Australian Journal of Zoology

Australian Journal of Zoology is an international journal covering the evolutionary, molecular and comparative zoology of Australasian fauna. Read more about the journalMore

Editor-in-Chief: Paul Cooper

Current Issue

Australian Journal of Zoology

Volume 64 Number 2 2016

ZO15080Phylogeny and biogeography of species of Syphacia Seurat, 1916 (Nemata : Oxyurida : Oxyuridae) from the Australian Bioregion

Haylee J. Weaver, Scott Monks and Scott L. Gardner

pp. 81-90

We examined the relationships between Australian rodents and their pinworm nematode parasites (Oxyuridae, genus Syphacia). We produced a phylogenetic analysis of species of Syphacia from Australia, New Guinea and Sulawesi, and found that Australian Syphacia species communities are shaped by coevolution, taxon pulses and ecological fitting.

ZO15061Do body size, diet type or residence time explain habitat use in a vertebrate herbivore community?

S. Garnick, J. Di Stefano, M. A. Elgar and G. Coulson

pp. 91-99

We explored the role of body size, diet type and residence time on habitat use in the Grampians vertebrate herbivore community using camera traps. None of these theories explained habitat use; red deer used a narrower range of habitats than expected, perhaps due to the poor suitability of available habitats.
Photo by Sarah Garnick.

ZO15060Avian hosts, prevalence and larval life history of the ectoparasitic fly Passeromyia longicornis (Diptera : Muscidae) in south-eastern Tasmania

Amanda B. Edworthy

pp. 100-106

This study provides the first report of a blood-sucking fly parasite, Passeromyia longicornis, parasitising an endangered songbird, the forty-spotted pardalote (Pardalotus quadragintus). I also report prevalence of Passeromyia longicornis in forest birds of south-eastern Tasmania and describe its larval life cycle.
Photo by Amanda Edworthy.

ZO15045Home range, habitat suitability and population modelling of feral Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) on Kangaroo Island, South Australia

Calum X. Cunningham, Thomas A. A. Prowse, Pip Masters and Phillip Cassey

pp. 107-116

The Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) is a declared pest species on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, where we estimated that 21 separate peafowl groups exist currently. Habitat suitability modelling identified substantial unoccupied suitable habitat and radio-telemetry demonstrated that dispersal is possible. Further population growth is expected in the absence of management.
Photo by Calum Cunningham.

ZO16013Complete mitochondrial genome of the endangered Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) and low mtDNA variation across the species' range

Daniel J. Schmidt, Brittany Brockett, Thomas Espinoza, Marilyn Connell and Jane M. Hughes

pp. 117-121

The mitochondrial genome of the Mary River turtle exhibits the standard vertebrate arrangement of 37 genes. Assessment of genetic variation among 22 individuals sampled across the natural distribution revealed only two control region haplotypes. This limited variation probably reflects a narrow distribution and recent history of exploitation.
Photo by Marilyn Connell.

ZO16019The plant pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi influences habitat use by the obligate nectarivore honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus)

Shannon J. Dundas, Giles E. St J. Hardy and Patricia A. Fleming

pp. 122-131

We radio-tracked an obligate nectarivorous marsupial, the honey possum, within an area infested with the introduced plant pathogen, Phytophthora cinnamomi. Vegetation surveys conducted at locations selected by honey possums (as determined from tracking) and randomly selected sites revealed that sites selected by honey possums were significantly taller, denser, and more floristically diverse than their paired random locations.
Photo by Pat Dundas.

ZO16030Effect of roost choice on winter torpor patterns of a free-ranging insectivorous bat

Clare Stawski and Shannon E. Currie

pp. 132-137

Our study presents the lowest skin temperature recorded for a free-ranging Australian microbat, Gould’s wattled bat (Chalinolobus gouldii), and reveals that roost choice in a temperate agricultural landscape affects their thermal physiology, ensuring survival during periods of cold weather and limited food supply.
Photo by Fritz Geiser.

