Quarterly Bulletin Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club Inc. BULLETIN Editor: Deirdre Brown bul.editor@tasfieldnats.org.au No 362 April 2016 The Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club encourages the study of natural history and supports conservation. People of any age and background are welcome as members. For more information, visit website http://www.tasfieldnats.org.au/: email info@tasfieldnats.org.au: write to GPO Box 68, Hobart, 7001; or phone our secretary on (03)62278638. We welcome articles and interesting photos for the Bulletin. If you would like to contribute to the next edition, please email the editor with your article or photos by 15 June 2016. Annual General Meeting Report.2 Financial Report for 2015.2 Easter Camp postponed until 2017.2 Excursion to Marion Bay.2 Excursion to Waterfall Bay/Clemes Peak.4 Federation Weekend meeting at Gowrie Park.6 Snails in the mail.8 Insects of Tasmania at our April meeting.8 Program General Meetings start at 7.15 pm for 7.30 pm on the first Thursday of the month and feature a guest speaker on natural history (no meetings or excursions in January). Meetings are held in the Life Science Building at the University of Tasmania. Excursions are usually held the following Saturday or Sunday, meeting at 9.00 am outside the Museum in Macquarie St, Hobart. Bring lunch and all-weather outdoor gear. If you are planning to attend an outing, but have not been to the prior meeting, please confirm the details on the club website as late changes are sometimes made. Fri 25 th - Mon.28 th . Easter. Possibility of an excursion. Please check website: www.tasfieldnats.org.au Thurs April 7 ,h . Meeting: Guest Speaker: Kristi Ellingsen will present The evolution of the Insects of Tasmania website, an unexpected journey of a citizen scientist/ Sun April 10 th . Excursion: To be announced Thurs May 5th. Meeting: Guest Speaker to be announced Sat. May 7 th . Excursion: To be announced Thurs June 2 nd . Meeting: Guest Speaker: Gintaras Kantvilas from the Herbarium will present 'Lichens'. Sun June 5 ,h . Excursion: To be announced Thurs July 6 th . Meeting: Guest Speaker to be announced Sat July 8 th . Excursion to be announced For details of talks and excursions, please check the website at http://www.tasfieldnats.org.au/ Subscriptions - overdue NOW! A reminder that 2016 subs were due on 1 January, and can be paid by cheque to the Club address, by Paypal (follow the links on our website http://www.tasfieldnats.org.au/ ) or by EFT to the Club account BSB 067 102 A/c 2800 0476. Please identify your payment with your name and initial. Family $35 Single $30 Single Junior or Concession $25 Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club Page 1 BULLETIN 362 April 2016 Annual General Meeting Report Thursday 3 rd March 2016 M embers who attended the meeting were treated with an interesting address titled 'Extinction Rediscoveries' from the outgoing (and incoming) President Kevin Bonham. The following office bearers and committee members were elected unopposed: President: Kevin Bonham Vice-President: Genevieve Gates Secretary: Margaret Warren Treasurer: Anna McEldowney Naturalist Editor: Mick Brown Bulletin Editor: Deirdre Brown Walks and Talks: Amanda Thomson Librarian: Annabel Carle General Committee members: Jane Catchpole Abbey Throssell Jean Rothero Financial Report for 2015 T he financial report for the TFNC was presented at the AGM held in March and shows the Club is in a strong financial position. This has resulted from book sales over the last few years with Genevieve and David's Tasmanian Fungi book returning a significant amount during 2014/15 and sales of our other books, particularly Butterflies of Tasmania, Tasmanian Seashells and Between Tasmanian Tidelines making a consistent contribution to the Club income. In 2016/17 the Club will be looking at using our funds to support other publications of interest to field naturalists. An audit of our book stocks is underway and our thanks go to those club members who safely store our books for us. At the end of December the Club had a membership of 125 and in 2015 we welcomed 23 new members (as single and family memberships). We have been able to continue the high quality production of the Tasmanian Naturalist and are grateful for the financial support Mark Wapstra, our former editor, was able to attract from the Forest Practices Authority for the latest edition. Please contact treasurer(5)tasfieldnats.org.au if you would like a copy of the accounts and treasurer's report. Anna McEldowney Easter Camp postponed until 2017 The Club had planned to visit Ben Lomond for the 2016 Easter Camp but difficulties with ski lodge operators