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Eastern Kultarr (Antechinomys laniger)

The eastern kultarr is a small, solitary, nocturnal insectivorous marsupial of semi-arid eastern Australia. It may occur on development sites with claypans, open woodland, grassland, spinifex, soil cracks, fallen timber and other ground refuges, so clearing and earthworks can remove both shelter and feeding habitat.

Conservation status

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Northern Territory, Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976: Near threatened.

Breeding season

The pattern below represents the eastern population and uses the reported eastern breeding period. Timing may vary with temperature, rainfall and local conditions.

Plan surveys and refuge inspections around the nocturnal activity period and avoid disturbing potential shelter sites during the breeding and dependent-young period where practicable.

  • Breeding and mating: Males begin reproductive activity from about May. Oestrus and breeding are reported from July to January, with the broader breeding season extending from midwinter to midsummer.
  • Births and pouch young: Gestation is 12 to 17 days. Young remain in the pouch for about 30 to 48 days, so births and pouch dependence can overlap the second half of the breeding season.
  • Nest-dependent and back-riding young: After leaving the pouch, young remain in the nest while the female forages and later travel on her back. Weaning is reported at 80 to 90 days in captivity.
  • Movement and foraging: Kultarrs are nocturnal and may move between vegetated patches and open ground. Recorded nightly movements reach up to 1,700 m for males and 400 m for females. Local numbers vary with rainfall, drought and flooding.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing and disturbance are most likely to harm the species from July to November, when mating, pouch young, nest-dependent young and associated refuge use may overlap. Risk remains in other months because breeding can extend to midsummer and young may remain dependent after leaving the pouch.

Identification

The eastern kultarr is a mouse-sized marsupial with a pointed muzzle, very large ears and eyes, elongated hind legs, and a long tail ending in a dark brush.

The fur is grey, brown or sandy above, with a paler underside. Dark rings around the eyes are often visible. The hind legs are elongated and adapted for bounding or hopping, and the hind feet have four elongated toes.

The tail is thin and longer than the head and body, with dark brush-like hairs near the tip. The species is usually seen moving rapidly through open country rather than walking slowly across exposed ground.

  • Look for a small sandy or brown marsupial with a pointed snout, prominent eyes and ears, long hind legs and a dark-tipped tail.
  • The maximum recorded speed is 13.8 km per hour, so brief sightings may be limited to a bounding animal crossing a track or open area.

Identification: Size and sex

Males are generally larger than females. Published measurements for eastern populations give males a head and body length of about 80 to 100 mm and females about 70 to 95 mm.

Males weigh 17 to 30 g and females 14 to 29 g. Measurements can overlap, so sex should not be assigned from size alone.

Male length: 80 to 100 mm

Female length: 70 to 95 mm

Male weight: 17 to 30 g

Female weight: 14 to 29 g

Identification: Similar species and field signs

The elongated hind legs and tail can make the eastern kultarr resemble a hopping mouse or other small desert mammal. It is distinguished by its marsupial form, very large ears and eyes, pointed muzzle, four elongated hind toes, and dark terminal tail brush.

Kultarrs are difficult to detect by daytime inspection because they shelter during the day. Useful evidence includes a direct night-time observation, a live capture, a carcass, or a photograph from a motion camera. Identification from tracks, scats or eyeshine alone is unreliable.

They use vocal calls, particularly between young and their mother, but the supplied sources do not provide a diagnostic call description. No reliable species-specific scat, track or nest dimensions are provided.

  • Inspect hollow logs, stumps, tussock bases, soil cracks and animal burrows for sheltering animals before mechanical disturbance.
  • Do not treat a small hopping mammal, eyeshine or an unidentified track as sufficient for species confirmation.
  • Record photographs, exact location, time, habitat, direction of travel and any refuge used for each observation.

Distribution: Australian range

The eastern kultarr is the eastern species recognised within the former wider kultarr complex. Its current range is centred on central New South Wales and south-central Queensland, while older records from other states and territories may refer to the former broad species concept.

