THE NORTHERN TERRITORY FIELD NATURALIST CLUB FOUNDED 1977 Officers for 1980/81 President Roy Beames Secretary Mary Pengilley Librarian: Lindsay Fisher Treasurer: Keith Fisher Meetings Co-ordinator John Estbergs Editor of the N.T. Naturalist Stephen Swanson The objects of this club are to promote the study of and interest in the flora and fauna of the Northern Territory and in its conservation. The club provides opportunities for discussion and dissemination of information among its members by regular meetings, publications and fieldwork. It works in close contact with scientific institutions wherever possible, and encourages the publication of scientific and informed popular literature in the various fields of natural history. N.T.F.N.C. Subscription Rates: $8.00, Family Membership $11.00 All members receive the regular newsletter Nature Territory and the bi-annual N.T. NATURALIST. The price of the journal to non-members is currently $2.00. The club holds monthly general meetings and field excursions. P.O. BOX 39565 WINNELLIE N.T. 5789 Editorial In nature things are often not what they seem. Returning from an excursion ‘down the track’ last year we stopped for a short rest on the shaded bank of Green Ant Creek. Being a 'Top-ender' of some years and therefore well and truly accustomed to the ubiquitousgreen ant, I was unperturbed at the sight of an individual wandering across my aluminium camera case. Why this particular ant elicited more attention than a number of its fellows nearby, includ¬ ing one which found its way between the back of my neck and shirt collar. I’m not quite sure, but it soon became apparent that it was somehow different. A closer inspection revealed that the green ant was in fact not the green ant, but the green ant mimicking spider, a green ant look-alike whose disguise is so good as to take its place in an ant-column undetected by the ants. There are mimicking spiders for many ant species, and last weekend I stumbled onto another one on the rim of my swimming pool. Upon first glance, and in fact upon second glance as well, it looked like a tan and black tree ant; size colour and shape. And it moved in the jerking motion charac¬ teristic of the tiny tan and black arboreal ant. But of course it wasn’t, I had been taken in once again. In the animal kingdom spiders are the masters of mimic. One even performs an admirable imitation of a healthy bird¬ dropping. My friend, spider authority Ray Mascord of Sydney, says of an east-coast ant mimicking spider "As is the case with most spiders which mimic ants, the colour of the spider is almost the same as the ant it mimicks. When running among ants, it is almost impossible to tell which is which. An ant has three principal segments to its body, a spider has two. A deep cleft in the cephalophorax of this species, however, gives the impression of a third segment. An ant has six legs and antennae, and a spider has eight legs and no antennae. But this species folds the first pair of legs against its body, and uses the tips of them to imitate the antennae of the ant, and runs on six legs. These spiders mix freely with the ants, and feed on them when they get a single ant away from the rest.” So perhaps if you wish to learn about spiders, you could start by looking more closely at ants. Steve Swanson 1 Dear Sir, The Alice Springs Field Naturalists’ Club has recently conducted a number of bird watching excursions. Contrary to many expectations about the ‘Dead Heart’ and the‘Red Centre’, waterbirds (permanent and migratory) are to be found here, wherever there is large stretches of water. A recent trip lead by John Preston went to such an area - Boggy-hole in the Finke River where long pools of water alternate with stretches of dry river sand. The bird listforthistrip is: Little Grebe, Darter, Little Black Cormorant, Little Pied Cormorant, White-necked Heron, Nankeen Night-heron, Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Grey Teal, Pink-eared Duck, White-eyed Duck, Black Duck, Little Eagle, Whistling Kite, Nankeen Kestral, Brown Falcon (red phase), Coot, Black-fronted Dotterel, Crested Pigeon, Galah, Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo, Port Lincoln Parrot, Pallid Cuckoo, Hors- field Bronze-cuckoo, Rainbow Bee-eater Rufous Songlark, White-backed Swallow, Tree Martin, Richard’s Pipit, Western Shrike- thrush, Rufous Whistler, Hooded Robin, Willie Wagtail, Crested Bellbird (heard), Grey-crowned Babbler, Purple-backed Wren, White-winged Wren, Weebill, Yellow¬ tailed Thornbill, Singing Honeyeater, Brown Honeyeater, Grey-headed Honey- eater, Mistletoebird, Striated Pardolote (heard), Zebra Finch, Blackfaced Wood- swallow, Pied Butcherbird, Grey Butcher¬ bird, Australian Magpie Lark, Australian Magpie, Crow. In contrast, less bird species were observed on an excursion in the Simpsons Gap area where we concentrated on the dry gullies and hill slopes. Most of the sightings were made in the mulga woodlands and in the river bed. Of particular interest was the Golden-backed (Black-chinned) Honey- Letters to the Editor