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An inventory survey of the bird fauna of a small (462 ha) riverine woodland remnant on the Wakool River in the Riverina bioregion in southern inland New South Wales in 2021-2023 recorded 123 species (31 waterbirds and 92 woodland birds) including residents, flood visitors, spring/summer latitudinal migrants and autumn/winter altitudinal migrants. The conservation values of this remnant include habitat value for 22 NSW declining woodland bird species, one waterbird species of conservation concern in NSW, and an additional 9 species (3 woodland birds and 6 waterbirds) of conservation concern in nearby Victoria, as well as landscape connectivity value as part of a major riverine wildlife corridor. Several declining woodland bird species exhibited apparent local preferences for particular vegetation communities, including Gilbert's Whistler Pachycephala inornata (River Red Gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis Forest and Mixed Box-Gum Woodland) and Hooded Robin Melanodryas cucullata (Black Box Eucalyptus largiflorens Woodland). This study highlights the complementary value of small remnants for biodiversity conservation in extensively cleared landscapes and the connectivity role of riverine corridors in these landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The decline of birds in farmland is of global concern. Aims. The aim of this paper was to provide a local-scale case study of the bird fauna of temperate inland eastern Australia's sheep-wheat belt. Methods. Relationships between species occurrence and various habitat elements in the landscape were examined in a 342 km2 area of agricultural countryside near Wagga Wagga in southern inland New South Wales, Australia. The pre-agricultural bird fauna of this area was also investigated by collating records from previous studies of nearby larger woodland remnants. Key results: The study identified a bird fauna of 115 species compared to 160 species known from nearby woodland remnants. Significant relationships were found with the presence of farm dams, extent of local woodland cover and roadside woodland at the levels of individual species, guilds and total fauna. A small ephemeral wetland also contributed substantially to waterbird diversity. Conclusion. Twenty commonly recorded species typical of the farmland matrix and 15 species considered at particular risk of local extinction were identified. At the guild level, frugivore/granivores, small insectivores and hollow-users were found to be associated with remaining woodland elements in the agricultural landscape. Implications. Ecologically sustainable management of agricultural areas is essential to avoid further local extinctions. Hollow-using species are expected to be particularly affected by the anticipated widespread loss of trees in the landscape over the next century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes two new records of Kershaw's Panda-snail Pygmipanda kershawi (Brazier, 1872) (Pulmonata: Caryodidae) from New South Wales, both representing new localities for the species. There have been very few records of this native land snail from the state in the last century. A record from the Khancoban area represents a northern extension of the species' known range in New South Wales and a record from the Running Waters area in the Snowy River valley is the southernmost in the state. Pygmipanda kershawi is considered to be of conservation concern in New South Wales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixty-three butterfly species representing five families have been recorded from the Pilliga Forest in northern inland New South Wales – the largest surviving remnant of native forest on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range. This is one of the richest recorded butterfly faunas of any location on the New South Wales western slopes and adjacent plains, reflecting the location of the Pilliga Forest in a biogeographic overlap zone between northern and southern faunal assemblages with proximity to both the western plains and outliers of the mesic eastern highlands. No narrow-range endemic species or species of state or national conservation concern were recorded; however, half of the species recorded have patchy, discontinuous distributions within their broad range due to specific habitat requirements. Some minor western range extensions are recorded and two hilltopping sites are documented. This study highlights the significant biodiversity conservation value of the Pilliga Forest in the predominantly cleared western slopes bioregions. Sixty-three butterfly species have been recorded from the Pilliga Forest on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in northern New South Wales. This is one of the richest recorded butterfly faunas of any location on the New South Wales western slopes and adjacent plains and highlights the significant conservation value of the Pilliga Forest in the predominantly cleared western slopes bioregions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarises information on the occurrence of the Common Wombat in the Pilliga Forest, based on 12 years of observations and collation of records from additional sources. The core of the species' distribution in the Pilliga Forest appears to coincide with the most topographically rugged areas, which contain forested hillslopes providing suitable burrow sites and a slightly more mesic microclimate than the broader Pilliga Forest. Outlying records are located where higher quality soils occur in proximity to topographically rugged areas. The paper also notes the regional conservation significance of this edge-of-range population and highlights the local climate refuge value of the south-eastern Pilliga Forest for wombats and other mesic-dependent fauna in the Pilliga Forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pilliga Scrub is a large semi-arid woodland area in northern inland New South Wales with limited freshwater habitats and a frequent scarcity of surface water. A survey of the area's decapod crustacean fauna in 2009-2010 identified five species: the crayfish Cherax destructor (Parastacidae), crab Austrothelphusa transversa (Parathelphusidae), shrimps Caridina mccullochi and Paratya australiensis (Atyidae) and prawn Macrobrachium australiense (Palaemonidae). The decapod diversity is low at the species level but relatively high at the family level, and reflects the location of the Pilliga Scrub in a transitional zone between faunal assemblages of southern and northern Australia. Cherax destructor and Austrothelphusa transversa are well suited to the variable aquatic conditions in the Pilliga Scrub and can survive prolonged drought in burrows. Caridina mccullochi, Paratya australiensis and Macrobrachium australiense, in contrast, are dependent on surface water at all life cycle stages, and their survival in the Pilliga Scrub relies on the few small permanent waterholes along larger intermittent streams or, if these dry out, re-colonisation from downstream perennial river channels during occasional stream flow events. An increase in aridity due to anthropogenic climate change could result in the local extinction of these three species, representing a 60% reduction in local decapod species diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]