The eastern kultarr occurs in central New South Wales and south-central Queensland. In New South Wales, recent records are concentrated in the Cobar and Brewarrina region, with records also associated with the Cobar Peneplain, Darling Riverine Plains and adjoining inland bioregions.

The former Antechinomys laniger concept was reported from New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The 2025 taxonomic treatment separates central and western clades as A. spenceri and A. auritus, so those older records should not automatically be assigned to the eastern kultarr.

  • Treat records from central New South Wales and south-central Queensland as potentially relevant to eastern kultarr.
  • Check the current taxonomic treatment and local government or state database before applying older distribution maps to a project site.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

Cobar and nearby western New South Wales support the best documented remaining concentrations in the state. The Cobar area is described as regionally important for conservation, and recent records have also come from Nombinnie Nature Reserve.

The species is widespread across suitable inland country but occurs at very low numbers in New South Wales. Local populations fluctuate with rainfall, drought and flooding, and the species has disappeared from parts of its former range.

NSW status: Endangered

Commonwealth status: Not listed under the EPBC Act

Known NSW stronghold: Cobar and surrounding western NSW, including parts of the Cobar Peneplain

Known population pattern: Low numbers with seasonal fluctuations and local declines after drought or intensive flooding

  • Give particular attention to remnant open woodland, claypan and grassland habitat in and around the Cobar and Brewarrina regions.
  • Do not interpret a lack of recent records as proof of absence, because the species is nocturnal, solitary and rarely observed.

Distribution: Population information

No reliable national population estimate is provided. The available information indicates range contraction, local extinctions and low abundance in New South Wales, but it does not provide a total number of mature individuals.

National population estimate: Not available in the supplied sources

Population trend: Declining or locally lost in parts of the former range, with numbers fluctuating in response to rainfall, drought and flooding

Habitat: Habitat types

Eastern kultarr habitat is generally open, sparsely vegetated inland country with heavy soils, ground cover and multiple small refuges. Suitable habitat can occur as patches within otherwise cleared or grazed areas.

The eastern form prefers claypans among Acacia woodlands and open semi-arid country. Suitable environments can include open woodland, grassland, shrubland, savanna, claypans and sparsely vegetated plains.

The species uses both vegetated areas and open bare ground while moving and foraging. Habitat suitability depends on the combination of prey, ground cover and daytime shelter.

  • Assess claypans, Acacia woodland margins, open grassland, sparse shrubland and connected patches of inland ground cover.
  • Include apparently bare or lightly vegetated areas in habitat assessments where they adjoin shelter features.

Habitat: Vegetation and structure

Important vegetation features include Acacia woodland, spinifex or other tussock grass, saltbush, understorey shrubs, fallen logs, stumps, leaf litter and surface rocks. These features provide shelter, prey habitat or cover during movement.

Livestock grazing can reduce vegetation and damage soil structure, including the deep cracks used as refuges. Cultivation and clearing can remove both shelter and the ground layer supporting invertebrate prey.

  • Map and retain connected patches of tussock or spinifex, understorey shrubs, fallen timber, leaf litter, soil cracks and surface rocks.
  • Avoid treating low vegetation cover as evidence that habitat is unsuitable.
  • Inspect heavy soils for cracks and other small refuges before grading, ripping or filling.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The species is associated with arid and semi-arid inland Australia. The supplied sources do not provide a defined elevation range or a numerical upper or lower temperature limit.

Activity and torpor vary with temperature. Rainfall also affects abundance and movement, with populations fluctuating after wet and dry periods.

Climate zone: Arid to semi-arid inland Australia

Elevation limit: Not specified in the supplied sources

Foraging habitat: Diet

The eastern kultarr is a fast-moving nocturnal insectivore. It searches across open ground and vegetated patches for spiders and other terrestrial arthropods.

The diet consists mainly of spiders, cockroaches, crickets, beetles and other terrestrial arthropods. Kultarrs may also take other small dasyurids, although this is not expected to be a major food item at most project sites.

The species can capture quick or potentially dangerous prey using its speed and manoeuvrability.