being able to find caretakers over Easter and the numbers of our members required to make venue hire viable meant that we reluctantly cancelled the Easter Camp for this year. It was a pity as we had rather set our hearts on visiting Ben Lomond but having done the research on the accommodation we may look at making a much earlier booking for a 2017 Easter Camp. If people are interested please let us know. An outing over Easter may be scheduled instead - watch the website for any details. Excursion to Marion Bay Sunday February 7 th Attendees: Amanda, Geoff, Annabel, Vicki, Sabine, John, Grahame, Kate, Fiona. T he weather was great, if not a little bit hot for my liking, when a group of Fieldnats headed out for a wander around the Marion Bay area. We walked out to the spit alongside the saltmarsh area where we found numerous insects, spiders and a small pond, kind of a puddle which had a lot of activity. The sounds of frogs were heard, but they could not be spotted. I believe they were Pobblebonk frogs, well, that is what my memory is telling me. Plenty to see here! Fiona at Marion Bay Photo: Amanda Thomson A trip with Amanda doesn't seem complete without a snake sighting, although this sighting was of a squashed one. A small white-lipped snake had obviously been run over by a 4wd along the track so had been rendered quite dead. Around its carcass were numerous beetles which had also been flattened. Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club Page 2 BULLETIN 362 April 2016 When we got to the beach at the end of the trail there were quite a decent number of dead Starry Toadfish. They were scattered right along the beach, appearing to have washed up and come to rest at the high tide mark. We are still unsure as to what could have caused these deaths. A few living ones were spotted splashing around in the shallow parts. At first they seemed stuck, yet after watching them for a bit they clearly weren't, and swam off seemingly quite happy. Photo: Fiona Walsh We had our lunch while we waited for Geoff and Annabel to catch up. Annabel was in charge of the species list, so was doing a very thorough job. Then we headed off along the beach heading back to where we began. As we neared the tip of the beach we spotted the soldier crabs. This reminded me of my childhood playing on beaches in Dunalley; thousands of little scurrying crabs racing along and occasionally drilling themselves into the sand if they felt threatened. On Marion Bay Beach Photo: Fiona Walsh Slowly we ambled our way along the beach, watching the pacific gulls glide above the waves and marveling at the size of the bull kelp which had washed ashore. It's bull kelp, we know it is big, but to lift up a single holdfast you really appreciate how big this algae gets. It also makes for a nice addition to a beach landscape photo. It was a gorgeous day wandering along the coast, spotting bright green spiders, white rush moths, biting march flies and trying to remember the difference between the Juncus and Ficinia. White rush moth Photo: Fiona Walsh I love a Field Nat outing, so many different people with so much varying knowledge, opening your eyes to things you may never have noticed before. Fiona Walsh Green spider Photo: Fiona Walsh Amanda's observations I was really pleased to find a Chequered Blue butterfly Theclinesthes serpentata in the dunes on the way back. It is listed as uncommon and rare in Tasmania where it is smaller and bluer and race "lavara". Its food plant is Rhagodia candolleana, the coastal Saltbush. There was also a nice collection of spiders including: Eutichuridae (Prowling spider) Cheiracanthium mordax, Miturgidae Miturga agelenina (Railway track spider), found in large silken retreat among Juncus stems. Salticidae Opisthoncus sp Unknown green spider Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club Page 3 BULLETIN 362 April 2016 Another ? male and female unknown spider in Juncus ? Kraussii. Miturga agelenina in juncus stems Photo: Amanda Thomson Plant list: Annabel Carle TFNC Marion Bay 7 Feb 2016 - PLANT OBSERVATIONS {there were many more we did/could not name!