•Small patches of land are critical for the conservation of large animals and entire ecosystems. These areas also make it easier to combat environmental threats such as fire and alien weed invasions. However, some areas of Australia, particularly agricultural regions, do not have the land to support large patches of land.
The new species, found in an area where an ancient megadrome (Lake Bungunnia) lived during the Pleistocene period, has been named the Lake Bungunnia Murray Mallee matchstick (Keyacris bungunnia). It is likely that the species lives along the shores of this lake.
These insects, which do not have wings until they reach adulthood, usually do not move far from where they were born. They can slowly spread over generations in areas with a stable habitat. Research shows that one species travelled 2,200 kilometres across the northern Tasmania to Victoria, while another travelled from Kalgoorlie to Broken Hill, crossing the Nullarbor Plain.
As landscapes become increasingly fragmented, environmental threats such as fire or overgrazing can wipe out entire populations. This is particularly dangerous for species like the Murray Mallee matchstick, which have no wings and are unable to migrate to other locations.
The Eltham copper butterfly (Paralucia pyrodiscus lucida), one of the only known populations of the Murray Mallee matchstick, may actually indicate a high-quality habitat. Many of these insects are poorly studied, yet they play a critical role in our local ecosystems.
However, these valuable remnant reserves often face problems such as poorly managed, covered with alien plants or covered with rubbish.