eater which has since been seen on subsequent trips to this and adjoining areas. Birdlist for one trip to Simpsons Gap: Whistling Kite, Grey Falcon, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Galah, Port Lincoln Parrot, Mulga Parrot, Horsfield Bronze-cuckoo (heard), Tree Martin, Black-faced Cuckoo- shrike, Hooded Robin, Rufous Whistler (heard), Western Shrike-thrush, Willie Wagtail, Grey-crowned Babbler, Turquoise Wren, White-tailed (Western) Warbler, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Singing Honeyeater, Grey-headed Honeyeater, White-plumed Honeyeater, Golden-backed Honeyeater, Zebra Finch, Magpie Lark, Magie, Black-faced Woodswallow, Weebill. Any members who are visiting Alice Springs are most welcome to join in our excursions or meetings. Excursions are arranged at the monthly meeting held on the first Tuesday of the month at Green- leaves Caravan Park commencing about 7.30 p.m. Alternatively ring me on 52 5484 during working hours or Gerry Gerrard on 52 4603 after hours for details of excur¬ sions or information in general. Dawn Martin, Alice Springs Dear Sir, During a recent trip to the Murgenella area, Terry Griffiths and I found ourselves boating along the western shores of Valencia Island where we witnessed a most unusual event. With the sea being extremely calm, and the surface mirror smooth, we were siowly motoring across the coral reef, observing fishes on the bottom in about six metres of water, when we saw a large group of animals breaking the surface ahead. At first we assumed they were turtles or sharks, but as we approached closer we could see that it was a large group of pelagic fishes, which we tentatively identified as Milk fish C ha nos c ha nos. 2 We approached the nearest group, comprising of several dozen fishes and saw that they were slowly cruising about with their heads completely out of the water, and mouths wide open. Other groups further away appeared to exhibit the same behaviour. All specimens were around a metre in length. On closer inspection we could see that the fishes’ mouths were wide open and not moving. Their mouths were right out of the water, with the lower lips at surface level. When we closed in to about five metres distance, the fishes dispersed, only to join other groups further away and con¬ tinue the same practice. Being keen fishermen, surprised at ourseemingly good fortune, we threw lures into the schools. These seemed to frighten the fishes more than anything else, and they dispersed accordingly, although a couple were seen to follow the lures for a short distance, apparently out of curiosity. We were at odds to interpret this strange behaviour. Were they feeding on the surface? Their mouths did not appear to be eating anything unless it was very minute plankton being sucked in. Were they sick and gasping for air? I doubt it - sick animals are rarely encountered in the wild, especiall en masse. Was it some sort of ritual or courtship display? Or were they simply basking in the sunny calm of the morning? So little is known of the behaviour and lifestyle of the ocean's fishes, that obser¬ vations such as this serve more to intrigue than answer questions. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has seen this before, or may be able to offer an explanation of this phencr menon. Keith Martin 34 Adcock Crescent, Nakara, N.T. Dear Sir, SEARCH FOR AUSTRALIA’S RAREST BIRDS The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union is conducting a study, supported by the World Wildlife Fund Australia, to determine the distribution and abundance of Australia's rare and declining birds. The project involves researching pub¬ lished reports and seeking information from observers to find out what is already known about each species; and conducting field work to fill the gaps in our knowledge. The search will identify those species most in need of detailed study and enable recommendations to be made on the requirements necessary for their conser¬ vation. A numberof birds occurring inthe N.T. are included on the list of species sought - Red Goshawk, Grey Falcon, Night Parrot, Scarlet-chested Parrot, Alexandras Parrot, Hooded Parrot, Rufous Owl, Masked Owl, Eastern Grass Owl, Chestnut Rail, White- browed crake, Northern Scrub-Robin, White-browed Robin, Crested Shrike Tit, Purple-crowned Fairy-wren, White- throated Grasswren, Carpentarian Grass- wren, Grey Honeyeater, Yellow Chat, Gouldian Finch and Yellow-Rumped Finch. We would greatly appreciate any details of sightings of these birds. Infor¬ mation needed includes exact locality, date, numbers of birds seen, status in the area, habitat, details of breeding, feeding and other general behaviour, and any special techniques used in discovery. If you would like further information or wish to report sightings, please contact: Mr Simon Bennett, Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, 21 Gladstone Street, Moonee Ponds, Victoria 3039 Tel.: (03) 370 1272 3 CRABS OF THE TIDAL BEACH AT LEE POINT, DARWIN by Alan J. Dartnall* and Darryl L. Grey NATURAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT NORTHERN TERRITORY MUSEUM * Now Zoology Department, University of Tasmania. The coast of the Northern Territory near Darwin is influenced by a large ampli¬ tude semi-diurnal tidal regime. The extreme spring tide variation is over 7.5 metres and less than 1 metre during neaps, with a mean variation of approximately 4 metres. This rise and fall exposes very large areas of sand flats on the gently sloping beaches near Lee Point and subjects the intertidal areas to alternate flooding and drying, (See Fig. 1). This provides an ideal environment for several species of crabs each of which occupies a zone within the area depending on the degree of moisture required, and their mode of feeding. The following species occupy zones of the Lee Point sand flats and are listed so that those further down the list are those most dependent on high levels of moisture:- Coenobita sp. (Family Paguridae) Hermit Crabs Ocypode cordimana I Ocypode fabricii \ (Family Ocypodidae) Ghost Crabs Ocypode ceratphthalma I Scopimera inflata (Family Ocypodidae) Sand Bubbler Crabs Mictyris longicarpus (Family Mictyridae) Soldier Crabs The soldier crab Mictyris longicarpus (Latreille) is the species most dependent on high moisture levels of these species and prefers flooded or very damp conditions. During emergence (at day or night) they migrate up and down the beach following the water line, and occupy areas where the level of the water table lies at, or just below the surface. As the tide recedes, large numbers emerge from the sand in unison and march down to the beach to the wet areas. Here they burrow again with a spiralling action by digging with the legs on one side of their body and pushing with the legs on the opposite side. They feed while walking about the moist surface of the sand, scraping the top sand layers into a ball and rolling it about while picking the microscopic food par¬ ticles off it with their mouthparts. (Cameron 1966). When they move on they leave ran¬ dom aggregations of small spherical pellets. The sand bubbler crab, Scopimera inflata (Milne Edwards) is much less mobile than the soldier crab and occupies a semi¬ permanent burrow up to 15cm deep in the inter-tidal zone. This area is exposed twice each day and this species feeds when the water table falls somewhat below the bottom of the burrow. When the tide floods the burrow they remain under the surface and only emerge to feed when the water table has fallen sufficiently to leave hard damp sand on the surface. As with the soldier crabs, this species feeds by scrap¬ ing the surface sand grains together and rolling them into a ball which is passed by the mouthparts where algae, etc. is removed. The ball is then discarded in a rough line radiating from the burrow, the size of the balls being roughly indicative of the size of the individual (See Fig. 2). They feed actively during day and night but dart back into their borrow if disturbed, emer¬ ging when the apparent danger is past, (Fielder 1970, Dakin etal 1952). The next three species of crabs whilst of the same genus, show a slight zonation up the beach depending on moisture requirements. The horn eyed ghost crab, Ocypode ceratophthaima (Pallas) (See Fig. 3.) is readily distinguished from the other 4 two species as adults by the long keratin¬ ized stylets on the eyes, a characteristic coloured ‘H’ on the dorsal surface of the carapace and course striae on the stridu- lating (noise making) organ which grade to form spaced granules. This species is often found at the wet end of burrows in the intertidal zone. Its activity is predominantly nocturnal but occasionally individuals can be disturbed from near burrows during day¬ time. As with all ghost crabs their colour¬ ation is a masterpiece of camouflage and they are very difficult to see while stationary on a sandy beach. The next ghost crab is Ocypode fabricii (Milne Edwards) and this species generally burrows near the strand line at high tide mark. Again it is most active after sunset and emerges to feed on debris along and above the high tide line. The stridulating organ of this species is composed of a ridge of 100 or so very fine striae, (See Fig. 4.) The burrows are generally 50 to 80 cm deep in slightly damp sand, but rarely is the bottom of the burrow wet as with O ceratophthalma although occasionally these may flood at spring high tides, (See Fig. 5). The most terrestrial of the ghost crabs is Ocypode cordimana (Desmaret). This species is slightly smaller than the other two represented here and is distinguished by the absence of a stridulating ridge on the inside of the hand. It forages mainly at night in a zone from the high tide line on the beach up to several hundred metres inland amongst the fringing shoreline trees and grasses. The burrows are generally similar to those of O fabricii but are generally placed higher up the beach near vegetation in damp sand or clay, but never in wet conditions. The most terrestrial crab resident at Lee Point is the hermit crab, Coenobita sp. This species is