} Plant family-species name Common name Ferns Pteridium esculemtum Bracken Monocotyledons Asparagaceae - Lomandra longrfblia Saggs Cyperaceae — Fidnia nodosa Nobby ClutHsedge Cyperaceae - Lepidosperma concavum Sandhill Sword-sedge Cyperaceae - Lepidosperma gladiatuim Coast Sword-sedge Juncaceae-Juncus kraussii ssp. austra liensis Sea Rush Juncaceae - Juncus pa Nidus Pale Rush Poaceae — *Ammo;phila arenaria Marram Grass (on beach) Poaceae — Distkhilis distidiophyll a Australian Saltgrass Poaceae - Poa porformis var. porformis Coast Tussockgrass Restionaceae - Leptocarpus tenax Slender Twine-rush Dicotyledons Aizoacaea — Carpobrotus rossii Native Pigface Aizoaceae—Tetragonia implexicoma Bower Spinach Amaranthaceae—Hemichroa pentandra Trailing Saltstar Apiaceae -Oentella cordifolia Swampwort Asteraceae -Cassinia aculeate Dollybush Asteraceae - * Cesium vuigare Perennial or Californian Thistle Campanulaceae - Lobelia anceps Angled Lobelia Caryophyllaceae — Sderanthus biflorus Twinflower Kriawel Chenopodiaceae - Rhagodia candolleana ssp. candoileana Seaberry Saltbush (on beach) Chenopodiaceae-Saicocomia blackiana Thick-head Gl asswort Ericaceae — Leucopogon pardfloms Coast Beardheath (on beach and track] Fabaceae - Acacia longifolia ssp. sophorae Coast Wattle Fabacaeae - Acada suaveolens Sweet Wattle Fabaceae - 'lupinus arboreus Tree Lupin Gerrtianaceae - * Centaury sp. ?e.rythraea (basal leaves present at flowering) Common Cent nary Geraniaoeae — Geranium potentilloides ssp.? Soft Crane's-bill? Malvaceae - Lawrenda spkata Candle Saltmal dw Myrtaceae - Eucalyptus ovata possibly Black Gum, Swamp Gu m Myrtaceae- Eucalyptus vim inalis ssp. viminafis White Gum Onagraceae- Epilobium bill ardiereanuim ssp. billardiereanum Robust Willowherh Oxa li daceae — * Oxalis comicul atus Creeping Wood-sorrel Pittosporaceae - Bursaria spinose Sweet Bursaria Polygonaceae - *Acetosella vulgaris Sheep Sorrel Primulaceae -*Anagallis arvensis Scarlet Pimpernel Primulaceae - Samolus repens Creeping Brookweed Rosaceae — *Acaena nova-zelandiae Bi d ge e-wi dgee/Buzzies Rosaceae - *Rubus fructicosus ssp. agg. Blackberry Rutaceae - Correa alba White Correa {on beach) Santalaceae - Exocarpos cu pressiformis Cherry Ballart Excursion to Waterfall Bay/Clemes Peak March 5 th 2016 Attendees: Don, Gen, David, Amanda, Kevin, Abbey and Anna. C lemes Peak is at an altitude of about 407m above sea level within the Tasman National Park in southeast Tasmania. We had no special reason for visiting the peak other than it was an area that Kevin wanted to explore for snails and although the Club has walked from the Waterfall Bay carpark to the Camp Falls picnic area and Waterfall Bluff several times in the past two decades this was the first time that we could remember that the Club had climbed the peak. Amanda taking photographs on the track Photo: Genevieve Gates We set off on an almost cloudless day with no wind and a very warm autumnal sun. Given the dry conditions around Hobart, I had no great fungal expectations and I thought the huge Amanita pushing its way out of the dry soil and litter in the carpark was going to be the only species on the fungal list, but we had only gone two metres when I found a very beautiful group of 3 Austroboletus specimens and a Phylloporus 'brown velvet' with its velvety brown cap and bright yellow gills nibbled by something which Kevin confessed was probably one of his snails. Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club Page 4 BULLETIN 362 April 2016 View from the peak Photo: Genevieve Gates The group soon divided into the forward scouts who were keen to actually reach Clemes Peak, and the rest who were waylaid by the many species of fungi needing photographing. We regrouped at the bridge before the serious part of the walk began. Yes, it was relentlessly uphill but the track is well made and goes through beautiful wet sclerophyll forest alongside a creek for a fair while so with the frequent stops to take photos of fungi we didn't really notice the steepness which wasn't that terrible anyway. There were a few leeches around so when it is wet there would be a lot! We were very taken with the large diameter eucalyptus trees on the forest floor (coarse woody debris) and there were some quite tall standing live ones. Nothofagus cunninghamii started appearing along the track about half way up and then Kevin came back to tell me and Amanda where to turn off otherwise we could have ended up at Tatnells Hill. The view from the peak is spectacular especially on a day like the Saturday we did this trip, and as the climb takes one through such beautiful forest it is certainly Vale la pena'(worth the pain). Boletellus cf. occidentalis Photo: Genevieve Gates List of fungi (Genevieve) Agaricus sp. Amanita luteolovelata Amanita ochrophylloides group Amauroderma rude Armillaria novae-zelandiae Aurantiporus pulcherrimus Austroboletus occidentalis sensu Bougher & Syme Austropaxillus muelleri Bolete 'Stephen' Bolete 'sunburst' Boletellus obscurecoccineus Cantharellus concinnus Clitocybula 'streaky yellow' Coltricia australica Cortinarius 'Telemonia' Cortinarius 'very large brown' Cortinarius archeri Descolea recedens Discinella terrestris Entoloma austroprunicolor Entoloma melanophthalmum Inocybe 'blondie' Lactarius clarkeae Lycoperdon perlatum Phellinus 