- Fauna of the Australian Capital Territory
The Fauna of the Australian Capital Territory includes representatives from most major groups of Australian Fauna such as
kangaroo s,possum s,wombat s,platypus ,echidna s. Birds include thesulphur crested cockatoo ,blue wren andKookaburra . There areferal animals such ascat s,rabbit s,fox es,mice ,rat s,horse s andpig s. Invertebrates includingspider s,insect ,crustacean s,snail s,peripatus ,flatworm s, andnematode s are found throughout the territory.Crustacea
The
crustacea includes land slaters and five species ofcrayfish from the rivers as well as tiny freshwater forms.The Murray River crayfish "Euastacus armatus" has an ornate spiny abdomen with four rows of spines, and two large white claws. Males have larger claws than females, and females have a fatter abdomen. The thorax has two rows of small spines. The animal can grow its carapace to 150mm long. It is found in the Murrumbidgee, Cotter and Paddys Rivers, but has been killed off by overfishing and heavy metal poisoning in the
Molonglo River . This crayfish comes from familyParastacidae (freshwater crayfish).A red crayfish "Euastacus nobilis crassus" is found in the swamps on Mount Franklin and Mount Gingera. "Engaenus parvulus" produces a mound of dirt around the entrance of its burrow, which has a subterranean chamber more than 30 cm in diameter, and has it own pool of water at the base. This animal is only 5 cm long.Also frequent in the ACT in small pools of water are the
Dafnia ,Copepods andOstracods . These are all very tiny.Slaters (Oniscoids) are terrestrial crustaceans. "Armadillidium vulgare" is frequent in gardens, coloured metallic gray, and rolls up into perfect balls. "Porcellio scaber" and "Porcellio laevis" have also been introduced, and can be found in Canberra gardens.
Onychophora Peripatus is found in the alpine areas and under logs insclerophyll forest.Insects
The most famous ACT insect is the
bogong moth "Agrotis infusa", whichaestivate s in theBrindabella mountains above 1300 m. It migrates through the territory in October and March. The bogong moth is attracted by bright lights in the city and creates a major nuisance during in its migration times. Aborigines used to eat the moths in the summer time, as they are rich in fat.Out of the insects the flightless Perunga Grasshopper "Perunga ochracea", keys matchstick grasshopper "Keyacris scurra" and Golden Sun Moth "Synemon plana" (which is mouthless) are vulnerable or endangered.
There are more than 200 species of insects, but they have been poorly studied.
Sixteen species of
termite inhabit the ACT. "Nasutitermes exitiosus" builds mounds and inhabits Eucalyptus woodland. "Coptotermes lacteus" builds clay walled mounds. "Coptotermes frenchi" infests living trees. All of these wood eating termites can eat wooden human constructions. A grass eating termite "Amitermes neogermanus" builds colonies underground.There are 47 species of
Acridoid grasshoppers in the ACT. "Bermius brachycerus" is found inreed bed s alongside streams and rivers. "Urnisa guttulosa" is found on dry sand banks next to the Murrumbidgee and its tributaries."Heterojapyx evansi" is a primitive insect that lives in leaf litter in mountain forests.Three species of
ladybird live in the Canberra region. "Chaetolotis amy" is a glossy black colour with a metallic bluish green sheen. Adam Slipinski auctioned off the naming rights to this beetle in 2003 to raise money in support of theCanberra bushfires of 2003 . Amy Meldrum's father bought the rights and named it after her. [Rosslyn Beeby:"spot the difference:Australian ladybirds hairy, furry, striped" in "The Canberra Times ", September 16 2008 page 3]Introduced insects have become pests. The green vegetable bug shaped like a shield, dark green and 12 mm long, attacks
tomato es andbean s.Cabbage White butterflies, with their green caterpillars eatbrassica s. Citrus butterflies have colourful wings - brown black, white, grey, orange, red and blue and eats citrus andchoisia when acaterpillar . Thecodling moth caterpillar eatsapple s andpear s. Europeanearwig s eat leaves and petals. Fermentation flies eat rotting fruit. The Queenslandfruit fly can be active in Canberra in late summer, eating apples, stone fruit, tomatoes and capsicums. Mandatory controls apply to infestations.Mealybug s have white hairs covered with a mealy coating. They are up to 8 mm across and suck sap from many plants, especially indoor plants. Thepear slug or cherry slug is asawfly larva. The larvae cover themselves with dark glossy slime to make themselves unpalatable. They skeletonize the leaves ofcherry , pear,plum or hawthorn trees.Scale insect s suck sap from plants, are stationary and covered by a flattened disk. The black scale is the most common nuisance. It secretes a white manna, that frequently grows a black mould, and attracts ants. The San Jose scale is a tiny grey dot that attacks trees. Plague thrips feed in flowers causing petals to brown. The greenhousewhitefly is a small aphid with white wings that attacks weeds, and broadleaf vegetables. The European wasp "Vespula germanica " has made an appearance in the 21st century in the ACT.Other introduced insects include some useful ones such as