Main food: Spiders, cockroaches, crickets, beetles and other terrestrial arthropods

Feeding period: Primarily at night

  • Retain ground cover, litter, logs, shrubs and tussocks that support spiders and insect prey.
  • Avoid unnecessary insecticide use, particularly where locust control or other treatments could contaminate invertebrate prey.

Foraging habitat: Foraging area and movement

Kultarrs forage through a mixture of vegetated patches and open bare ground. Recorded movements have reached up to 1,700 m in one night for males and 400 m for females.

A project footprint can therefore affect foraging habitat beyond the location where an animal is found sheltering. The supplied sources do not provide a defined home range area or a standard habitat buffer.

Maximum recorded nightly movement: Up to 1,700 m for males and 400 m for females

Defined home range: Not available in the supplied sources

  • Assess connected habitat around each refuge, not only the immediate footprint of a detected animal.
  • Maintain movement links between claypans, woodland patches, tussock cover and other suitable foraging areas.
  • Schedule night-time fauna checks carefully because torpid animals may not be detected during parts of the night.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding females need secure daytime refuges and nearby prey-rich habitat. The young remain dependent on the female through the pouch and nest stages, making refuge removal during the breeding period a direct risk.

Females may enter oestrus several times in one breeding season. Young remain in the pouch after birth, then stay in the nest or travel with the mother while she forages.

Breeding females have a supple pouch, elongated nipples and long red-brown hairs. After the breeding season, the pouch regresses into a small fold.

Breeding season: Generally midwinter to midsummer, with oestrus reported from July to January

Litter size: 1 to 8 young, average 6

Gestation: 12 to 17 days

Time in pouch: About 30 to 48 days according to the detailed reproductive account

Weaning: 80 to 90 days in captivity

Age at maturity: Females and males about 11.5 months in the detailed account; males are also reported as mature at 9 to 10 months

Maximum recorded lifespan: 67 months in the wild and 48 months in captivity in the supplied account; captivity records elsewhere report up to about 5 years

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

The female shelters in a nest or other daytime refuge while carrying or caring for young. Suitable breeding areas therefore need intact ground cover, hollow logs or stumps, tussocks, soil cracks, animal burrows and nearby foraging habitat.

Young may remain in the nest after leaving the pouch and later attach to the mother's back. Removing a refuge can harm young even when the female is not present at the time of inspection.

  • Retain potential nest sites and connected ground cover throughout the breeding season.
  • Inspect refuge features immediately before clearing and use an approved fauna handling procedure if an animal or dependent young is found.
  • Do not rely on a single daytime search to demonstrate that a breeding refuge is unused.

Sheltering habitat: Known refuges

Eastern kultarrs shelter during the day in small, concealed refuges. These features are often at ground level and can be removed by clearing, grading, cultivation, grazing or fire.

Recorded daytime refuges include hollow logs, tree stumps, spinifex or other tussock bases, beneath saltbush, deep soil cracks and burrows made by other animals.

The species is terrestrial and does not depend on large tree hollows for roosting. Small ground features can be as important as standing trees.

Refuge size: No standard refuge or burrow dimensions are provided in the supplied sources

Torpor duration: About 2 to 16 hours, commonly from evening into early morning

  • Mark and retain fallen logs, hollow stumps, tussocks, shrubs, soil cracks, animal burrows, leaf litter and surface rocks where they occur in suitable habitat.
  • Search beneath and around these features before moving timber, slashing vegetation, ripping soil or filling depressions.
  • Use hand inspection or controlled removal methods around potential refuges rather than pushing all debris into windrows.

Sheltering habitat: Detection and handling implications

Kultarrs are solitary and nocturnal, and may enter torpor in response to temperature. They can therefore be missed by daytime searches and may remain inside a refuge during disturbance.

Juveniles may be in the pouch, nest or attached to the female's back. A refuge inspection should consider the possibility of dependent young even when only one animal is seen.

  • Use night-time survey effort where practical, supported by targeted inspection of daytime refuges.
  • Stop work and obtain fauna handling advice if a kultarr, dependent young or occupied refuge is found.
  • Record the refuge type and retain nearby cover so a released animal has access to shelter.

