Table Of ContentRevision of the Atlas of New South Wales Wildlife
Murray Ellis
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 1967, Hurstville 2220
ABSTRACT
A rev~sedm mp~ter-oasedw l dlife Inventory programme has Deen developed to aid the collation
ano mapping of lama ano f ora 8nfoimation F el0 data woks nave men prodbced to tacililale the
mIe ction 01 s gnificant records in a format that is easy to hanole. C~rrenml aps for tne recoros for !he
terrestrial vertebrate classes are presented
INTRODUCTION system, all data entry was conducted on a
volunteer basis. There were few alterations
Wildlife management organizations are
to the original computer programmes so that
required to provide information about the
as the computer system was updated (e.g.,
natural resources under their jurisdiction to
new plotting machinery, changed processors)
their own staff, to other government bodies
the programmes gradually became obsolete.
and to the public. For plant species this is often
By this stage the system had accumulated
achieved by the production of vegetation maps
approximately 52 000 entries, although a
based on aerial photography, and more
number of these were duplicates.
recently by the use of remote sensing (satellite
imagery). Even so, details about the individual In mid 1990 an opportunity arose to write a
species is often lost in the generalities of the prototype of a revised database in Advanced
map. For fauna, the situation is even worse Revelation. The Department of Conservation
since no remote methods for mapping are and Environment in Victoria had written a
available, and knowledge about their abund- faunal database so the chance was taken to
ance and distribution is based on observations make the systems compatible across the border.
made either incidentally or systematically. The content of the database was considerably
Storage and retrieval of such information has expanded from the original system. At this
been difficult until the advent of modern stage the system was renamed the Atlas of
computers, often relying on the accumulated New South Wales Wildlife because the name
knowledge of experienced observers. "Wildata" had been registered as a business
name by a private company.
In 1981 Bruce Gall, with the NSW National
Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), started an The use of the Advanced Revelation
"Inventory of New South Wales Wildlife" database management system has allowed the
which soon became known as Wildata (Gall and Atlas to be moved off a mainframe computer
Christian 1984). It was a computerised system onto a desktop computer and still maintain
to record sightings of vertebrate fauna, mainly reasonable search speeds for the number of
from Service staff. The basis of collecting the records held. The database management
records was that sufficient occurrence records system also allows the indexing of frequently
would eventually elucidate the distribution searched fields to improve the search speeds,
(and changes to it) of the various species. It while not restricting which fields can be
was also envisaged that it would allow rapid searched. The system is intended to act as a
retrieval of information that had already been tool for both land management and species
collected. management at either thi localized or'state-
wide level. The data can be combined with
The initial 'ystem was written in
Rcords from other states to study problems
and was placed on the CSIRO Division of Plant
across political boundaries,
Industry computer. A handbook was produced
and data recording cards were issued (Fig. 1).
METHODS
Separate data cards were produced for
mammals, passerines, non-passennes, turtles Field Data Books
and snakes, lizards, and frogs.
The Department of Conservation and
After Bruce Gall left the Service the system Environment in Victoria had already produced
came under control of Liz Dovey. Since there a plastic covered field data book. This was
were no staff positions allocated to running the more robust than the original handbook for
December 1992 Australian Zoo/cgist. Vol. 28(14) %
the New South Wales system (Gall 1981) and it
was easy to update individual pages within the
book. This is important with the constant
changes to the taxonomy and common names of
the Australian fauna. The data layout was also
more structured and used coding systems for a
number of the attributes recorded. The Victorian
system was an advance over the original New
South Wales svstem so the codes and structures
used for the ' ~ e wS outh Wales system were
based on those used in Victoria and new data-
books were printed (Fig. 2). The new data cards
(Fig. 3) allowed any species to be recorded on
the same card, rather than having separate
Figure 1. The original data book and cards. cards for each of the six groups of terrestrial
vertebrates recognized in the old system. The
revised instructions for completing a record
card are reproduced in Figure 4.
The major changes to the system were the
adoption of the species lists and codes
generated by the Australian National Parks
and Wildlife Service and the use of full Aust-
ralian Map Grid references. The latter change
will hopefully reduce the incidence of peofde
mixing up eastings and northings which results
in locati6ns being plotted incorrectly on maps
by up to 140 krn. The example from the hand-
book is reproduced in Figure 5.