bee s "Apis mellifera",dung beetle s, and parasitic wasps. Bees however can become a nuisance, and there are feral swarms.The
CSIRO has its Entimolgy division in Canberra and houses a large insect collection.Arachnids
Introduced arachnids include Red spider which is actually a green mite with 8 legs. They have two spots on the sides. They suck sap from plants. There is another mite used as a countermeasure that eats this mite.The red back spider and white tailed spider are feared by human inhabitants of the ACT.
Worms
Rob Blakemore has identified the following exotic
earthworm s in the ACT:
*Aporrectodea caliginosa
*Aporrectodea trapezoides
*Eisenia fetida
*Eisenia (=Aporrectodea) rosea
*Lumbricus rubellus
*Octolasion cyaneum
*Microscolex dubius
*Microscolex phosphoreus
*Perionyx excavatus
*Amynthas rodericensis [http://bio-eco.eis.ynu.ac.jp/eng/database/earthworm/A%20series%20of%20searchable%20texts/Australian%20Exotics/Australian%20Exotics'%20Checklist%20_after%20Blakemore,%201999_.pdf Diversity of exotic earthworms in Australia - a status report.]Molluscs
Fish
Introduced fish species have pushed out the native species from most of the ACT rivers. The introduced fish are carp, brown trout "
Salmo trutta " andrainbow trout "Salmo gairdnerii. Angling is a popular sport in the ACT. However there are nofish farm s. Oriental Weather loach "Misgurnus anguillicaudatus " has taken up residence inLake Burley Griffin and theCotter River , thanks to its use as a live bait.Well known native fish include the
Murray cod "Maccullochella macquariensis",redfin perch "Perca fluviatilis" andGolden perch . Lesser known fish are the two spined blackfish "Gadopsis bispinosus" found in the Cotter catchment; trout cod "Maccullochella macquariensis " which is probably extinct, Silver Perch "Bidyanus bidyanus " which has probably been exterminated by carp; Macquarie perch "Macquaria australasica " which is still found in the Murrumbidgee, Cotter and Paddy's Rivers; Mountain Galaxias "Galaxias olidus " a small fish.Amphibians
In the dry woodland and sclerophyll forest the most frequent frogs are "
Lymnodynastes dumerilli " and "Crinia signifera ". At higher altitudes in wet sclerophyll forest "Pseudophryne bibronii " predominates. "Hyla ewingi" can also be found.The northern corroboree frog "Pseudophryne pengilleyi " has a dramatic yellow and black stiped appearance, but is very rare. A special breeding program is underway to save this frog from from extinction. This frog lives in high boggy country in the ACT and also in the Fiery Range in New South Wales.Reptiles
The most common snake in the ACT is the brown snake "Demansia textilis". The
Red-bellied Black Snake "Pseudechis porphyriacus" is found near rivers and can swim well. Those in theGudgenby River do not have a red belly. Three other species of snakes are occasionly found in the ACT: the copperhead "Denisonia superba", tiger snake "Notechis scutatus" and death adder "Acanthophis antarcticus".Lizards in the ACT include the
bearded dragon "Amphibolorus barbatus", "Tympanocryptis lineata", and theblue-tongued lizard "Tiliqua scincoides scincoides ". There areskink s such as "Lygosoma quoyi". The water dragon "Physignathus lesueurii " can be up to a meter long. The carpetgecko "Diplodactylus vittatus" is found under rocks in the highlands. Other kinds of geckos andgoanna s "Varanus sp" are rare.Rare animals found in the ACT are the striped legless lizard "
Delma impar " in tussocky grassland, thepink-tailed Worm-lizard "Aprasia parapulchella", and thegrassland earless dragon "Tympanocryptis pinguicolla" found in grassland.Birds
At least 290 species of birds have been recorded by the Canberra Ornithologists Group. The gang gang cockatoo "Callocephalon fimbriatum" is the mascot of the ACT. Some birds migrate through the ACT, whereas others breed as residents. Some birds have become pests. The common myna "Acridotheres tristis" is firmly established in the urban areas.
