Weather and Trap Response of the Dasyurid Marsupials Sminthopsis-Crassicaudata, Planigale-Gilesi and Planigale-Tenuirostris

Abstract

Daily captures of Sminthopsis crassicaudata, Planigale gilesi and P. tenuirostris have been analysed with respect to weather variables in an arid environment. Numbers of S. crassicaudata caught in traps were not affected by changes in air pressure but more (P=0.01) P. gilesi and P. tenuirostris were trapped when the air pressure was increasing from a level below the monthly mean. Light rain increased the numbers of all species trapped (P=0.05) but moonlight had no effect. A canonical correlation analysis separated Sminthopsis from Planigale on the basis of responses to temperature and relative humidity variables. It is not clear if the trap responses of the dasyurids are directly related to the weather or other contemporary factors, particularly food availability. Results indicate that weather has a strong influence on the trap success of small mammal studies in arid Australia.