almost independent of the sea and apart from occasional excursions to the water for moisture and reproduction, spends its time between the dunes (and accompanying vegetation) and the strand line leaving characteristic patterns, (See Fig. 6.). Their ability to remain in dry con¬ ditions for extended periods is linked to their adaptions for moisture control includ¬ ing their adopted shell with the cheliped, and the presence of well developed gills that permit atmospheric oxygen exchange. This is very necessary in view of the fact that this species does not burrow and cannot choose a moist area during the heat of the day as do the Ocypode crabs. Feeding activity is generally nocturnal although these crabs are often active on cool wet days. Figure 7. provides a diagrammatic representation of the zonation of tidal beach crabs at Lee Point. Note that the distribution of Mictyris varies with tidal level according to migration and the positions located in the figure correspond to low tide. The authors wish to acknowledge the inspiration and assistance provided by Dr. Ray George (W.A. Museum) in the prepar¬ ation of this article. Key to Darwin species of Ocypode (from George and Knott 1965) 1. Palm of large cheliped with stridulating organ .2 Palm of large cheliped without stridu¬ lating organ ... 0 . cordimana 2. Stridulating organ round and/or elon¬ gated tubercles in the upper part and transverse ridges in the lower; lower orbital edge with no lateral notch O. ceratophthalma Stridulating organ composed solely of fine transverse ridges(108 - 141); lower orbital edge with a broad, U-shaped lateral notch. ...O. fabricii REFERENCES CAMERON, A.M. (1966) Some aspects of the behaviour of the soldier crab Mictyris longicarpus. Pac. Sci. 20, 224-34. DAKIN, W.J. (1952) "Australian Seashores” BENNETT, I. and (Angus and Robertson, POPE, E. Sydney) FIELDER, D.R. (1970) Feeding of the sand crab Scopimera inf/ata J. Zool. 160, 35-49. GEORGE, R.W. &(1965) The Ocypode Ghost KNOTT, Mary E. crabs of Western Australia (Crustacea, Brachyura) J. Roy Soc. W.A. 48 1, 15-21. 5 FIGURE 1 : Intertidal sand flats at Lee Point, Darwin, during low tide (NOTE: Scopimera bubbles). FIGURE 2 : Burrow of Scopimera inflata show¬ ing characteristic sand ‘bubbles’. FIGURE 3 : Ocypode ceratophthalma male, (after Dakin etal) Scale: actual size. 6 FIGURE 4 : Chelal hand of Ocypode fabricii showing the errated ridge on the inside of the chela and the bar on the basal joint of the limb against which the ridge is rubbed to make the characteristic noise. FIGURE 5 : Burrow of ghost crab - probably FIGURE 6 : The hermit crab Coenobite sp. Ocypode fabricii showing characteristic tracks. Darwin showing zonation of tidal beach crabs- note vertical scale much expanded. 8 Coenobita A SECOND RECORD FOR NORTHERN TERRITORY OF THE PAINTED HONEYEATER (GRANTIELLA P/CTA) by Johnny A. Estbergs On 25th July 1978 a single Painted Honeyeater was observed and photo¬ graphed at the Little River crossing on the Carpentaria Highway, approximately 10 km west of the southern road junction to the Barkly Highway, 135 37' East 16 44' South. The bird was observed moving from tree to tree feeding on mistletoe. Storr (1977) states that the only record of Painted Honeyeaters in the Northern Territory is that of H.G. Barnard who collected two specimens in the McArthur River area in 1913 (White 1913, Barnard 1914). It is not generally realized that this species is a north/south migrant breeding in the southern part of its range in the height of summer and moving to north central Queensland during the winter months (J.L. McKean Pers. comm). This sighting and the collection of the two specimens of Barnard's(12.8.1 913 one female, 1 8.8.1913 one male) fit in with this pattern. The scarcity of records of this species here is probably due to the lack of compe¬ tent resident observers in this region. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The author thanks the Australian Photographic Index of the Australian Museum, Sydney, for financial assistance in enabling him to visit the region. REFERENCES BARNARD, H.G. 1914. Northern Territory Birds’, Emu 1 4:39-57. STORR, G.M. 1977. ‘Birds of the Northern Territory. Spec. Pubis. West. Aust. Mus. 7:1-130. WFIITE, H.L. 1914. 'New Sub-species of Honeyeateh, Emu 13:187. 9 SOME FURTHER RECORDS OF UNCOMMON MIGRANT WADERS NEAR DARWIN, N.T. by John L. McKean and A.L. Hertog* *C/- CSIRO Division of Wildlife Research, PMB No. 44, Winnellie, NT 5789 INTRODUCTION The literature on uncommon migrant waders visiting the ‘top end’ of the Northern Territory has been detailed by McKean et. al. (1976) and Thompson (1977, 1 978); this paper provides details of further records. SPECIES ACCOUNTS Little Ringer Plover, Charadrius dubius This species has occurred frequently enough to ensure that a full description of each bird is not warranted. Recent sight¬ ings are therefore summarized in Table 1 below. In each case only a single bird was observed. TABLE I. Recent Little Ringed Plover sightings near Darwin, N.T. LOCALITIES DATE Sewerage