Mammals
The
mammal fauna is a subset of the southern coastal Australian Fauna. Theechidna "Tachyglossus aculeatus" is found throughout the territory. Theplatypus "Ornithorhynchus anatinus" occurs in pools in the rivers.Most mammal species are
marsupial s. The native cat "Dasyurusquoll " is very rare. The eastern grey kangaroo "Macrocarpus giganteus" reaches the highest population densities anywhere in ACT grasslands. This kangaroo is the most popular roadkill. The black tailedwallaby "Macrocarpus bicolor" is common in the ranges. There is also a small wallaby with a long dark brushy tail called brush tailed rock wallaby "Petrogale penicillata" which inhabits rocky areas. .Wallaroo s "Macropus robustus" are the secondmost common roadkill in the ACT. The brush tailed possum "Trichosurus vulpecula"is common and also lives in the city. Thering tail possum "Pseudicheirus laniginosus" is rare. Thesugar glider "Petaurus breviceps" is found in sclerophyll forest and dry woodland. The greater glider "Schoinobates volans" lives in higher altitude wet sclerophyl forest. The wombat "Vombatus hirsutus" is common in the high country and along river banks. It emerges from its burrows at dusk.Koala s do not live naturally in the ACT but may have done so in the past.The
water rat "Hydromys chrysogaster" occurs in streams. Thesmoky mouse "Pseudomys fumeus" is a rare rodent. Thedingo "Canis lupus dingo" was extensively attacked during early European settlement but still survives in the ACT. Dingos and their hybrids howl rather than bark, and hunt in large packs. Bats also occur in the ACT.Introduced mammals have become a pest. There are
feral animals such ascat s,mice , andrat s.Rabbit s "Oryctolagus cuniculus" were formerly a major pest, but are at fairly low numbers. Rabbitwarren s have been ripped or blasted. Also Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease is reducing their numbers.Fox es "Vulpes Vulpes" have been baited to reduce their population in rural areas.Horse s "Equus caballus" occur in theNamadgi National Park and adjacentKosciuszko National Park where they are called brumbies. ACT residents have opposed killing them.Pig s "Sus scrofa"live in the mountains and damage plants. They are hunted by dogs and humans, and are also poisoned. FallowDeer "Dama dama" occur in the wild in fairly low amounts.Goat s "Capra hircus" occur in the wild in low numbers. They are hunted by wild dogs.Dog s "Canis lupus familiaris" also live in the wild and interbreed with dingos. Wild dogs are trapped and baited on the edge of rural properties to protect sheep.References
* [http://www.environmentcommissioner.act.gov.au/SoE/SoE2000/ACT/Indicatorresults/Nativespecies.htm Native species in ACT|retrieved
1 february 2007]
* [http://www.environmentcommissioner.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/12153/nativespecies03p.pdf State of the Environment Report - Native Species 2003|retrieved1 february 2007]
* [http://www.environmentcommissioner.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/12145/pestanimals03p.pdf State of the Environment Report - Pest animals|retrieved1 february 2007]
* The Canberra Gardener 8th edition, the Horticulture Society of Canberra Inc, 1991, ISBN 0-9500850-3-0
* Canberra A Nations Capital ed H.L, White Angus and Robertson, 1954, no ISBN chapter 9.
* A Field Guid to Crustaceans of Australian Waters, Diana Jones and Gary Morgan, pub Reed 1994, ISBN 0-7301-0403-6
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