ZO16035Reproduction, egg morphology and development observed in two Australian penicillate millipedes, Lophoturus queenslandicus (Lophoproctidae) and Phryssonotus novaehollandiae (Synxenidae) (Diplopoda)

Cuong Huynh and Anneke A. Veenstra

pp. 138-150

Penicillate millipedes are minute, often unrecognised and understudied members of the Australian fauna found under bark and in leaf litter. Little is known about their reproductive behaviour. This study uncovers the mysteries of millipede reproduction observed in two species – their mating rituals, unique nest-building and egg-laying behaviour – and records their development from egg to adult for the first time.
Photo by Nicholas Porch.

Current Issue

The peer-reviewed and edited version of record published online before inclusion in an issue

Published online 02 August 2016

ZO16024Larger lizards live longer in the group-living Egernia stokesii

S. K. Pearson, S. S. Godfrey, C. M. Bull and M. G. Gardner

Space use is an important aspect of animal behaviour. This investigation of gidgee skink site fidelity found lizards that were larger in initial surveys were more likely to be recaptured, and a high proportion of those recaptured were close to their original capture sites. Why some lizards changed space while others didn’t is yet to be fully understood.
Photo by Sarah Pearson.

Published online 23 August 2016

ZO15068Novel use for a predator scent: preliminary data suggest that wombats avoid recolonising collapsed burrows following application of dingo scent

Elisa E. Sparrow, Michael H. Parsons and Daniel T. Blumstein

Dingo scents were trialled over 75 days to determine their influence on southern hairy-nosed wombats. Wombats lingered nearby, but ceased repopulating collapsed burrows. This represents a novel use for a deterrent, in that prey may remain in the vicinity near a deterrent, but curb problematic behaviours of economic consequence.
Photo by Elisa Sparrow.

Published online 22 September 2016

ZO16046Multiple orientation cues in an Australian trunk-trail-forming ant, Iridomyrmex purpureus

Ashley Card, Caitlin McDermott and Ajay Narendra

Trunk-trail-forming Iridomyrmex purpureus ants use odour trails, landmark information and a celestial compass for navigation. Experienced ants rely on landmark information and naïve ants rely on pheromone trails. Ants rely on the celestial compass only when familiar odours and terrestrial visual cues are absent.
Photo by Ajay Narendra.

Published online 20 September 2016

ZO16015The significance of topographic complexity in habitat selection and persistence of a declining marsupial in the Kimberley region of Western Australia

Rosemary Hohnen, Katherine Tuft, Sarah Legge, Naomi Walters, Lucy Johanson, Scott Carver, Ian J. Radford and Christopher N. Johnson

Habitat selection and diet of the scaly-tailed possum (Wyulda squamicaudata) was examined in the north-west Kimberley, Western Australia. Rock complexity appears to be an important landscape attribute for Wyulda, as it may provide den sites and protect fire-sensitive landscape features such as fruiting trees and habitat heterogeneity.
Photo by Alex Hartshorne.

Published online 02 September 2016

ZO16003The biology and palaeontology of the Peramelemorphia: a review of current knowledge and future research directions

N. M. Warburton and K. J. Travouillon

This literature review of bandicoots and bilbies (Marsupialia; Peramelemorphia) examines advances in the knowledge of the biology of this group over the past 25 years, including anatomical, physiological and ecological studies and a comprehensive review of the fossil records of bandicoots to provide an up-to-date platform for future studies.
Photo by W. J. Bancroft.

Just Accepted

These articles have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. They are still in production and have not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.

ZO16021, Accepted 29 August 2016

Twenty years of turtle tracks: marine turtle nesting activity at remote locations in the Pilbara region, Western Australia

Kellie Pendoley, Anna Vitenbergs, Paul Whittock and Catherine Bell

ZO16021Abstract

Australian Journal of Zoology

Current Issue

Australian Journal of Zoology

Current Issue

The peer-reviewed and edited version of record published online before inclusion in an issue

Just Accepted

These articles have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. They are still in production and have not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.

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