Threats: Clearing and earthworks

The main project risks are removal of ground refuges, loss of prey habitat, altered fire and grazing regimes, flooding, and increased exposure to cats and foxes. The species' low abundance and nocturnal habits make local impacts difficult to detect.

Clearing, cultivation and grading remove claypan habitat, woodland structure, tussocks, shrubs, logs, litter, rocks and soil cracks. These changes reduce both shelter and foraging opportunities.

Steep-sided holes, trenches and similar excavations can trap small mammals. The NSW profile notes that some records have been obtained from animals found after falling into steep-sided holes.

  • Retain remnant habitat and avoid clearing potential refuges where work can be redesigned.
  • Inspect and cover or ramp trenches and pits before nightfall, and check them for trapped fauna at the frequency required by the project approval.
  • Keep cleared material from burying logs, tussocks, soil cracks and animal burrows.

Threats: Fragmentation, roads and movement

Males may move up to 1,700 m in a night and females up to 400 m. Roads, linear infrastructure and cleared corridors can interrupt movement between shelter and feeding areas.

The supplied sources identify introduced predators and land-use intensification as threats but do not provide a species-specific road mortality rate.

Species-specific road mortality rate: Not available in the supplied sources

  • Maintain links between suitable habitat patches wherever practicable.
  • Limit unnecessary night lighting, vehicle access and open trenches through known or potential habitat.
  • Record road-killed or trapped animals and report new records through the relevant state database.

Threats: Fire, grazing and hydrology

Large or severe fires can remove logs, tussocks, shrubs, litter and other refuge features, and can temporarily reduce cover and prey. Appropriate patch-mosaic burning should retain unburnt areas.

Livestock grazing can destroy vegetation and soil structure, including soil cracks used for shelter. Flooding can drown animals, inundate burrows and eliminate local populations. Drought and intensive flooding are both associated with population declines.

  • Retain unburnt refuge patches and avoid burning all ground cover within a potential population area.
  • Reduce grazing intensity or exclude stock from important habitat where practicable.
  • Assess changes to drainage, floodplain storage and overland flow before works that could flood or desiccate refuges.

Threats: Predators and chemical exposure

Feral and domestic cats and red foxes are major predators. Predation can increase after rainfall when prey and predator numbers rise. Native owls and snakes also take kultarrs.

Insecticides used for locust control may cause secondary poisoning because kultarrs eat many insects, have a high metabolic rate and may gorge on affected locusts.

  • Control feral cats and foxes in accordance with approved pest management programmes.
  • Keep domestic cats away from potential kultarr habitat near work camps and rural facilities.
  • Use insecticides only where authorised, follow label controls, and avoid contaminating prey or refuge areas.

Threats: Disease and monitoring gaps

The supplied sources do not identify a specific disease as a recognised major threat to the eastern kultarr. Handling, transport and release should nevertheless follow approved wildlife hygiene and disease-control procedures.

Limited information on distribution, home range, movement and food habits reduces confidence in impact assessments, particularly where a site has no previous records.

Specific disease threat: Not identified in the supplied sources

Key knowledge gaps: Home range, movement, food habits and detailed population size

  • Use clean equipment and minimise handling time during fauna rescue or relocation.
  • Report sightings, carcasses and unusual mortality to the relevant state authority.
  • Treat suitable habitat as potentially occupied where survey effort is insufficient to exclude this nocturnal species.

Survey methodology: 1. Nocturnal searches and spotlighting

The eastern kultarr is a small, nocturnal insectivorous marsupial of arid and semi-arid open country. Surveys must account for its low detectability, solitary behaviour, sheltering by day, seasonal population changes and use of soil cracks, logs, tussocks and animal burrows.

Survey after dark when kultarrs are active, using slow walking searches and spotlighting across likely habitat.

Prioritise sparsely vegetated claypans, open Acacia woodland, grassland, shrubland, spinifex tussocks, soil cracks, logs, stumps and animal burrows.

Record animals, tracks, shelter sites, prey remains and other signs, and note the habitat feature and location for each observation.