Ponds, Sanderson Oct. 14, 1978 Sewerage Ponds, Sanderson Oct. 16, 1978 Sewerage Ponds, Sanderson Oct. 21, 1978 Sewerage Ponds, Sanderson Jan. 13, 1979 Holmes Jungle Swamp, Berrimah Sept. 11, 1979 Triangle Pond, Sanderson Nov. 17, 1979 Sewerage Ponds, Sanderson Jan. 13, 1980 The bird seen on October 21, 1978 was photographed in colour by H.A.F. Thompson. In the Second Amendments to the 1975 (RAOU 1978) the species was listed within brackets which apparently means that the species has never been collected or photographed in Australia. This is in itself no guarantee of authenticity as birds can be misidentified from photo¬ graphs and specimens. In the same Amend¬ ment the Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus is recorded for the first time in Australia on the basis of birds photo¬ graphed at Melville Bay which were identi¬ PLUMAGE OBSERVERS Immature J.L. McKean Immature J.L. McKean, H.A.F. Thompson Immature A.L. Hertog, J.L. McKean, H.A.F. Thompson Adult A.L. Hertog, J.L. McKean, C. Stewart Immature J.L. McKean, K. & B. Richards Adult A.L. Hertog Immature W.R. Mason, J.L. McKean fied firstly as Dominican Gulls Larus dominicanus (Boekel, 1976) and later as Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Van Tets, 1977). One of us (McKean) was involved in the identification of these Gulls but has since discovered the character on which he chiefly based his identification viz. the pattern of white on the primaries, is of dubious diagnostic value. McKean takes this opportunity to withdraw his opinion that the birds were Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The soft part colours unfortunately cannot in his opinion be safely relied on due to the poor quality of the colour slides. 10 Little Stint, Calidris minuta A Stint with only one leg and in unusually dark eclipse plumage was dis¬ covered by the authors feeding on the edge of the Triangle Pond, Sanderson N.T, on November 22, 1979. Its badly abraded tail showed a great deal of white in flight and McKean wondered whether it might not be a Temmink’s Stint C. temm/nckn We collec¬ ted it for a study skin and in the hand the slender bill of the Little Stint was readily apparent when cleaned of its covering of thick mud. Thedarkplumage wascaused by the mantle and covert feathers showing a substantial dark blotch as opposed to the corresponding feathers in Red-necked Stints which are typically pale greyish with a dark shaft giving the effect of a thin dark line down the centre of each feather (Sinclair and Nicholls, 1976). We considerthe identi¬ fication of eclipse plumaged Little Stints to require skill and care beyond the capa¬ bilities of the average wishful thinking bird¬ watcher; but given extensive experience it should be possible. Bird banders however are in a better position than bird-watchers to identify Little Stints and in addition to the characters mentioned above are referred to the measurements and combination of measurements given by Prater et. al. (1977). We noticed our specimen lacked the minute palmation between the outer and mid-toe that is present in Red-necked Stints. If this were confirmed as being constant it would be useful in borderline cases. Our Little Stint specimen had more slender toes and a longer nasal aperture (3.1 mm versus 2.4 mm) than a live Red¬ necked Stint handled soon after, but here again large numbers should be examined before these features can be taken as having any diagnostic value. The only previous published record of the species in Australia is a news item in The Bird Observer (Anon., 1977) which was seized upon and published in brackets by the RAOU Checklist Amendment Commit¬ tee (1978) despite the fact that at least two members of that committee knew the bird had been successfully photographed. The speed with which this news item was acted upon is even more surprising when two other similar reports in The Bird Observer announcing new species for Australia viz. Magellan Penguin Sphemscus nvigellanicus and Long-tailed Cuckoo Eydynamis ta/tens/s were missed by them as was the well docu¬ mented account of the occurrence of the White-rumped SandpiperCa//c/r/.s fuscicollis. It remains then to more fully document the original sighting. One of the authors (J.L. McKean), Mrs H.B. Gill, Fred T.H. Smith and Robert J. Swindley found a Little Stint in bright juvenile plumage at the edge of a pond at the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works farm, near Werribee, Victoria on January 22, 1 979. Having seen an hourorsopreviouslya Red-necked Stint in breeding plumageitwas readily apparent that this Stint was different. The bird was in the company of several Red-necked Stints and seemed slightly smaller and slimmer than them. The bill was black, faintly de- curved at the tip and decidedly more slender at the base and throughout than the bills of the Red-necked Stints. The underparts were completely white except for the sides of the breast near the angle of the wing which was suffused light brown and overlaid with short dark brown streaks. The streaks faded out towards