•Small remnant reserves are vital for the conservation of large animals and entire ecosystems. They also make it easier to combat environmental threats such as fire and invasive weeds. However, some areas of Australia, particularly agricultural regions, do not have the land to support large remnant reserves. In Western Victoria’s agricultural lands, agricultural reserves sometimes cover as little as 100 hectares. These small reserves are often undervalued and overlooked. However, recent research suggests that these remnant areas may be critical for the survival of smaller plant and animal species.
A recent study looked closely at grasshoppers in Western Victoria. The researchers discovered a previously unidentified species in the Keyacris genus, including the threatened Key’s matchstick species.
The new species, named Lake Bungunnia Murray Mallee matchstick (Keyacris bungunnia) because it lives in the area where an ancient megaworm (Lake Bungunnia) once existed during the Pleistocene period, is unique to Australia. The dung beetles, with around 250 closely related species, are found in many habitats in the country, including deserts, mulga scrublands, eucalyptus forests and grasslands. Although not considered a pest, these native beetles are a natural part of Australia’s landscapes and support food webs by feeding on them.
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. Studies show 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 has no wings and is 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, and yet they play a critical role in our local ecosystems, even though they are not as well known as bees and butterflies.
However, these valuable remnant reserves often face problems such as poorly managed, covered with weeds or littered with rubbish. Yet, protecting these areas for endangered animals does not have to be expensive or complicated. Rubber bugs can survive in even small suitable habitat fragments, as long as there are food plants available. For example, in several revegetated sites near Melbourne, introduced populations of the Larapuna rubber bug (Vandiemenella viatica) have exploded. Most recently, scientists have successfully introduced the endangered Key’s matchstick rubber bug into the Euroa arboretum in north-eastern Victoria.
