July 2009 Volume 20 Two - Indigenous Flora and Fauna Association

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Wedge-tailed Eagle at Tooradin, July 10, 2009. Pictures: Liss Ralston President’s letter The field day at Harkness Road Gilgai Woodland reminded me of the utter joy to be had in sharing time with similarly interested individuals in the bush. Despite the extreme wind chill, the sheer thrill of people eager to learn, share recollections and witness the bush in all its moods was infectious. My camera — usually reserved for strictly non-human subjects, was drawn towards the brightly coloured parkas, beanies and the rapt expressions of my fellow expeditioners. The subject of our day, bullants, was an opportunity for sharing vivid childhood experiences. I was reminded of poking the nest in the nature-strip as a child, my stomach churning with delicious terror as huge ants erupted with unbelievable ferocity, chasing me several metres back up the driveway. Other attendees shared similar stories, including a gruesome game of ‘chicken’ which involving standing on a Meat Ant nest until the loser could no longer stand the stings of the angry insects (don’t try this one at home, kiddies!). I met several characters whose environmental acheivements have made their names familiar. From the number of cameras and notebooks whirring away, I have no doubt the event will have a ‘multiplier effect’ as these people pass on their new found expertise. The day’s success reflected the coordination by Melton’s Environmental Education Officer (and IFFA’s events coordinator) Linda Bradburn, the expertise of John Wainer and enthusiasm of fellow participants and Friend’s groups. Brimbank Council and the Werribee CMA should be commended for their part-subsidy that allowed all this to happen for just a modest financial outlay by the participants As proud as I am of IFFA’s blooming website and our beautiful newsletter, events like these remind me of how the virtual and the solitary, pales beside shared human experience in nature. So, to paraphrase an old slogan, (wild)Life — Be in it! Brian Bainbridge 2 On the website http://www.iffa.org.au Melbourne’s newest [un]sustainable communities Read about the biggest land-grab for developers and the impact on native vegetation to the north, west and southeast of Melbourne. Submissions closed on 17 July, but there is more opportunity to be involved. IFFA’s Plants and Animals Wiki Over 100 indigenous plant species and 60 indigenous animal species are now described on IFFA’s Wiki. The power of the Wiki is that it allows anyone interested to contribute their knowledge of the use of indigenous species and their photography to this joint enterprise. We are especially interested in building its capacity to illustrate the inter-relationships between indigenous plants and animals. At the moment it has a Victorian Volcanic Plains flavour because of the fantastic efforts of our President Brian Bainbridge. But as it grows, we anticipate that other bioregions will be included. Your contributions are welcome. INDIGENOUS FLORA AND FAUNA ASSOCIATION INC
A load of Bullants On a dull, frigid June morning as a bitter wind scythed through thin Greybox and Yellow Gum trunks, nearly twenty hardy Myrmecophiles* converged on Harkness Road Gilgai Woodland, Melton. The y were drawn by the promise of meeting ‘Myrmecia species 17’ a bullant listed under the FFG and EPBC legislation. Our leader, John Wainer, an ant expert from the Department of Primary Industry has had a long acquaintance with this species. The site contains a distinctive variant of the Plains Woodland EVC (Walters and Frood, 2004) with an understorey of various Chenopods (the Saltbush family). Once proposed for a regional cemetery, the 33.4 hectares has now been re-allocated to the protection of its unique biodiversity. John began with some history on our quarry. Bullants are a uniquely Australian group of ants which retain several primitive features. Myrmecia sp 17 was first identified by the late Jenny Barnett on the nearby Long Forest 32 years ago. The species has remained un-named since, a consequence of the lamentable lack of ant taxonomists. The suggestion that the ant’s name might one day commemorate Jenny and her contribution to conservation was warmly received by the assembly. In the reserve, a likely nest was soon found and John demonstrated the unsubtle method of stomping loudly near the entrance to see if anyone were home. No ants responded. ‘Too sensible to get out of bed’ was the consensus of the shivering human onlookers. A second nest yielded a single reddish browny bullant — Myrmecia sp. 17! Although minus one leg, the individual was bundled into a viewing jar where it was intensely examined and photographed like a diminutive Paris Hilton. The crowd could smell ichor (insect ‘blood’) and began to scatter across the woodland, soon discovering further nests. Ian Faithfull bravely allowed an ant to attack his thick leather gloves. It used its huge jaws to get a hold while aiming its sting with Dalek-like tenacity. John was particularly keen to locate the nest of a close relative of species 17, Myrmecia nigriceps. When M. nigriceps were duly found, even John struggled to separate the two very similar ants. M. nigriceps is somewhat brighter red than ‘17’ with a slightly duller ‘gaster’ (the bulbous final segments of the abdomen) and the head is a smidge blacker. John then led the search for further Myrmecia species, soon locating a few nests of Myrmecia pyriformis, a handsome allblack species with shiny red jaws. Maintaining a flow of fascinating facts, John discussed partitioning of resources, that allow several related ant species to inhabit the same area. Such research has led to important techniques using ant assemblages as indicators of biodiversity. Myrmecia, although tolerant of disturbance, are dependant on treed habitats and are slow to recolonise deforested sites due to low reproductive rates. Other ants included Meat-ants, Iridomymex purpureus, with their huge gravel strewn nests and two kinds of the mid-size Camponotus (Honeypot) ants. Myrmecia nigriceps Species 17 INDIGENOTES VOLUME 20 NUMBER 2 3
Page 1: July 2009 Volume 20 Two INDIGENOTES
Page 5 and 6: One day under Flinders jetty It was
Page 7 and 8: 8 9 10 11 12 1 Weedy Seadragon, Phy
Page 9 and 10: Frogs in Melton Whistling Treefrog
Page 11 and 12: Common Froglet bottlebrushes and Re

July 2009 Volume 20 Two - Indigenous Flora and Fauna Association

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