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Cemetery Springtail (Australotomurus morbidus)

The cemetery springtail is a poorly known invertebrate. Its appearance, size, diet and life history have not been documented. It is recorded from the Swan region of Western Australia as DBCA Priority 3, a priority-list category rather than a threatened-species listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. It has no national listing. The species has been assessed as potentially occurring at development sites in Perth, so careful checks before and during clearing are prudent.

Conservation status

Western Australia, WA Threatened and Priority Fauna List: Priority 3.

Seasonal guidance

Seasonal activity, breeding and movement have not been documented. The row below is a general planning window only, not a statement of species phenology.

Seasonal information: No taxon-specific months are available.

Seasonality is not inferred from the taxon's name, status or assessment likelihood.

  • Survey and disturbance planning: Planning window only. No species-specific activity or optimal survey months are known; obtain ecological advice when scheduling checks.

Identification: Appearance and size

This taxon is a springtail, but diagnostic features and dimensions have not been documented.

Colour, body form, distinguishing features and size have not been documented. Do not identify the taxon from an assumed appearance.

Identification: Similar species and field signs

There is no documented comparison with similar springtails or description of species-specific field signs. Treat field identifications as uncertain unless confirmed by a suitably qualified invertebrate specialist.

Distribution: Known range

The WA priority list records the species from the Swan region. Precise confirmed record localities and coordinates are not available.

The DBCA list records the taxon for the Swan region. Atlas of Living Australia records show no public WA coordinates, and a more precise range cannot be established.

Distribution: Assessment records

The Garden Street Extension desktop assessment included the species in its review, but stated that none of the reviewed taxa had previously been recorded from that study area. A later Hamersley assessment considered the cemetery springtail to have a high or moderate likelihood of occurring there, but did not report a record.

Habitat: Habitat evidence

Species-specific habitat is not established.

The Garden Street Extension assessment identified potential short-range endemic habitat in its study area, but did not establish a habitat association for this springtail. It also reported no records of the reviewed taxa from the study area.

Habitat: Site assessment

At a Hamersley site with Banksia woodland, the cemetery springtail was assessed as having a high or moderate likelihood of occurrence. This is a site-level likelihood assessment, not confirmation that Banksia woodland is a preferred or exclusive habitat.

Foraging habitat: Diet

The species' diet and feeding habitat have not been documented.

Food items, feeding behaviour and foraging habitat are not known. Do not infer a diet from the habitat or from general springtail biology.

Foraging habitat: Works-site precautions

Where potential habitat is being assessed, retain intact soil and ground cover until the fauna assessment is complete. This is a precautionary measure, not a species-specific foraging requirement.

Breeding habitat: Breeding information

Breeding habitat and reproductive timing have not been documented.

Breeding sites, reproductive behaviour, development stages and breeding season are not known for this taxon.

Breeding habitat: Precaution

Do not assume that a site is outside a breeding period. If clearing could affect potential habitat, obtain ecological advice before work proceeds.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter information

Shelter and responses to disturbance have not been documented.

No species-specific shelter, refuge or microhabitat is known. It is not established whether individuals occur in soil, litter, vegetation or other features.

Sheltering habitat: Precaution

Avoid unnecessary disturbance to soil, litter and ground cover in areas being checked. These are general precautionary measures and do not indicate a confirmed shelter type for this taxon.

Threats: Status and evidence

No taxon-specific threats have been identified.

The species is described as poorly known, known from several locations and not under imminent threat. It is not nationally listed.

Threats: Development context

Clearing or ground disturbance may affect fauna in the work area. Use the precautionary survey and disturbance controls below without presenting them as confirmed species-specific requirements.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Species-specific survey methods and detectability are not documented. Use a cautious, staged approach and seek specialist advice.

Check current DBCA priority records and relevant project or fauna assessment reports. Treat a likelihood-of-occurrence assessment as different from a confirmed record.

Survey methodology: 2. Field inspection

Map intact ground-level habitat and the proposed disturbance footprint before clearing. No validated method, survey season or detectability guidance is established for this species, so agree any targeted search method with an invertebrate ecologist.

Survey methodology: 3. Identification and records

Do not rely on an unverified field identification. Record the location, date, habitat condition, search effort and any photographs or collected material, and arrange expert confirmation where appropriate.

Vegetation associations: Woodland

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

At a Hamersley site with Banksia woodland, the cemetery springtail was assessed as having a high or moderate likelihood of occurrence.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Ecosystem associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific ecosystem association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Soil and substrate associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific soil association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Water and wetland associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific water association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Fauna records and mapped habitat: Not yet analysed

Record locations can be overlaid with mapping, but record frequency alone does not measure habitat preference. No species is excluded from desktop assessments by this analysis.

No quality-controlled record-to-map analysis has been completed for this species. The existing generalised distribution dots and indicative range polygons have not been treated as precise occurrence coordinates.

A defensible run needs dated, independently attributable records, coordinate uncertainty, duplicate and captive-record checks, layer versions and regional scope. Preference and absence require additional survey-effort and detection evidence.

Habitat limitations and contrary evidence: No supported exclusion recorded

Not recorded is not the same as cannot occur. Low suitability, resident habitat, breeding habitat and occasional movement are different conclusions.

This library has not established a vegetation, ecosystem or soil-type exclusion for this species. This does not mean all habitat is suitable; the evidence needed to justify an exclusion has not been assembled.

Habitat limitations and contrary evidence: Before using a negative association

  • Confirm the taxon, geographic region, life stage and habitat function covered by the evidence.
  • Check survey methods, season, repeated effort and detectability before interpreting non-detection.
  • Investigate credible contradictory records and microhabitats absent from broad mapping.
  • Do not convert a missing map class, low record count or failed data request into species absence.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Review and map

Plan checks before ground disturbance, especially where an assessment identifies potential occurrence.

Review the DBCA listing and available site assessments. Map proposed clearing, retained vegetation and intact ground cover, noting that a likelihood assessment does not confirm presence.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Brief the crew

Brief spotter catchers and clearing crews on the taxon's uncertain identification and the need to pause for an unexpected invertebrate find. Set out how to report observations and who can make a hold or release decision.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Monitor works

Use staged, controlled work and respond conservatively to unexpected findings.

Keep clearing within the approved footprint and have the spotter catcher monitor ground disturbance where required by the project plan. Avoid unnecessary removal or compaction of ground cover outside the work area.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Respond to a find

Pause work in the immediate area if a suspected specimen is found. Avoid handling or relocating it unless this is authorised and directed by a suitably qualified person; document the find and seek expert identification.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Document and report

Record outcomes and protect any remaining suitable ground cover.

Record survey effort, disturbance areas, observations, identification confidence and any management actions. Report confirmed or suspected records through the project process and to the relevant authority where required.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Check retained areas

Keep retained habitat clearly marked and prevent vehicle access, stockpiling or further disturbance where these are not approved. No post-disturbance monitoring protocol is specified for this taxon.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore disturbed ground

No species-specific rehabilitation requirements are documented. Prioritise retaining existing ground cover and minimising further disturbance.

Rehabilitate disturbed areas in line with the approved project plan, using locally appropriate native ground cover where specified. Avoid claiming that any particular plant or substrate is required by this springtail.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Monitor and adapt

Inspect rehabilitation for erosion, weed establishment and damage to retained areas. Seek ecological advice if a confirmed record is found or if monitoring indicates further action is needed.

Sources