the centre of the breast. The sides of the neck were also light brown with faint streaking and the off- white superciliary streak extending well past the eye. The crown was mid brown with dark brown streakings extending to the frons. Dorsally the bird was blackish brown with pale rufous edging to the feathers. The wing coverts were pale fawn with dark centres giving a variegated appearance. Two pale fawn stripes, which were thought to be on the scapulars, ran down either side of the mantle. The nape was darkly marked with streaks extending on to the mantle. We managed toget within 5 to6 metres of the bird and Robert Swindley secured a number of excellent colour photo¬ graphs of it. These colour photographs have been compared against Museum skins by McKean and examined by numerous other workers some of whom are familiar with Little Stints in various plumages. Nobody has disagreed with our original identifi¬ cation of the bird as a Little Stint. The bird was found and identified independently later in the day by J. Klapste and others. Over the next couple of weeks several other bird-watchers availed themselved of the opportunity of seeing this attractive wader. However it would appear that a number of observers saw the Red-necked Stint in breeding plumage and thought they had seen the Little Stint. Ruff (Reeve) Pbitomachus pugnax On November 1 5, 1979 we located a Reeve at the edge of a Sewerage pond at Sanderson. The bird was standing very erect and was noticeably larger than a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Cal/dr/s acuminata. The breast was buff with brown streaking which indicates that it was juvenile (Prater et. al., 1977). The bird was flushed and the thin wing bar and conspicuous white patches on the sides of the base of the tail were noted. On November 17, 1 979 at the nearby Triangle Pond, one of us (A.L. Hertog), saw two Reeves fly across the pond and into an erected mist-net. One bird escaped but the other was banded, measured, photographed (see Fig. 1) and released. Moult was active only on the body feathers. Using the criteria given in Prater et.al. (1977) the bird was a first winter female and certainly a different individual from the first one sighted. Measurements taken in millimetres and grams were total length 258, wingspan 502, weight 89 exposed culmen 32.8 total culmen 37.5 wing 154.5, tail 54, tarsus 47.3, midtoe 29 and claw 7.7. Another sighting, but fleeting was made of a Reeve in the same area on November 23, 1979. Wandering Tattler, Tringa incana Thompson (1977) has summarized Northern Territory records. There have been two further sightings. A bird in eclipse plumage was seen and heard at Lee Point near Darwin on December 17, 1978 by Mike Reed, Hilary Thompson and McKean. It was identified on its distinctive long trilling call. A bird also in eclipse plumage was seen and heard at Camerons Beach, Shoal Bay, N.T. by A.L. Hertog on April 1, 1979. Again identification was based on its distinctive long trilling call and plumage which was rather darker than the other Tattlers present. REFERENCES Anon. (1 977) “Little Stint - A first for Australia” Bird Observer 544:21 . BOEKEL, Con (1976) “Extension of Range of the Dominican Gull” Ausr. Bird Watchei 6:1 62-1 65 McKEAN, John L., (1976) “Records of Uncommon THOMSPON, Migrant Waders near Darwin, H.A.F. and N.T." Am Bud Wnu o- 6:143- ESTBERGS, J.A. 148. PRATER, Tony, (1977) "Guide to the Identifi- MARCHANT, John fication and Ageing of Holarctic & VUORINEN. Waders”. B. T. 0. Field Guide 17 : Juhani 1-168 RAOU Checklist “Second Amendments to the Amendment 1975 RAOU Checklist” Emu7S>\ Committee 80-87. SINCLAIR, J.C. & (1976) “Red-necked Stint iden- NICHOLLS, H. tification” Bokmakierie 28 : 58- 60. THOMPSON, (1977) “Notes on Birds in the H.A. F. Darwin and Northern Areas of the Northern Territory” Sunbird 8 : 83-98. THOMPSON, (1978) “Further Records of H.A.F. Palearctic Species in Darwin” Sunbird 9 : 54-59. VAN TETS, G.F. (1977) “Lesser Black-backed instead of Dominican Gull at Melville Bay, N.T.” Aust. Bird Watcher 7:11. 12 FIGURE 1 : Reeve captured at Triangle Pond, Sanderson, N.T. on November 17, 1 979. Photo by John L. McKean. TVPH UNA B RAMIN A AN ARBOREAL BLIND SNAKE? by Stephen Swanson Typhhna hram/na. the Flower Pot Snake, occurs in Australia only in the vicinity of Darwin, Northern Territory. It is otherwise widely distributed from Asia to New Guinea. Its occurrence in the Darwin area is almost certainly attributable to inadvertent intro¬ duction by man, and its habit of frequenting soil around the roots of plants is presum¬ ably a key factor in its international distri¬ bution. In Darwin it is common in suburban gardens, but also occurs amongst the roots of such native plants as Cycas, in bushland some 70 km south of Darwin. In the Darwin suburb of Parap, on the 15th of May 1980, three specimens were discovered some two metres above the ground, beneath the loose bark of a dead mango tree. The tree had been attacked and destroyed by the termite Mastotermes darwiniensis, and the blind snakes were