Computer Records
The records held in the old system were con-
verted to the new codes and many of the
Figure 2. The current handbook and card. duplicated records were removed. Other
-
NSW Wildlife Atlas
NSw National Parks and Wikllife Service
Name: ---- ------ - - - - - - --- - - - Phone: - - - - -- -
Addre=:---------------------------------
First date: --I-- -1 ---- Second date: - - I- - - I - - - -
Location: .............................................
Reserve I Forest: -------- -------------- -------- --- --------
I I
Species Code Count Type of Rec. Habitat Breeding
Figure 3. The front of the new fauna record card.
60 Australian Zoologist, Vol. 28(14) December 1992
Field Data Sheet Instructions
Each sheet M card refen to a specific locality and time AMG Golden Rule: Eastings (numbers aaass top 6 bottom
period. Mammals, birds, reptiles and amphitxans can be of map) first and ltmn Northings (numben up sides of map).
en18(86 on a sinale sheet M cad. The card is a conveniant
memOd for m&ing inddental repam. Use Um sheet for *Idrude: In metres, read from a topogfaphlc map
lisk of nwre h nte n spedes. The Md s Man d card are
mmpleted in the same way. Geology: Remd the hom the immediate area ol
tim obwatlon it possible. A &an of gd€ ogicA lypes is
A sample hld data card is attached. The Service o l b prwided.
entering the remrds will assign the reference rmmber, project
and obberver codes. Vegautlon: Flemrd me struc@~roef the vegetation. A chafl
based on the Australian Land Survey Handbook is provided.
Dm*.: Remd the mriio f ohsewation covered bv tho The gwth form of the plank is listed dom the edge, and
sheet If remdlng on as ngne aay dse hrst dale oniy Ineu-spaang mass me top The entry on the LaMe g ves
(e g 02 Jbn 1978) othem se use a stafnng and hnahlng aate ~Iarmardn ames bf each mmblnaWn. and this name should
PreIeraW. the ~eriodof observation should fall deanlv inlo be used. The dominant plant spedes can be recorded in the
calendarkon&, but can cwer months w years for r&ds notes SeCM.
with pcdy known dates (e.g. 01 Jan 1870 19 31 Cec 1879 lw
reCOT& hom the 1870's) Species Entries: Fw general observah list in any order
the mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians that you
Loulliy: Describe the lmity as pecisely as possibls using observed.
place names on NATMAP or LIC (CMA) series maps.
Preferably give a distanm and direcnon from a named @I. Specks and Cod.: Enter spedes name and mde tram kE
supplied. An abbreviated species name is acceptable. If you
Re~w.IFores(: Enter the name ol the hest w reserve hat do not find the name of the animal on the pwided lkk then
the record is from. use the name lhat you know it by and the mde wiU be fwnd
later.
Grld nhrensrs: Specify he sheet number (eg. 8124).
Enter he zone, easting and noming ol the locality to the Counl: Enter the achlal number 01 individuals counted. If
h r ma ccuracy. For example it acwraq is to he nearest tim mntw as an eshleI oUow it with an E, e.g. BE.
1k m enter dashes (not zeros) in the appropiate spaas
(6.g. 56 345--- 6123--).
0 Observed B Burnt WH Watemole IL in lm
F Tracks, suahing~ T Trapped of nelted BU In building IC In cave
H Hair or feathers Y & m a w
R W M I P scat
D hgMl W Heard call
z
C Catkill In raptorld pellet E Eggs J Juveniles
V FOX kin E Nesurmst L Lacwng N Nesting
K Dead M ~ a n e o u s P Regnant Y Yes, but no detaik
-
S Shol N Not locfiad NMhreeding
X ln scat
Notes: Use lhis saclkm for m e n bo n vegetation.
Ukroh.M*t cod. idenlifmtion ol dimarn species and notswwmy ~ a ~ .
