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Hastings River Mouse (Pseudomys oralis)

The Hastings River mouse is a small, nocturnal native rodent of open forests and woodlands in New South Wales and south-east Queensland. It uses dense ground cover, moist gullies, creek lines, ridges and slopes, and shelter such as rocks, logs and tree butt hollows, so clearing, fire, grazing and construction can remove both feeding habitat and refuge sites.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Endangered.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Breeding season

The species is resident rather than migratory, and no seasonal migration pattern is described in the supplied sources. Breeding has been recorded from August to March, so clearing during this period may affect nests, dependent young and the adults using nearby shelter.

Month values are January to December. A value of 1 indicates occurrence or elevated risk; a value of 2 indicates a documented peak. No documented peak month is available in the supplied sources.

  • Breeding: Breeding has been recorded from August to March. The sources do not identify peak breeding months.
  • Young: Litters of 2 to 3 young may be raised during the August to March breeding period, with 1 to 3 litters possible in a season.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest during the documented August to March breeding period because clearing can destroy nests, shelter and dense ground cover used by dependent young and adults.

Identification

The Hastings River mouse is a medium-sized native rodent with a rounded snout, large eyes and a distinctive bicoloured tail. It is difficult to detect because it occurs at low density and is active mainly at night.

The fur is long and soft, brownish-grey or grey-brown above and buff, off-white or grey below. The eyes are prominent and surrounded by a dark or black ring. The nose is strongly rounded, sometimes described as a Roman nose. The upper surfaces of the feet are distinctly white.

The tail is about as long as the head and body. It is dark above and cream to white below, rather than uniformly coloured. Females have four teats in the groin region.

Head and body: About 17 cm

Tail: About 15 cm, bicoloured and furred white underneath

Average weight: 85 g for females and 95 g for males

Identification: Distinguishing features

The Hastings River mouse can be separated from the black rat and swamp rat by its white feet, large eyes and slender bicoloured tail. Those rats generally have dark feet, smaller eyes and a uniformly coloured tail.

It differs from the bush rat by having four groin teats rather than more than eight teats over the chest, and by lacking the bush rat's strongly ringed tail. It differs from the eastern chestnut mouse because both its skin and hair are bicoloured, rather than only the hair.

  • Check the rounded snout, prominent dark-ringed eyes, white feet and dark-above, pale-below tail together.
  • Do not rely on tail colour alone when identifying a live animal in poor light.
  • Do not collect voucher specimens for identification.

Identification: Field signs and detection

The species is nocturnal, occurs at low density and may be present at less than one individual per hectare. A failure to capture it does not demonstrate absence where suitable habitat remains.

Potential daytime signs include nests or shelter sites in rock piles, crevices, fallen logs and tree butt hollows. The species may also use dense ground cover and permanent shelter around gullies, slopes and ridges.

For development surveys, use targeted trapping in suitable habitat and combine it with searches for shelter resources and signs. The Australian Government guidelines identify Elliott A traps, pitfall traps, hair sampling devices, searches for signs and predator scat or owl cast analysis as suitable techniques for small ground-dwelling mammals. Surveys for this species must follow the recovery plan survey requirements.

  • Search systematically along transects spaced 50 to 100 m apart, or in representative quadrats.
  • For a 5 ha area, the general guideline suggests 2 hours of search effort for each 1 ha stratified survey site.
  • Use repeated or targeted survey effort in suitable habitat because capture rates can be low.

Distribution: States and regions

The Hastings River mouse has a patchy distribution along the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales and Queensland. Records extend from the Barrington Tops area in New South Wales to the Warwick and Bunya Mountains area of south-east Queensland.

In New South Wales, the indicative distribution includes parts of the New England Tablelands and NSW North Coast, including the Barrington, Carrai Plateau, Chaelundi, Coffs Coast and Escarpment, Dalmorton, Macleay Gorges, Mummel Escarpment, Rocky River Gorge, Tomalla, Upper Manning and Washpool areas.

In Queensland, records and predicted habitat occur in the Scenic Rim and the wider south-east Queensland area, with the northern range extending towards the Bunya Mountains near Kingaroy. The species is associated mainly with elevations above about 250 to 300 m in many mapped New South Wales and Scenic Rim subregions, although the broader reported elevation range is 300 to 1250 m.

  • New South Wales: Barrington Tops, New England Tablelands and northern coastal escarpment areas.
  • Queensland: Scenic Rim, Warwick area and the Bunya Mountains region.
  • Gondwana Rainforests components in both states include habitat and records for the species.

Distribution: Population pattern

The species is one of Australia's rarest Pseudomys rodents and was rediscovered in south-east Queensland in 1969 after being considered extinct. Populations are patchy, and genetic evidence indicates little gene flow between populations, suggesting that the distribution is not continuous.

The supplied sources do not provide a current national population estimate. The number of captures since rediscovery is a record of survey detections, not an estimate of abundance.

