Abstract
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.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 871-875 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Austral Ecology |
Volume | 46 |
Issue number | 5 |
Early online date | 10 Mar 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug 2021 |