Search effort should cover all habitat proposed for clearing and adjoining retained habitat, with repeat visits where the species is a reasonable possibility because it is solitary, nocturnal and rarely observed by people.

Activity period: Nocturnal

Recorded speed: Up to 13.8 km/h

Recorded movement: Up to 1,700 m per night for males and 400 m per night for females

Survey methodology: 2. Shelter and habitat-feature searches

Undertake daylight searches for potential refuges before disturbance, including deep soil cracks, hollow logs, stumps, spinifex and other tussocks, shrub bases and burrows of other animals.

Map and photograph each refuge feature that may be removed, damaged or isolated by the works.

Inspect potential shelter only where it can be done safely and lawfully, and do not collapse cracks, open burrows or move logs and rocks during the survey.

Combine daylight habitat searches with nocturnal searches because kultarrs shelter during the day and may not be visible outside the night activity period.

Day shelter: Hollow logs, stumps, tussocks, soil cracks and animal burrows

Preferred eastern habitat: Claypans in Acacia woodlands

Other recorded habitat: Stony and sandy soils, grasslands, shrublands and open plains

Survey methodology: 3. Remote cameras and trapping, where authorised

Use remote cameras at likely refuge entrances, runways and foraging areas where spotlighting and direct searches are unlikely to provide adequate detection.

Use live trapping only under the relevant state or territory permit and an approved fauna survey or management plan, because the source material provides no standard trap type, trap spacing, trap nights or weather limits for this species.

Set any trapping program around animal welfare requirements, provide shelter and inspect traps at the required frequency, and stop trapping in unsuitable weather or when welfare cannot be maintained.

Treat a negative result cautiously because populations fluctuate with rainfall, drought and flooding, and the species may enter daily torpor.

Torpor duration: 2 to 16 hours

Torpor body temperature: About 11 °C

Population pattern: Seasonal fluctuations are reported

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Prepare a site-specific survey design that identifies the area searched, number and duration of nocturnal searches, weather and ground conditions, observers, equipment and any trapping or camera effort.
  • Survey all suitable habitat within the disturbance footprint and inspect retained habitat that may receive relocated animals.
  • Record positive and negative results, including exact coordinates, date, time, habitat, evidence type, photographs and any animal handling.
  • Have a suitably experienced ecologist assess whether additional repeat surveys are needed when habitat is extensive, connected to known records or affected by recent drought, flooding or fire.
  • Submit confirmed records and significant survey results to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and notify the project approval holder where required.
  • Check current state and territory survey guidance before fieldwork because the supplied documents do not provide a nationally standard survey effort for the eastern kultarr.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Avoiding removal of refuges and maintaining connected, sparsely vegetated habitat is the preferred protection measure. The eastern kultarr is endangered in New South Wales, and its habitat can be degraded by grazing, cultivation, fire, flooding and introduced predators.

Redesign the disturbance footprint to retain claypans, Acacia woodland, open grassland, spinifex and shrub cover used for foraging and shelter.

Retain deep soil cracks, hollow logs, stumps, fallen timber, leaf litter, understorey shrubs, tussocks, rocks and animal burrows wherever practicable.

Keep retained habitat connected to other suitable open country and avoid creating isolated patches, because isolated populations may be less able to recover after flooding or other damaging events.

Avoid clearing during periods when flooding has filled burrows or when fire has removed refuge cover, unless the project plan provides additional controls.

NSW status: Endangered

Commonwealth status: Not listed

Known NSW concentration: Cobar and Brewarrina region

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project planning

Confirm the current Commonwealth listing before works begin and assess whether an EPBC Act referral is required if the species becomes nationally listed or another protected matter is affected.

Obtain any state or territory threatened-species, scientific, trapping, relocation and wildlife rehabilitation approvals that apply to the project.

In New South Wales, treat the species as endangered and consult the current NSW profile, recovery advice and approval conditions before clearing.

Prepare a fauna management plan covering survey findings, no-go areas, habitat-feature handling, spotter catcher authority, stop-work triggers, release sites, incident response and reporting.

