•Small patches of land are critical 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 patches of land.
The new species, found in an area where an ancient genus (Lake Bungunnia) survived 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. The unique to Australia dung beetles have around 250 closely related species, found in a wide range of habitats in Australia, including deserts, mulga woodlands, eucalyptus forests and grasslands. Although not considered a pest, these local beetles are a natural part of Australian landscapes and support food webs by providing food.
These insects, which do not have wings until they reach adulthood, usually cannot move far from where they were born. They can slowly spread over generations in areas with a constant 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 places.
The Eltham copper butterfly (Paralucia pyrodiscus lucida), one of the only known populations of the Murray Mallee matchstick, may 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 management, covered with weeds or covered with rubbish.
