Volume 56

The Tree Mouse Pogonomys sp. was not recorded live in Australia until 1974, although it was known from the fossil record. It is substantially under-recorded in standard fauna surveys because it is loath to enter traps on the ground. However, there have been many casual sightings of the species, and these have generated the body of information presented here. Along with the few museum specimens, such sightings indicate that the Tree Mouse occurs in rainforests of Cape York Peninsula and the Wet Tropics. It nests in burrows but spends its time arboreally, in low vegetation to the upper canopy. Observations reported herein suggest the species is primarily a fruit and leaf eater. Casual observations by citizen scientists will continue to be an important source of information for this little-known species, so we provide guidelines on the most useful details that they should collect.

Diurnal feeding was observed in a small colony of Spectacled Flying-foxes (Pteropus conspicillatus) in a fig tree (Ficus sp.) in Cairns, northern Queensland. Diurnal feeding has generally only been observed in flying-foxes during periods of food shortages, but these individuals did not exhibit any observable signs of emaciation.

“Mabi forests” are endangered and highly fragmented tropical semideciduous forests that occur on basalt-derived soils in the upland regions of the Atherton Tablelands, Queensland. While Mabi forest flora and fauna are generally well-described, species lists of localised remnant patches, which can provide important information for landowners managing such patches, are lacking. We studied an eight hectare (21 acre) privately-owned Mabi forest remnant in East Barron between late March to mid-April 2025. We surveyed vascular and non-vascular plants, conducted leaf litter collections and baited pitfall trapping for ground invertebrates, and light-sheeting for   nocturnal invertebrates. To survey birds and other vertebrates we undertook non-intrusive daytime and nighttime observations. To complement our dataset, we compiled the available bird and mammal data for the patch from the Atlas of Living Australia. The combined plant and animal diversity documented is significant considering the small size of the Mabi forest patch, and included bryophytes (33 spp.), ferns (15), flowering plants (152), invertebrates (192), birds (123), other vertebrates (12), protozoans (3), protists (1), and fungi (66). Of these, at least 14 plant and three animal species are of conservation significance in Queensland. Although the sampling was intensive, some groups of organisms such as fungi and invertebrates remain under-represented, and our survey data should be considered as a snapshot of the biodiversity of these groups. We conclude that remnant forest patches can provide important habitat for multiple species, and we recommend similar surveys of other Mabi forest localities and remnants of other forest types on the Atherton Tablelands to better understand the distribution of native biodiversity in these habitats.