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Project summary:
The species composition of the small predatory litter beetles of adjacent cool temperate rainforests and wet sclerophyll forests (WSF) in Tasmania and northern NSW is compared. Forest type predicts faunal variation between Nothofagus relics and Eucalyptus forest in NSW and between riparian rainforest and adjacent mixed forest at Tahune, Warra, in southern Tasmania, but litter fauna does not reflect floristic difference between Nothofagus and surrounding WSF at Warners Sugarloaf, in Tasmania’s Western Tiers. Regional faunal variation is demonstrated for Tasmania, with significant difference between northern (Warners Sugarloaf) and southern (Warra) sites. The riparian forest fauna includes unique associations specific to micro-habitats on the riverbank.
Species richness is remarkable at all sites and large numbers of rare and singleton species occur. Bulk litter sampling of relatively large quadrats is effective as a method of capturing the greater part of species richness at most sites, but more than two such sampling efforts are needed in the riparian forest. A species of the Bassian endemic Tasmanothetis is found in NSW and an otherwise NSW species of Holotrochus is found at Warners Sugarloaf. Nine species are shared between northern and southern Tasmania, half of which are not fully flighted. Explanation of their widespread distribution is sought in climatic and environmental conditions in the Quaternary. Implications of these results for invertebrate conservation are explored and vegetation type is found to be an insufficiently refined indicator of faunal distributions to serve as the major criterion for such conservation.Pselaphidae are found to have promise as indicator species, but further sampling is essential to establish the details of distribution and species association for region, forest type and micro-habitat.
Methodology: Not available
Datasets: None available.
Publications: Higgs, K. (1994). Hidden hunters: a study of predatory litter beetles (Staphylinidae, Pselaphidae and Scydmaenidae) in cool temperate forests of Tasmania and northern New South Wales. Honours Thesis, University of Tasmania, Hobart.
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