feeds at night on seeds, green plants and occasionally insects. It burrows under the sand surface and rests in these burrows during the heat of the day.