amongst the soil and debris of the termite runs. It is not clear if the snakes were in fact within the termite runs. Mastotermes is a particularly destruc¬ tive termite which nests beneath the ground and constructs extensive subter¬ ranean runs. To what extent if any Typhlina bramina is associated with Mastotermes and its subterranean runs is not known, but it seems likely that in this instance the blind snakes used the termite runs to climb two metres into a mango tree. 13 CHECKLIST OF REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS OF THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF THE N.T. Graeme Gow — Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory 134 " 129 00’- W.A., N.T. Border 138 00' - N.T., Qld Border 26 00 south - N.T., S. A. Border 18 00 south - northern limit SALIENTIA Leptodactyiidae: Cyclorana australis C. cultripes C. maculosus C. maini C. platycephalus Neobatrachus centralis Notaden nichollsi Platyplectron ornatus P. spenceri Uperoleia sp. Hylidae: Litoria caerulea L. gilleni L. latopalmata L. rubella (Gray) 1843 Parker 1940 Tyler & Martin 1977 Tyler & Martin 1 977 (Gunther) 1873 Parker 1 940 Parker 1940 Gray 1842 Parker 1940 (White) 1790 (Spencer) 1896 (Gunther) 1867 (Gray) 1842 Gekkonidae: Crenadactylus o. ocellatus Diplodactylus byrnei D. ciliaris D. conspicillatus D. elderi D. galeatus D. intermedius D. stenodactylus D. taeniata D. tessellatus Gehyra australis G. pilbara G. punctata G. variegata Hemidactylus frenatus Heteronotia binoei H. spelea Lucasium damaeum Nephrurus asper N. laevissimus N. I. levis Oedura marmorata O. rhombifer Rhynchoedura ornata Pygopodidae: Aprasia striolata Delma australis D. borea D. nasuta D. tincta Lialis burtonis Ophidiocephalus taeniatus Pygopus n. nigreceps (Gray) 1845 Lucas & Frost 1896 Boulenger 1885 Lucas & Frost 1895 Stirling & Zietz 1893 Kluge 1963 Ogilby 1892 Boulenger 1896 (Lonnberg & Anders- son) 1913 Gunther 1875 Gray 1845 Mitchell 1965 (Fry) 1914 (Dumeri! & Bibron) 1836 Dumeril & Bibron 1836 (Gray) 1845 (Kluge) 1963 (Lucas & Frost) 1896 Gunther 1876 Mertens 1 958 De Vis 1886 Gray 1842 Gray 1845 Gunther 1867 Lutken 1863 Kluge 1974 Kluge 1974 Kluge 1974 De Vis 1888 Gray 1835 Lucas & Frost 1897 (Fischer) 1882 Agamidae: Amphibolurus caudicinctus slateriStorr 1 967 A. clayi Storr1966 A. i. isolepis (Fischer) 1881 14 A. i. gularis (Sternfeld) 1924 C. saxatilis Storr 1969 A. minor Sternfeld 191 9 C. s. schomburgkii (Peters) 1 863 A mitchelli Badham 1976 C. s. pallescens Storr 1969 A. nuchalis (De Vis) 1888 C. strauchii (Boulenger) 1887 A. pictus Peters 1866 C. pulchellus Storr 1978 A. reticulatus (Gray) 1845 C. taeniatus (Mitchell) 1940 A. vitticeps Ahl 1926 C. tanamiensis Storr 1969 Diporiphora lalliae Storr 1974 C. uber orientalis Storr 1971 D. magna Storr 1974 Eremiascincus fasciolatus (Gunther) 1 867 D. winneckei Lucas & Frost 1896 E. richardsoni (Gray) 1845 Lophognathus g. gilberti (Gray) 1842 Egernia depressa (Gunther) 1 875 L. longirostris (Boulenger) 1883 E. hosmeri Kinghorn 1955 Moloch horridus Gray 1841 E. inornata Rosen 1905 Tympanocryptis c. cephalus Gunther 1867 E. kintorei Stirling & Zietz 1893 T. lineata centralis Sternfeld 1924 E. m. margaretae Storr 1968 T. intima Mitchell 1948 E. s. slateri Storr 1968 T. tetraporophora Lucas & Frost 1895 E. stokesii (Dumeril) 1851 Varanidae: Varanus acanthurus V. brevicauda V. eremius V. giganteus V. gilleni V. g. gouldii V. g. flavirufus V. spenceri V. t. tristis Boulenger 1885 Boulenger 1898 Lucas & Frost 1895 (Gray) 1845. Lucas & Frost 1895 (Gray) 1838 Mertens 1 958 Lucas & Frost 1903 (Schlegel) 1839 E. striata E. striolata Lerista bipes L. desertorum L. frosti L. ips L. labialis L. muelleri L. xanthura Menetia greyii Morethia adelaidensis Sternfeld 1919 (Peters) 1870 (Fisher) 1882 (Sternfeld) 191 9 (Zietz) 1920 Storr 1980 Storr 1971 (Fischer) 1881 Storr 1976 Gray 1845 (Peters) 1874 Scincidae: M. boulengeri (Ogilby) 1890 Carlia melanopogon (Gray) 1845 M. taeniopleura (Peters) 1874 C. triacantha (Mitchell) 1953 Notoscincus ornatus (Broom) 1896 Cryptoblepharus plagiocephalus (Cocteau) 1836 Proablepharus kinghorni (Copland) 1946 Ctenotus alacer Storr 1969 P. reginae (Glauert) 1960 C. b. brooksi (Loveridge) 1933 P. tenuis (Broom) 1896 C. b. aranda Storr 1969 Sphenomorphus isolepis (Boulenger) 1887 C. calurus Storr 1968 Omolepida branchialis (Gunther) 1867 C. colletti nasutus Storr 1968 Tiliqua multifasciata Sternfeld 1919 C. dux Storr 1968 T. occipitalis (Peters) 1863 C. g. grandis Storr 1968 T. scincoides intermedia Mitchell 1955 C. hanloni C. helenae Storr 1980 Storr 1968 SERPENTES C. joanae Storr 1969 Typhlopidae: C. leae (Boulenger) 1887 Typhlina australis (Gray) 1 845 C. leonhardii (Sternfeld) 1919 T. bituberculata (Peters) 1863 C. p. piankai Storr 1968 T. bramina (Daudin) 1 803 C. pantherinus acripes Storr 1975 T. diversa (Waite) 1894 C. p. ocellifer (Boulenger) 1896 T. endotera (Waite) 1918 C. q. .quattuordecimlineatus (Sternfeld) 1919 T. grypa (Waite) 1918 C. regius Storr 1971 T. guentheri (Peters) 1865 C. robustus Storr 1969 T. nigroterminata