Contributions

The Trafalgar millipede Lissodesmus johnsi Mesibov, 2006
(Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Dalodesmidae)

Robert Mesibov

Abstract
Lissodesmus johnsi, L. dignomontis and L. tarrabulga are endemic to the Strzelecki Ranges in Gippsland, Victoria, where the three species may once have formed a distribution mosaic. Lissodesmus johnsi now appears to be restricted to c. 60 ha over three sites in the western Strzelecki hills, which were almost entirely cleared of their forest cover in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (The Victorian Naturalist 124 (4), 2007, 197-203)
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Habitat preferences of the Otway Black Snail Victaphanta compacta
(Cox and Hedley, 1912) (Rhytididae)

Carolyn Burrell, Bronwen Scott and Alan L Yen

Abstract
A survey in August-October 2004 determined the distribution of the Otway Black Snail Victaphanta compacta at three locations in the Otway Ranges. V. compacta was found in Temperate Rainforest (gullies), Wet Forests (ridges) and the ecotone between these two (slope) and was found predominantly around the base of trees and in leaf litter, and fewer were found associated with logs and or the tree trunks. (The Victorian Naturalist 124 (4) 2007, 204-209)
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Freshwater and terrestrial crayfish (Decapoda, Parastacidae) of Victoria:
status, conservation, threatening processes and bibliography

Martin B O’Brien

Abstract
The freshwater crayfish of Victoria are identified and their current conservation status updated. Literature references on Victorian crayfish taxa and their conservation and taxonomy are identified. The distribution and status of each species is indicated for Victoria. Known and potential threats acting on Victorian crayfish are discussed. Distribution maps of crayfish species occurring in the state are provided for most taxa. (The Victorian Naturalist 124 (4), 2007, 210-229)
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Distribution and conservation status of two amphipods in the Dandenong Ranges: Austrogammarus australis (Sayce) and Austrogammarus haasei (Sayce)

Phil Papas and Diane Crowther

Abstract
Austrogammarus australis (Sayce) and A. haasei (Sayce) (Amphipoda: Paramelitidae) are two amphipod species of conservation significance located in the Dandenong Ranges, Victoria. Original type localities for the species were in and near the Dandenong Ranges. Subsequent surveys have revealed that both species are no longer found at their type localities (most likely due to impacts associated with urbanisation), however they do occur at other sites in the Dandenong Ranges. As the species have a limited distribution in Victoria, they are listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. The Draft Advisory List of Threatened Invertebrates classifies A. australis as ‘Vulnerable’ and A. haasei as ‘Critically Endangered’. This paper sumarises results from three surveys for both species with additional notes on changes in their distribution over time. A slight increase in the number of sites at which both species were found was evident from surveys for the species in 1995 and 1999. A survey for the species in 2001 in the Yarra Ranges, an area located close by with similar topography, stream types and vegetation, failed to locate any specimens of either species, highlighting the limited distribution of the species. There have been no taxon-specific surveys for either species across the Dandenong Ranges since 1999. (The Victorian Naturalist 124 (4), 2007, 230-235)
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The Eltham Copper Butterfly Paralucia pyrodiscus lucida Crosby (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae): local versus state conservation strategies in Victoria

AA Canzano, TR New and Alan L Yen

Abstract
This paper summarises some aspects of the practical conservation needs of the Eltham Copper Butterfly Paralucia pyrodiscus lucida, a small threatened subspecies of butterfly endemic to Victoria, Australia. The butterfly is located in three disjunct regions, separated by hundreds of kilometres across the state as a result of habitat removal and degradation. The three areas of ECB occurrence each have distinct characteristics affecting the needs and intensity of conservation management on the various sites given their urban, regional and rural settings. Butterfly populations have been monitored nearly every year since 1988 with the active support of volunteers, ‘Friends of Eltham Copper Butterfly’, local councils and government agencies. This information has contributed to a more holistic management regime for the butterfly, and further research aims to elucidate the more intricate details of the butterfly’s biology, to continue to refine the current monitoring process across the state of Victoria. (The Victorian Naturalist 124 (4), 2007, 236-242)
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Victoria’s butterflies in a national conservation context