Recorded captures: About 620 captured since 1969 in the recovery and survey literature

Typical density: Frequently less than 1 individual per hectare

Home range: Generally 0.5 to 4 ha

Population structure: Little gene flow between populations has been reported

Habitat: Vegetation and structure

The Hastings River mouse occupies open forest and woodland with dense, diverse ground cover. Suitable habitat can occur in gullies and creek lines as well as on ridges and mid-slopes.

Recorded habitat includes dry open forest, open woodland and some old-growth forest. The understorey may contain grasses, sedges, mat-rushes, ferns, herbs, heath or rushes.

Important structural features include dense low ground cover, high plant diversity, fallen logs, rocky outcrops, rock piles, crevices and access to seepage zones, creeks or gullies. Habitat can occur away from drainage lines where ridge and mid-slope ground cover is dense.

  • Retain continuous ground cover and avoid creating bare areas through clearing, machinery traffic or grazing.
  • Map and protect rocky shelter, fallen timber, tree butt hollows, seepage areas, creeks and moist gullies before works begin.
  • Treat dense ground cover on ridges and mid-slopes as potential habitat, not only vegetation beside creeks.

Habitat: Elevation and fire history

The reported elevation range is approximately 300 to 1250 m. The species is often associated with habitat that has remained unburnt for more than 10 years, although records also occur in areas subject to fire cycles of less than 5 to 8 years.

This variation indicates that time since fire should be considered with ground-cover condition, shelter availability and habitat connectivity. It should not be used alone to rule habitat in or out.

Reported elevation range: About 300 to 1250 m

Common habitat condition: Dense ground cover and suitable shelter, often where time since burning exceeds 10 years

Foraging habitat: Food resources

The Hastings River mouse feeds on plant material across its ground-cover habitat, with supplementary animal and fungal foods. It forages at night within a relatively small home range.

A large part of the diet consists of native legumes, especially Glycine species, together with seeds and leaves of Carex, Juncus and Poa. New growth is an important food source.

Other recorded foods include moss, hypogeal fungi, insects, arthropods, stems and flowers.

  • Retain native legume, grass, sedge, rush and mat-rush diversity in the ground layer.
  • Avoid removing new ground-layer growth, fallen timber and moist microhabitats that support fungi and invertebrates.
  • Control weeds where they reduce the diversity and abundance of native ground cover.

Foraging habitat: Foraging area

The species is ground-dwelling and nocturnal. It uses creek-line, gully, ridge and mid-slope habitat, rather than being restricted to one landform.

Home ranges are generally 0.5 to 4 ha and may overlap with those of other individuals. Clearing within or between these areas can remove food plants and interrupt access to shelter.

Activity period: Mainly at night

Typical home range: 0.5 to 4 ha

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding occurs in the warmer part of the year but extends across much of spring and summer. Breeding habitat requires nearby food, dense ground cover and secure nest or shelter sites.

Females may produce more than one litter in a season. Young are raised in nests or shelters associated with rocks, crevices, tree butt hollows or fallen logs.

The supplied sources do not provide a gestation period. Individuals mature at about one year of age and may live for up to three years.

Breeding season: August to March

Young per litter: Usually 2 to 3

Litters per season: 1 to 3

Gestation: Not stated in the supplied sources

Age at maturity: About 1 year

Lifespan: Up to 3 years

Breeding habitat: Habitat needed for breeding

Breeding sites may occur in gullies, creek lines, ridges or slopes if dense ground cover and permanent shelter are available. The same nest site may be used by successive generations over several years.

Retain shelter sites and the surrounding ground layer as a connected unit. Removing cover around a nest site can expose animals to predators and reduce access to food.

  • Inspect rock piles, rock crevices, fallen logs and tree butt hollows before clearing.
  • Avoid disturbing suitable habitat during August to March where practicable.
  • Where works cannot avoid this period, use targeted pre-clearing surveys and fauna spotter catcher procedures based on the approved management plan.

Sheltering habitat: Known shelter types

The Hastings River mouse shelters during the day in enclosed or well-covered sites close to dense ground vegetation. These sites can be small, concealed and difficult to detect during routine inspections.

Reported nest and shelter sites include rock piles, rock crevices, fallen logs and tree butt hollows. The Australian Museum also records hollow logs, tree cavities, epiphytes and underground shelter.

Dense grass, sedge, fern, rush, heath and mat-rush cover provides additional concealment. Permanent shelter is particularly important around creeks, seepage zones and gullies, but suitable sites also occur on ridges and slopes.

  • Retain fallen logs, coarse woody debris, rock piles, rocky outcrops and tree butt hollows.
  • Do not place spoil, logs, waste material or machinery over potential shelter sites.
  • Keep ground cover connected to shelter features during staged clearing.

