Feeding behaviour of the Yellow-bellied Glider, Petaurus australis (Marsupialia: Petauridae), at Bombala, New South Wales.

Abstract

Observations on the feed ing behaviour of the Yellow-bellied Glider (Petaurus australis) were conducted in a tall montane forest near Bombala, New South Wales to determine seasonal changes in food resource utilisation . Eucalypt sap, arthropods and honeydew were the main components in the diet. Time spent harvesting these resources varied seasonally: sap (0-94% of the observed feeding time), arthropods (4-86%), honeydew (2-56%). Eucalyptus viminalis was used for sap in January and E. fastigata was used in May and June. Only a few individual trees of each species were incised for sap. Arthropods were predominantly harvested from beneath the loose bark of each of the six species of eucalypt in the study area with this activity being closely tied to the bark shedding pattern of these species. Honeydew was only obtained from a restricted number of trees with E. cypellocarpa being the main species providing this resource. Manna was only harvested during December when it accounted for 29% of the observed feeding time. Nectar was absent from the diet of P. australis during 1984 even though five of the six eucalypt species in the study area flowered during the year. Results obtained confirm those of other researchers which suggest an annual cycle of food resource use by P. australis, dictated by the pattern of phenological change in the forest. The nature of the relationship between the use of certain resources (sap, honeydew) and their availability is yet to be determined.