We present natural history data on free-living black-headed pythons (Aspidites melanocephalus) from the northern tip of Cape York, Australia. Between 2013 and 2016, we captured 62 pythons (for a total of 77 captures) opportunistically or during nocturnal road surveys. The sample was dominated by large adults, with significantly more males than females. Sexual dimorphism was not significant for any measured trait, but most of the largest individuals were males. All prey items were reptiles; mostly varanid lizards. Growth rates were low and variable. Woodland was strongly preferred over rainforest, and we document male–male combat in wild specimens of this species.
The lesser bandicoot rat (Bandicota bengalensis) is a major pest and a carrier of diseases in Punjab, India. Chemical rodenticides are the commonly used control method, but they are neither ecofriendly nor effective in the long term as rodent populations quickly rebound. To achieve both immediate and sustained management, a neem seed extract–andrographolide (NSA) based bait was developed, demonstrating toxic and antifertility effects in male black rats. In this study, neem seed extract used in NSA bait was analysed, and its efficacy was tested against male bandicoot rats. Consumption patterns were analyzed and showed that deaths occurred across a wide range of consumption; some rats survived despite having a higher intake than those that died, suggesting individual variation. Consumption below a threshold was linked to mortality, whereas intake at or above it induced significant non-lethal antifertility effects. Histological analysis showed sperm abnormalities, reduced sex hormone levels, and pregnancy failure, confirming NSA bait’s combined toxic and antifertility effects, indicating its potential as an ecofriendly alternative for the management of B. bengalensis.
As part of a broader study, we gathered data on the natural history of carpet pythons (Morelia spilota) from the Lockerbie Scrub in Cape York. Between 2013 and 2016, we detected 37 carpet pythons during nocturnal road surveys across 28.8 km of woodland and rainforest. All specimens were in woodland, unlike rainforest-dwelling carpet pythons in the Atherton Tablelands. Our sample was dominated by small individuals. The only prey recorded were two rodents, and sizes at maturation and maximum body sizes (larger in males than females, especially for body mass) were similar to those of New Guinea populations of this species.
Dry rainforest or ‘vine forests’ consist of an archipelago of fire-sensitive vegetation that extends through much of tropical and subtropical eastern Australia, often in very small fragments. Here we document a previously overlooked and tiny hotspot of localised vertebrate persistence in a highly discrete and largely cleared southern isolate of vine forest around Mount French in south-east Queensland. We report the presence of isolated populations of mesic-associated skinks in the genera Lampropholis (one species) and Saiphos (two species). Two of these populations are between 100 and 200 km south of main distributions, indicating that these mesic-forest-associated taxa once occurred more widely to the south of their contemporary distributions and have subsequently contracted. Updated spatial analyses of mesic forest herpetofaunal diversity patterns indicate that Mount French represents an endemism hotspot, and we discuss the conservation challenges facing this, and other similar, tiny hotspots of localised vertebrate persistence.
A population of tusked frogs (Adelotus brevis) occurring in the New England Tablelands (NET) and Nandewar (NAN) (NET/NAN) bioregions experienced drastic historical declines. The declines were most likely caused by the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, Bd) and resulted in the population being listed as Endangered. Few extant populations have been documented in the 25 years since listing, and the current status of the population is unknown. We conducted targeted surveys across three breeding seasons (2022–2024), focusing on abundance, distribution, and population health. Genetic material and Bd swab samples were collected from 13 tusked frogs at two sites, and three individuals (21%) tested positive for Bd. Genomic analyses indicated relatively low genetic diversity, with observed heterozygosity lower than expected, and positive inbreeding coefficients across sampled populations. Population structure analyses identified two major genetic clusters of tusked frogs across New South Wales (NSW) and recovered additional finer-scale substructure in southern NSW. However, the NET/NAN population clustered with geographically adjacent populations rather than form a distinct genetic unit. Our surveys confirm that the NET/NAN population persists at the western and upper elevational limits of the species’ range. Continued surveys are required to elucidate the threat posed by small population sizes, low genetic diversity and Bd, and to determine the full spatial extent of the Endangered Population via scientific surveys and citizen science.