TR New, RP Field and DPA Sands

Abstract
Comments are given on the conservation status of Victoria’s butterflies, summarising and bringing up-to-date the information previously available in published documents. (The Victorian Naturalist 124 (4), 2007, 243-249)
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The conservation of the Giant Gippsland Earthworm Megascolides australis in relation to its distribution in the landscape

Beverley D Van Praagh, Alan L Yen and Neville Rosengren

Abstract
It is difficult to identify the main factors that determine the distribution of the Giant Gippsland Earthworm because of the completely subterranean nature of this species. Past emphasis has involved research on soil factors (such as texture and chemical composition) and topography (slope, aspect, proximity to water). More recent research indicates that its distribution results from a combination of many interrelated factors, most importantly, underground hydrological processes. The pre-European settlement environment for the Giant Gippsland Earthworm was predominantly tall wet forest, but it has survived in pockets of exotic pastures and riparian zones. However, some of the revegetation programmes established to address degraded habitat may ultimately be detrimental to surviving populations of the Giant Gippsland Earthworm. (The Victorian Naturalist, 124 (4), 2007, 249-253)
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The Golden Sun-moth Synemon plana (Castniidae) on Victoria’s
remnant southern native grasslands

TR New, L Gibson and BD Van Praagh

Abstract
The complex adult biology of the Golden Sun-moth Synemon plana Walker is outlined, and the difficulties of appraising its conservation status and needs in Victoria are discussed. (The Victorian Naturalist 124 (4), 2007, 254-257)
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The Lord Howe Island Stick Insect: an example of the benefits of captive management

Patrick Honan

Abstract
Captive breeding is an underrated aspect of invertebrate conservation programs, sometimes seen as expensive and of little value to the overall conservation goal. The Lord Howe Island (LHI) Stick Insect project demonstrates the benefits of captive breeding, despite the inherent difficulties in dealing with a species about which nothing was known, which began in captivity with a small founder population, which has required a number of veterinary treatments and which has demonstrated apparent inbreeding depression requiring ongoing genetic management. Ex situ breeding at Melbourne Zoo has so far grown the captive population to more than ten times the wild population with very little financial contribution from participating organisations, ensuring a more secure future whilst in situ conservation measures are undertaken. (The Victorian Naturalist 124 (4), 2007, 258-261)
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The Hemiphlebia damselfly, Hemiphlebia mirabilis Sélys (Odonata, Zygoptera) as a flagship species for aquatic insect conservation in south-eastern Australia

TR New

Abstract
The endemic damselfly Hemiphlebia mirabilis Sélys has been a focus of conservation attention since its rediscovery in Victoria was publicised in the mid 1980s. It was listed under the state’s Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (FFG) in 1991. Discovery of additional colonies has indicated that Hemiphlebia is far more widespread than earlier supposed, and continued study indicates that it is variously secure or vulnerable in different places – rather than ‘endangered’, as previously thought. The history of study of the species is summarised briefly, and its values in promoting awareness of insect conservation as a ‘flagship species’ in southern Australia are discussed. (The Victorian Naturalist 124 (4) 2007, 269-272)
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Conservation of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) especially Coloburiscoides in the Victorian Alps: impediments and threats

PJ Suter and P McGuffie

Abstract
The aquatic insects are still poorly represented in terms of conservation and protection in Victoria. The main impediments for this were identified over a decade ago and all remain valid today. Recent national collections of aquatic invertebrates have been used to determine distribution and habitat requirements for more than 200 macro-invertebrates, and this has enabled the identification of a number of species that have restricted distributions and may be candidates for conservation listing. An example, using the mayfly genus Coloburiscoides, highlights how the perception that these animals are widespread and common may mask the reality of individual species being rare and restricted in their distribution, and that the effects of climate change may hasten their decline. (The Victorian Naturalist 124 (4) 2007, 273-277)
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