Stage clearing so fauna can move into retained habitat and so the spotter catcher can inspect each work area before machinery enters.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

Complete a pre-clearance search of the approved work area and mark all known or potential refuge features before vegetation or soil disturbance.

Install clearly visible no-go markers around retained habitat, claypans, logs, tussocks, burrows, soil-crack systems and other features identified by the ecologist.

Use exclusion fencing where it can prevent machinery, people and domestic animals from entering retained habitat without blocking safe movement between habitat patches.

Brief all workers on the species' appearance, nocturnal activity, shelter features, reporting process and the authority of the fauna spotter catcher to stop work.

Control feral cats, foxes and rabbits around retained habitat where this is authorised and included in the project plan.

Adult male size: 80 to 100 mm long and 17 to 30 g

Adult female size: 70 to 95 mm long and 14 to 29 g

Typical colour: Brown or sandy above with a white underside

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery coordination

Clearance must be supervised and staged. The fauna spotter catcher must have enough time and authority to inspect habitat, direct machinery and respond to any animal or refuge feature found.

The fauna spotter catcher must inspect the active work area before each shift and after any overnight change, including flooding, fire, high winds or unauthorised entry.

Keep machinery within the approved footprint and use a slow, staged clearance sequence that allows the spotter catcher to inspect vegetation, logs, stumps, tussocks, cracks and burrows before removal.

Maintain clear communication between the spotter catcher, machine operator and site supervisor, and stop the relevant plant immediately when the spotter catcher gives a stop-work instruction.

Keep workers, vehicles and domestic animals away from retained habitat and release areas.

Do not use night works in or next to suitable habitat unless the fauna management plan specifically addresses lighting, vehicle movement and nocturnal fauna risk.

During habitat disturbance: Handling habitat features

Move logs, stumps, rocks, tussocks and other potential refuges only under the direction of the fauna spotter catcher and after checking for animals.

Do not collapse soil cracks, fill burrows or bury logs and leaf litter until the spotter catcher has cleared the feature and the project ecologist has confirmed that removal is permitted.

Retain suitable habitat features in the disturbance area where possible, or place them in nearby retained habitat with similar cover and soil conditions if approved by the project ecologist.

Treat any hollow-bearing tree, fallen log, stump or burrow as potential fauna habitat even though the supplied sources do not identify a preferred hollow size or tree diameter for this species.

Keep fauna handling, relocation and release within the approvals and methods authorised for the project.

During habitat disturbance: Animal encounters and stop-work triggers

Stop work in the immediate area if a kultarr is seen, captured, injured, trapped in machinery or found in a refuge feature being removed.

Do not allow untrained workers to catch, chase, feed or transport the animal; handling must be done only by an appropriately authorised fauna handler.

Release a healthy animal as soon as practicable into nearby retained habitat with suitable cover, at a location approved by the project ecologist and consistent with permit conditions.

Place an injured animal in a secure, dark, temperature-appropriate container and transfer it to an authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian without delay.

Stop work and obtain ecological advice if more than one animal is found, if a mother and dependent young are separated, if the approved release area is unavailable, or if flooding, fire or machinery damage has removed the planned refuge habitat.

Record every observation, capture, injury, relocation, mortality, habitat feature affected, time, location, personnel and action taken.

Pouch period reported in source material: 30 to 48 days in one account, and up to 20 days in another account

Young become independent: Weaning is reported at 80 to 90 days in captivity

Known introduced predators: Feral cats and red foxes

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance inspection

Post-clearance checks confirm that no animal or refuge was overlooked and that retained habitat remains functional. Monitoring should focus on the disturbance footprint, release areas and retained habitat connected to the works.

Have the fauna spotter catcher or project ecologist inspect the cleared area, remaining logs, stumps, tussocks, cracks, burrows and machinery before the area is handed back to construction.

Check release areas for signs of injury, predation, disturbance, flooding and loss of cover after relocation.

Remove temporary exclusion fencing only when the area is safe and the project ecologist confirms that it will not expose animals to machinery or prevent access to retained habitat.