'resupinate' Phellinus wahlbergii Phellodon niger Phylloporus 'brown velvet' Phylloporus rhodoxanthus Polyporus melanopus Pulveroboletus ravenelii Ram aria anziana Russula 'red-yellow' Russula marangania Simocybe phlebophora Stropharia formosa Sutorius australiensis Trogia aff. straminea Tylopilus brunneus Xerocomus aff. Subtomentosus Bird list Silvereye Grey shrike-thrush Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club Page 5 BULLETIN 362 April 2016 Some interesting plant notes Cyathodes plotystomo, which looks like a larger version of Cyathodes glauca and was only described as distinct from Cyathodes glauca in 1996. A scrubby plant with what looked like reduced Pomaderris leaves turned out to be Spyridium obovatum possibly var. obovatum and the other one Anna found was probably var. velutinum. Nothing was flowering and identification is difficult without flowers. Genevieve Gates Kevin and Abbey examine the undergrowth for interesting specimens Photo: Genevieve Gates Snail results from Clemes Peak excursion All up Abbey and I found 15 species of snails between us on this trip. There was one new record for the Peninsula in the unusual habitat close to the top of Clemes Peak. The other highlight was finding three juvenile/subadult specimens of the rare Allocharopa sp. 'MacGregor' on the Clemes Peak track. This species is endemic to the Peninsulas and the specimens found here show that juveniles have an open umbilicus, which closes as the shell matures. Cary odes dufresnii, Bothriembryon tasmanicus* Helicarion cf cuvieri Tasmaphena sinclairi Prolesophanta nelsonensis Paralaoma discors Paralaoma halli* Paralaoma sp ' Knockloft /* Planilaoma luckmanii*#, Allocharopa sp. 'MacGregor' Pernagera sp 'Waterfall' Pernagera tasmaniae* Thryasona marchianae Thryasona diemenensis Roblinella curacoae #=new record for Tasman and Forestier Peninsulas. * new record for Tatnells Hill area. Kevin Bonham Federation Weekend meeting at Gowrie Park ll-14 th March 2016 T his year's Federation Weekend meeting of the members of the Tasmanian Federation of Field Naturalists Clubs was hosted by the Launceston Field Naturalist Club. We were based at Gowrie Park with field trips to Dove Lake, Cradle Mt on the Saturday and Lemonthyme Lodge on Sunday. David and I were the only representatives from the TFNC. We had a leisurely drive to Gowrie Park on the Friday stopping off at the Kimberley Warm Springs Reserve to see what they were all about. It is a picnic reserve with a clean toilet and an undercover BBQ and if someone removed the pondweed and bulrushes from the constructed pond it would be a very pretty little reserve. A very familiar view-Cradle Mt Photo: Genevieve Gates A small group of 13 gathered at Gowrie Park on the Friday night; maybe the low number of participants was due to the meeting being held on a long weekend which meant that people had 'better offers' like chess championships or bushwalking to take up. However, we had an unexpected talk from Dr Erika Cox, a medical doctor who had a career as a microbiologist and now in retirement is pursuing her interest in Rickettsia species on Tasmanian ticks. Rickettsia is an organism that phylogenetically sits between a bacterium and a virus. It is an obligate parasite and there are three closely related species known to date that live on ticks and cause 'Lyme Disease'. It is a complicated issue as people may have individual allergic reactions to tick bites, or the tick itself Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club Page 6 BULLETIN 362 April 2016 may have a venom. Therefore, separating the effects of a tick bite is difficult especially as symptoms of 'Lyme Disease' may take a while to appear. Erika's research is looking at ticks in Tasmania to see if they carry Rickettsia species and if so, what these species are. Saturday was a perfect day to visit Cradle Mt National Park and do the Lake Dove circuit. We arrived back at Gowrie Park late in the afternoon just in time to welcome the guest speaker for Saturday night, Dr Bob 'Spider' Mesibov. As his nickname implies Bob was interested in spiders but now his overwhelming passion is millipedes. Milipedes Photo: Genevieve Gates Bob's talk, entitled 'Taxonomy ain't what it used to be' was an insight into publishing new species online and the way in which digital photography has speeded up the process. For example, he can view a whole drawer of millipede specimens from a museum in another country while sitting at his computer in Tasmania. The need to examine type specimens has also been abolished with the advent of using medical imaging techniques such as CT scans on specimens and sending digital images of organs needed for identification purposes (usually