Flying above canapy nying rs't4in campy Spclmotu: We enowrage persm Mdii an appwiate
upper -now W-f'wY wildlii osrmit m submm remairs of dead animals. M voucher
LamK caw On Dunk speekns ol dl~cus~pet cies, as mnfirmabon of uw
In tree In dead tree (stag) denmicabon S p e a ms hould be hozen a soaked m 10%
In me hollow High shrub fordn. and s&t to the Australm Musaum. 6-8 Collece SL
is
Lav shrub Underprm SYDNEY 2000. soaked intwma~inm ay besent
lo glasr In met6 t h r mm e mmar post pmvlded straw wamrpwf pa&@
hgaKld mw ing isused, Mleh ozen 'inalerid will need to be transpa&
Under log on rDdc quickiy and with insulaLion to prevent thawing.
Under rock Under bark
Under iron In soil
In h o w On road
lrVon bridge In/on post M sNmp
In wabf Edge of watw
mer water F M r ed am
Figure 4. Instruction sheets for completing a record card.
December 1992 Australian Zoologist, Voi. 28(14) 61
How to Give A Grid Reference
The Australian Continent is divided into
zones which are 6O of longitude wide. Each
zone is covered by a grid with the coordi-
nates given in metres. X coordinates are
now called Eastings (a 6 digit number for
how far east) and Y coordinates are called
Northings (a 7 digit number for how far
north).This system is called the Australian
Map Grid or AMG.
New South Wales is spanned by 3 zones,
Zone 54 (13 8O-l44O), Zone 55 (14 4O-1 50°)
and Zone 56 (150°-1560). For any given
point, the grid reference is given by the
eastina
zone number, followed by the and
lastly the northin~.
For example, the grid reference for the
reservoir on the adjacent map will be:
55 548300 6407300
Fipr8 5. The inrrruction card on how to give a full grid reference in New South Wales
coding errors (mainly due to the duplication of District Office, Armidale GIs Office, Griffith
species codes across the various groups in the District Office, South East Forests Office and
old system) were removed resulting in about South Eastern Region Office) with 13 other
30 000 records being salvaged. The exact NPWS offices entering incidental records. It is
number is not know since new records were envisaged that these offices will be put on a
already being entered into the prototype by the computer network during 1992193 so that all
time the old records were converted. data entry and revision will be camed out on
one master set of files.
The prototype was placed in Lismore District
Office for trial in November 1990. During the The breakdown of the records by class is
following six months a series of adjustments given in Table 1 and their distribution is shown
were made to the system, databooks were in Figure 6. There are still records in the
printed, and distribution of the books among system that are incorrectly located, for example
Service staff commenced. Some databooks there are oceanic records of possums and
have also been distributed to interested gliders as the result of reversed grid references.
naturalists. During the 1991192 financial year
a temporary position was funded for six Table 1. Number of fauna records by class as of August 1992.
months to enable data entry to proceed. At
Class Records held
the current time (August 1992) the system con-
tains over 110 000 fauna records and 75 000 Amphibia (Frogs) 1606
flora records. The Victorian scheme has Reptilia (Reptiles) 5 765
Aves (Birds) 87 710
accumulated over one million fauna records
Marnrnalia (Mammals) -18 900
(P. Menkhorst, pers. comm.).
113981
Locality records are being extracted from
NPWS files, staff notebooks and survey
reports. Records are also being solicited from APPLICATIONS
people known to have worked in areas
The data held have a number of applications
currently being surveyed (the north coast and
for the Service. The simplest is the provision
the south east forests).
of species lists for the various National Parks
Data collation and entry is currently being and Nature Reserves controlled by the Service.
carried out in six main localities (NPWS Head These are usually requested by park visitors,
Office, Northern Region Office, Lismore but are sometimes used by researchers.
62 Ausbalian Zoologist, Val. 28(14) December 1992
Figure 6. The distribution of all the (a) amphibian, @) reptile, (c) bird, and (d) mammal records in the database.
Individual studies can be supported by
the system. For example, a study of the
mammalian fauna of conservation concern in
western New South Wales (Dickman et al. in
press) collected records from a variety of
sources. These data could then be manipulated
to assess the changes in fauna distributions,
which can be graphically displayed by the pro-
duction of maps (Fig. 7). These data are then
available for subsequent studies of the area.
Similarly, studies of the forests of northeastern
and southeastern New South Wales, and of
Koalas Phascohrctos cinerez~s are being
supported by the database.
Recent changes to legislation in New South
Wales have placed an increasing demand on
-
the database. Since the number of records is
relatively low compared to the area of New ..