Investigate any dead or injured animal and preserve photographs, coordinates and incident details for approval reporting.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and compliance reporting

Monitor retained and rehabilitated habitat with repeat nocturnal searches, remote cameras or other approved methods suited to the project risk and permit conditions.

Compare records before and after works, including animal detections, shelter features retained, habitat condition, predator activity and evidence of flooding or fire.

Maintain daily clearance records, fauna registers, maps, photographs, permit documents, stop-work events, releases, injuries and mortalities.

Report records and incidents to the relevant state or territory wildlife agency and wildlife database, and meet all Commonwealth, state, approval and consent-condition reporting requirements.

Review the fauna management plan if the species is detected, habitat features are lost, or monitoring shows continuing predator pressure or declining habitat condition.

Known NSW distribution condition: Widespread across arid and semi-arid NSW but present in very low numbers

NSW profile update: 27 October 2017

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

Assess residual impacts under the applicable Commonwealth, state or territory assessment and approval framework after avoidance, minimisation and rehabilitation measures are applied.

Use any required offset or conservation contribution to protect and manage suitable eastern kultarr habitat, including claypans, Acacia woodland, soil cracks, logs, tussocks and connected open country.

Document why the offset area is suitable, how it will be protected, how predator and grazing pressures will be managed, and how success will be measured.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should restore the open, sparsely vegetated structure and shelter features used by the eastern kultarr. Recovery will depend on retaining natural soil structure, ground cover and refuge features, while managing predators, grazing and fire.

Reinstate locally appropriate Acacia woodland, open grassland, shrubland and spinifex or other Triodia tussock cover where those communities occurred before clearing.

Restore claypan and open-country habitat without creating dense vegetation that removes the open foraging conditions reported for the species.

Rebuild natural soil profiles and protect deep cracks from compaction, grading and repeated vehicle movement.

Replace retained or salvaged logs, stumps, rocks, leaf litter and suitable tussocks in stable positions that provide daytime shelter.

Do not introduce nest boxes as a substitute for natural habitat unless the project ecologist documents a specific need, because the supplied sources do not establish a nest-box design or occupancy requirement for the eastern kultarr.

Eastern habitat preference: Claypans in Acacia woodlands

Shelter features: Logs, stumps, tussocks, soil cracks and animal burrows

Diet: Mostly spiders, cockroaches, crickets and other terrestrial arthropods

Rehabilitation actions: Manage threats during recovery

Control feral cats and red foxes around retained and rehabilitated habitat under an approved pest-management programme.

Manage rabbits and livestock so grazing, trampling and soil damage do not remove ground cover or collapse soil cracks.

Use a patch mosaic fire regime where authorised, retaining unburnt refuge patches and avoiding broad, severe fires that remove logs, tussocks, shrubs and leaf litter.

Prevent cultivation, weed invasion, waste dumping and vehicle access in rehabilitated habitat.

Design drainage and flood controls so they do not direct water into burrows, claypans or retained habitat, and inspect the site after major flooding.

Reported threats: Cats, foxes, grazing, cultivation, fire, flooding and possible insecticide poisoning

Fire management objective: Retain a mosaic of unburnt refuge areas

Flood effect: Flooding can drown animals, fill burrows and eliminate local populations

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

Inspect rehabilitation after rain, flooding, fire and construction traffic to confirm that soil cracks, logs, tussocks, ground cover and open foraging areas remain available.

Monitor vegetation establishment, ground cover, refuge-feature retention, predator activity and evidence of kultarr use at agreed intervals and for the period required by approval conditions.

Use nocturnal searches and remote cameras to assess whether kultarrs or other target fauna are using rehabilitated and connected retained habitat.

Set project-specific completion criteria with the approval authority, including stable soil structure, retained refuge features, controlled predators, functioning connectivity and no ongoing unauthorised disturbance.

Report failures such as erosion, dense weed growth, grazing damage, predator concentration, flooding impacts or absence of required habitat features, and implement corrective actions.

Wild lifespan: Up to 67 months reported

Captive lifespan: Up to 48 months in one source, and up to 5 years in other source material

Movement relevant to connectivity: Up to 1,700 m per night for males and 400 m per night for females

Sources