Novel habitat associations and seasonality in threatened Mitchell’s water monitors (Varanus mitchelli): Implications for conservation,Austral Ecology

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Novel habitat associations and seasonality in threatened Mitchell’s water monitors (Varanus mitchelli): Implications for conservation
Austral Ecology ( IF 1.6 ) Pub Date : 2021-03-10 , DOI: 10.1111/aec.13029
Alana Laive ₁ , Brendan Schembri ₂ , Chris J. Jolly _{2,

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Affiliation

Mitchell’s water monitors (Varanus mitchelli) are a small to medium-sized (<1 m TL) Australian varanid lizard endemic to northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory, extending just into north-western Queensland. They are a semi-aquatic, semi-arboreal monitor, typically thought of as being associated with freshwater riparian habitats. Following the arrival of cane toads (Rhinella marina) across their distribution, V. mitchelli were observed to have suffered precipitous population declines and local extinctions due to lethal toxic ingestion of toads. Here, we present observations of V. mitchelli from previously unreported saline and brackish habitats, as well as information on the cryptic behaviour and seasonal activity of this threatened species in Darwin, Northern Territory. Currently, because V. mitchelli are undocumented in mangrove and littoral habitats, ecological consultants in northern Australia are considering such habitats unsuitable for this threatened varanid and are not recommending targeted surveys for this species in these habitats. We argue that the niche occupied by V. mitchelli is broader than currently recognised and they should be considered as potentially occurring in most mangrove habitats across their known range. We also suggest species-appropriate survey techniques to improve detection of this very cryptic threatened species. Concerningly, despite recently being recognised as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), V. mitchelli are currently not recognised as threatened by the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999.

中文翻译：

受威胁的米切尔水监测器（巨蜥米切利）的新栖息地关联和季节性：对保护的影响

米切尔水巨蜥( Varanus mitchelli ) 是一种中小型（<1 m TL）澳大利亚蜥蜴蜥蜴，是西澳大利亚北部和北领地的特有种，仅延伸到昆士兰西北部。它们是半水生、半树栖的监视器，通常被认为与淡水河岸栖息地有关。在甘蔗蟾蜍 ( Rhinella marina )到达其分布区域后，观察到V. mitchelli由于摄入蟾蜍的致命毒性而遭受了数量急剧下降和局部灭绝。在这里，我们展示了对V. mitchelli 的观察来自以前未报告的咸水和咸水栖息地，以及有关这种受威胁物种在北领地达尔文的神秘行为和季节性活动的信息。目前，由于V. mitchelli在红树林和沿海栖息地中没有记录，澳大利亚北部的生态顾问正在考虑这些栖息地不适合这种受威胁的 varanid，并且不建议在这些栖息地对该物种进行有针对性的调查。我们认为V. mitchelli占据的利基比目前公认的范围更广，它们应被视为可能发生在其已知范围内的大多数红树林栖息地。我们还建议适合物种的调查技术，以改善对这种非常隐秘的受威胁物种的检测。令人担忧的是，尽管最近被国际自然保护联盟 (IUCN) 认定为极度濒危物种，但米切利( V. mitchelli)目前并未被1999 年联邦环境保护和生物多样性保护 (EPBC) 法案认定为受到威胁。

更新日期：2021-03-10

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