the gonads in millipedes) to the investigator. Bob Mesibov talking to the crowd Photo: Genevieve Gates We were fortunate to have Bob with us for the field trip to Lemonthyme Lodge on Sunday. We found 4 of the 5 native millipede species common to the area which had some very complicated scientific names; one common name sticks in my head - Stinky Pinky, although on the day it only lived up to the Pinky part of its name. The fungi did not disappoint in this very wet lush rainforest area and in fact I found a new Entoloma species which was cause for excitement. After this heady millipede- and fungi-finding walk we had afternoon high tea at the Lodge and I also did some business with the staff of the Lodge over the newly published FungiFlip. On Monday, David and I returned to Hobart but the others visited the Mole Creek caves. It was a wonderful weekend and a pity that more people couldn't take advantage of the opportunity to explore this part of Tasmania with fellow naturalists. Our own TFNC is hosting the next Federation Weekend in 2017 and I hope with careful planning and plenty of advance advertising we can get more people attending. There was talk of these meetings being held every two years but it would be a pity as they have already gone from two per year to one. Fungi List: Agaricus 'white, shaggy, 10cm across' Armillaria novae-zelandiae Aurantiporus pulcherrimus (Dove Lake) Calocera guepinioides Chlorociboria aeruginascens Entoloma sp. 1 (sp. nov.) Entoloma sp. 2 Entoloma sp. 3 Flammulina velutipes Ganoderma australe Gymnopilus junonius Gymnopus aff. dryophilus Hygrocybe schistophila (Dove Lake) Lepiota 'creamy yellow with brown scales' Lepiota fuliginosa Lepiota haemorrhagica Leucoagaricus aff. rubrotinctus Leucocoprinus sp. Limacella pitereka Mollisia cinerea Mycena 'brown cap, slender stipe, bleach odour, on soil' Mycena 'white with decurrent gills' Mycena austrofilopes Mycena mulawaestris Mycena subgalericulata Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club Page 7 BULLETIN 362 April 2016 Mycena viscidocruenta Oudemansiella gigosporo Rigidoporus laetus Millipede list: Gasterogramma psi (Stinky pinky) http://www.polydesmida.info/tasmanianmultip edes /milli-pod-gas.html Lissodesmus perporosus : http://www.polydesmida.info/tasmanianmultip edes/milli-pod-lis.html Poredrodesmus taurulus: http://www.polydesmida.info/tasmanianmultip edes/milli-pod-not-par-pro.html#pared Large black species (abundant) Amastigogonus sp., no map yet: http://www.polydesmida.info/tasmanianmultip edes/milli-iul-nat.html Genevieve Gates Snails in the mail Kevin Bonham O n 11 March I was contacted by Tasmanian Biosecurity to confirm that a snail caught in an incoming Australia Post package was, as they suspected, a 'giant panda snail' ( Hedleyella falconeri). The interception was reported by ABC News later that day. This species lives in the wet forests of southern Qld and northern NSW, and looks like an enormous garden snail. It is Australia's largest native land snail, with a shell 9 cm wide. Its size makes it attractive to the exotic pet trade, and although as a species it isn't threatened, it is nonetheless a banned import into Tasmania unless the importer has a permit. Only a small number of large mainland snail species, generally those known to be sold as pets, are on the banned list. Why 'panda'? The species was originally placed in a genus that was for whatever reason called Panda, though it was later discovered that that name was taken. Hence the change to Hedleyella, after the great malacologist Charles Hedley, (whose other useful contributions included adopting my grandmother.) It's not known whether Hedleyella would survive and become a pest in Tasmania if released, but it's not safe to assume it wouldn't. There have been many cases of mainland Australian snails becoming established in parts of Australia way outside their natural range. In any case a large snail could be carrying parasites that could be a problem for local snails and other fauna. Although the snail's capture and impending demise have led to unkind suggestions Australia Post should use it as a mascot for their service, this is one of many species best kept out unless the person bringing it in knows what they're doing. Kevin Bonham Panda snail, courtesy of Australian Museum via Google Insects of Tasmania at our April meeting... Don't miss our April meeting when one of our own members, Kristi Ellingsen, will give a presentation entitled The evolution of the Insects of Tasmania website , an unexpected journey of a citizen scientist Metallic shield bug Braconid wasp Photos: Kristi Ellingsen Red ant Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club Page 8 BULLETIN 362 April 2016