South Wales, assessment of activities under the --_ I-*-. *."_..,I- .
Endangered Fauna (Interim Protection) Act .,.U --I 'C,< - 1
F@re 7. An example of the maps generated for the study
1991 is difficult if only the actual records are
of western New South Wales mammalian fauna. This map
used. To overcome this limitation, the database shows the distribution of Antechinornys laniger records for two
has a facility to calculate predicted distributions time periods.
December 1992 Australian Zwlogist, Vol. 28(1-4) 63
for each species. This is based on the past distribution of each species and hence
climate analysis methods described by Busby assess if its range is contracting or not.
(1991), but uses a 30-minute grid. This
All interested people, whether Service staff
grid should soon be reduced to a 6-minute
or not, are encouraged to use the system and
interval.
to submit their records, including historical
records, for inclusion in the system.
DISCUSSION
The value of the atlas will depend on the REFERENCES
quality and extent of the data held within it. A BUSBYJ., R., 1991. BIOCLIM - A Bioclimatic Analysis and
wide spread of records across time and space Prediction System. In Nature Cmum~~liCaa:rt Effcctiuc
is needed if we are to understand the needs of, Biological Suruey and Data Analysis ed by C. R. Margules
and M. P. Austin. CSIRO: Canberra.
and threats to, various species. The higher the
accuracy of the geographic location of the D~CKMCA. NR. , PRFSSEYR., L., LIM,L. AND PARNABHY. E, .,
in press. Mammals of particular conservation concern
record the more use it will be in modelling
in che Western Division of New South Wales. Biol. Cmm.
species distributions at the local level. How-
GALL,B . C., 198 1. WiIdlfe Invmtmy Program Rccmdn's Hand-
ever, for rare and poorly known species even
book. New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife
imprecise records can be invaluable in further- Service: Sydney.
ing our knowledge. Similarly, historical records GALLB, . C. AND CHRISTIAKN. R, ., 1984. A program for a
are very important if we are to determine the wildlife inventory. J. Envir Manage. 19: 27749.
A note on the predation of Bufo marinus juveniles by the
ant Iridomyrmex purpureus
R. B. Clerke and I. Williamson
School of Life Science, Queensland University of Technology, G.P.O. Box 2434, Brishane, Qld 4001
The introduced cane toad Bufo marinus pro- We report here on predation of newly
duces toxic compounds from dermal glands metamorphosed toads (toadlets) by the
(Tyler 1987). These compounds restrict the common meat ant Iridmynnex purpurew and
number of potential predators of adult toads the diurnal activity patterns of both species
in Australia (Covacevich and Archer 1975; over one 24 h period.
Hamley and Georges 1985) because predators
Iridamynnex pUrpzlrew was observed preying
either find the toads unpalatable or die follow-
on toadlets at a natural pond 40 km north of
ing consumption. Similarly, eggs and tadpoles
Chinchilla in south Queensland on three
are toxic (Licht 1968; Wassersug 1971) and
occasions (February 3, March 8 and March
therefore may have a limited number of
14-15, 1992). The oval shaped pond had a
predators.
circumference of 270 m and was surrounded
However, newly metamorphosed toads may by sparse woodland and a grass understorey.
lack the concentration of toxins of adults (Flier There was little ground cover at the pond
et al. 1980; Freeland and Kerin 1991) and edge.
Australian native animals have been observed
eating, or have been fed, young cane toads During daylight I. purpurew preyed upon
with little or no adverse effects (Covacevich toadlets around the margin of the pond.
and Archer 1975). Newly metamorphosed Capture of a single toadlet involved several
toads are also small, active during daylight ants with one ant making initial contact and
periods and commonly occur in dense aggrega- inhibiting toad movement, followed by three
tions around breeding sites (Freeland and to four more ants each grabbing a limb of the
Kerin 1991). This combination of character- victim. The captured toadlet was spread out by
istics suggests that newly metamorphosed an ant tugging at each leg and other ants would
toads may be the stage most vulnerable to then sever the legs from the torso. All the parts
predators (Zug and Zug 1975; Van Beurden were canied to the ant nest 30 m from the
1980). pond edge.
64 Australian Zoologist, Vol. 28(14)