Parker 1 931 15 Boidae: Furina christieana (Fry) 1915 Aspidites melanocephalus (Krefft) 1864 Pseudechis australis (Gray) 1842 A. ramsayi Macleay 1 882 Pseudonaja guttata (Parker) 1926 Liasis childreni Gray 1842 P. ingrami (Boulenger) 1908 L. olivaceus Gray 1842 P. modesta (Gunther) 1872 Python spilotus variegatus (Gray) 1842 P. nuchalis Gunther 1858 Elapidae: P. t. textilis (Dumeril & Bibron) 1854 Acanthophis antarcticus (Shaw) 1794 Suta suta (Peters) 1864 A. pyrrhus Boulenger 1898 Unechis monachus Storr 1964 Demansia o. olivacea (Gray) 1842 Vermicella annulata snelli Storr 1967 D. o. calodera Storr 1978 V. bertholdi (Jan) 1858 D. reticulata cupreiceps Storr 1978 V. fasciolatus fasciata Stirling & Zietz 1893 D. torquata Gunther 1 862 V. incincta Storr 1967 Denisonia punctata Boulenger 1896 V. s. semifasciata (Gunther) 1863 CHECKLIST OF REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS OF THE NORTHERN SECTOR OF THE N.T. C. alboguttatus (Gunther) 1867 C. cryptotis Tyler & Martin 1977 C. longipes Tyler & Martin 1977 C. maculosus Tyler & Martin 1977 C. platycephalus (Gunther) 1873 Glauertia orientals Parker 1940 Limnodynastes convexiusculus (Macleay) 1877 Megistolotis lignarius Tyler, Martin & Davies 1979 Notaden melanoscaphus Hosmer 1962 Platyplectron ornatus (Gray) 1842 Ranidella bilingua Martin, Tyler & Davies 1980 Uperoleia arenicola Tyler (in press) U. lineata Tyler (in press) U. inundata Tyler (in press) U. marmorata Gray 1967 Hylidae: Litoria bicolor (Gray) 1842 L. caerulea (White) 1790 L. coplandi (Tyler) 1968 L. dahli (Boulenger) 1896 L, dorsalis microbelos Cogger 1966 L. inermis (Peters)! 867 L. latopalmata Gunther 1867 L. meiriana (Tyler) 1969 L. nasuta (Gray) 1842 L. personata Tyler, Davies & Martin 1978 L. rothi (De Vis) 1884 L. rubella (Gray) 1842 L. tornieri (Nieden) 1923 134 ° Area bordered by: 129 00’ - W.A., N.T. Border 138 00’ - N.T., QLD Border 18 00' south - Southern limit 10 00’ south - Northern limit SALIENTIA Leptodactylidae: Cyclorana australis (Gray) 1843 16 L. wotjulumensis (Copland) 1957 Microhylidae: Sphenophryne robusta (Fry) 1912 CROCODILIA Crocodylidae: Crocodylus johnstoni C. porosus Krefft 1873 Schneider 1801 TESTUDINES Chelonlidae: Caretta caretta (Linnaeus) 1758 Chelonia depressa C. mydas Garman 1880 (Linnaeus) 1758 Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus) 1 766 Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz) 1829 Carettochelyidae: Carettochelys insculpta Ramsay 1886 Chelidae: Chelodina rugosa Ogilby 1890 Elseya dentata (Gray) 1863 • Emydura australis E. victoriae (Gray) 1841 (Gray) 1842 Delma borea D. nasuta D. tincta Kluge 1974 Kluge 1974 De Vis 1888 Lialis burtonis Gray 1835 Pygopus n. nigriceps (Fischer) 1882 Agamidae: Amphibolurus caudicinctus macropus A. isolepis A. mitchelli A. nuchalis A. vitticeps Storr 1967 (Fischer) 1881 Badham 1976 (De Vis) 1888 Ahl 1926 Chelosania brunnea Gray 1845 Chlamydosaurus kingii Gray 1827 Diporiphora albilabris sobria D. b. bennettii D. b. arnhemica D. bilineata D. lalliae D. magna D. margaretae Storr 1974 (Gray) 1845 Storr 1974 Gray 1842 Storr 1974 Storr 1974 Storr 1974 Lophognathus gilberti L. longirostris L. temporalis (Gray) 1842 Boulenger 1883 (Gunther) 1867 SAURIA Gekkonidae: Crenadactylus ocellatus (Gray) 1845 Tympanocryptis lineata centralisSternfeld 1924 T. tetraporophora Lucas & Frost 1895 T. uniformis Mitchell 1948 Diplodactylus ciliaris D. conspicillatus D. stenodactylus D. taeniata Boulenger 1885 Lucas & Frost 1895 Boulenger 1896 (Lonnberg & Anders- son) 1913 Gehyra austrajis G. pamela G. piiDara G. punctata G. variegata Gray 1845 King (in press) Mitchell 1965 (Fry) 1914 (Dumeril & Bibron) 1836 Hemidactylus frenatus Dumeril & Bibron 1836 Heteronotia binoei H. spelea (Gray) 1845 (Kluge) 1963 Nephrurus asper Oedura marmorata 0. rhombifer Pseudothecadactylus lindneri Gunther 1876 Gray 1842 Gray 1845 Cogger Rhynchoedura ornata Gunther 1867 Pygopodidae: Varanidae: Varanus acanthurus Boulenger 1885 V. gilleni Lucas & Frost 1895 V. glauerti Mertens 1957 V. glebopalma Mitchell 1955 V. g. gouldii (Gray) 1838 V. indicus (Daudin) 1802 V. kingorum Storr 1 980 V. mertensi Glauert 1951 V. mitchelli Mertens 1958 V. p. panoptes Storr 1980 V. primordius Mertens 1942 V. spenceri Lucas & Frost 1903 V. storri ocreatus Storr 1980 V. timorensis similis Mertens 1958 V. tristis orientalis Fry 1913 Scincidae: Carlia amax Storr 1974 C. f. tusca (Dumeril & Bibron) 1839 C. gracilis Storr 1974 C. johnstonei grandensis Storr 1974 C. melanopogon (Gray) 1845 C. rufilatus Storr 1974 C. triacantha (Mitchell) 1953 Cryptoblepharus carnabyi Storr 1976 17 C. litoralis (Mertens) 1 958 C. megastictus Storr 1976 C. plagiocephalus (Cocteau) 1836 Ctenotus alacer Storr 1969 C. d. decaneurus Storr 1970 C. essingtoni (Gray) 1842 C. helenae Storr 1968 C. hilli Storr 1969 C. inornatus (Gray) 1845 C. joanae Storr 1969 C. leonhardii (Sternfeld) 1919 C. pantherinus calx Storr 1970 C. p. piankai Storr 1968 C. pulchellus Storr 1978 C. robustus Storr 1969 C. saxatilis Storr 1969 C. storri Rankin 1 978 C. spaldingi (Macleay) 1877