New records of Hastings River mouse Pseudomys oralis from State Forest of New South Wales pre-logging surveys.

Abstract

THE Hastings River mouse Pseudomys oralis is one of the rarest of the pseudomyines and is patchily distributed across New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland, although it is believed to have been more common in the past (Watts and Aslin 1981). It is currently listed as ‘endangered’ at both State (NSW) and Commonwealth levels and there have only been three ecological studies of the species (Townley 2000; Keating 2000; Meek 2002a). One interesting aspect of Pseudomys ecology is their patchy distribution across the landscape (Watts and Aslin 1981), even where habitat appears unaltered and undisturbed. Historically, P. oralis was believed to be widely dispersed, preferring creek and gully habitats dominated by Cyperaceae and Juncaceae species (Read 1993a; Pyke and Read 2002). New evidence indicates that water courses are not as important as previously believed with animals being trapped across a range of topography and habitat types (Townley 2000; Meek 2002a).