Sheltering habitat: Survey and clearing precautions

No specific nest dimensions are provided in the supplied documents. Because the species is small, nocturnal and sparse, shelter searches should be combined with targeted trapping and other approved detection methods.

The species can occur in old-growth forest and in areas affected by previous logging or relatively frequent fire, so the absence of large trees or closed forest does not exclude potential habitat.

  • Search habitat resources systematically before vegetation removal.
  • Use Elliott A trapping, pitfall trapping, hair sampling devices and other approved methods where habitat assessment indicates potential occurrence.
  • Have a fauna spotter catcher check exposed logs, rocks, hollows and dense ground cover during clearing.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The main risks are loss and degradation of dense ground-cover habitat, inappropriate fire, grazing and predation. Development can also increase fragmentation and remove shelter features used during the day.

Large-scale clearing for development and agriculture removes open sclerophyll forest, ground-layer food plants and shelter. Clearing can also create barriers between occupied patches and alter vegetation structure.

Construction traffic can crush ground cover, logs, rock shelters and burrows, while spoil placement and drainage works can remove or bury shelter resources.

  • Avoid clearing mapped or potential habitat, particularly dense ground cover near creeks, gullies, seepage zones, ridges and rocky shelter.
  • Maintain habitat connections between occupied or suitable patches.
  • Use pre-clearing searches and staged clearing where habitat cannot be avoided.

Threats: Fire, grazing and vegetation change

Frequent or severe fire can remove dense ground cover, coarse woody debris and refuge sites. Unburnt areas can provide important refugia after fire, and post-fire monitoring has identified the species in burnt areas as well as affected habitat.

Cattle grazing and trampling can damage preferred habitat, especially near water. Weeds including lantana and blackberry can reduce the diversity, abundance and condition of native ground cover. Rabbits can have similar effects through grazing.

  • Retain unburnt refuges and avoid unnecessary disturbance after fire.
  • Manage fire to retain diverse native understorey and shelter features.
  • Exclude stock from sensitive ground cover, creek lines and seepage areas.
  • Control weeds and rabbits where they reduce native ground-layer habitat.

Threats: Predation, fragmentation and other pressures

Predation by foxes and feral cats is a recognised threat, and predation risk may increase where clearing or fire removes cover. Roads and linear infrastructure are not identified as a separate threat in the supplied species sources, but they can contribute to clearing, fragmentation, vehicle access and predator movement.

Changes to rainfall and fire regimes can alter ground-cover condition. The supplied sources do not identify a species-specific disease threat.

  • Incorporate fox and feral cat control into site and reserve management where the species occurs.
  • Limit new barriers and retain vegetated connections across infrastructure corridors.
  • Protect creek lines, gullies and seepage zones from altered drainage and upstream clearing.
  • Do not assume that a site is clear of the species solely because trapping results are negative.

Survey methodology: 1. Search and map suitable habitat

The Hastings River mouse is a nocturnal, ground-dwelling rodent that occurs at low density and is easily missed by low-effort surveys. Survey effort must target suitable habitat and follow the survey requirements in the species recovery plan, with trapping used where the species may occur.

Map and ground-truth open forest and woodland with dense, diverse ground cover of grass, sedge, rush, fern or heath. Prioritise creek lines, seepage zones, moist gullies, ridges and mid-slopes with permanent shelter.

Record rocky outcrops, rock piles, fallen logs, tree butt hollows, dense ground cover, nests, burrows and other shelter features before placing traps or planning disturbance.

Include habitat at about 300 to 1250 metres elevation. The NSW profile records the species mainly above 250 to 300 metres in several subregions.

Habitat elevation reported in the guidelines: About 300 to 1250 metres

Suggested transect spacing: 50 to 100 metres

Suggested search effort for a 5 hectare area: Two hours per hectare of stratified survey site

  • Use aerial photographs, vegetation maps, topographic maps and current satellite imagery to plan the survey.
  • Search representative habitat systematically along transects spaced 50 to 100 metres apart, or in representative quadrats.
  • For a 5 hectare area, use the guideline suggestion of two hours for every one hectare of stratified survey site, combining the habitat search with searches for signs.
  • Repeat the search across each habitat type and retain separate effort records for burnt, unburnt, disturbed and retained areas.

Survey methodology: 2. Targeted trapping

Use targeted live trapping in suitable habitat because the species commonly occurs at less than one individual per hectare and can escape detection when trapping effort is low.

Surveys must conform to the survey guidelines in the Hastings River mouse recovery plan. The supplied national guideline does not provide a species-specific number of trap sites, traps, nights or trap nights for this species.

Typical reported density: Frequently less than one individual per hectare

Breeding period: August to March

Average body weight: About 85 grams for females and 95 grams for males

  • Design the trapping grid to sample creek lines, ridges, slopes and shelter-rich ground cover, rather than placing all traps in one habitat patch.
  • Use small mammal box traps, including Elliott A traps, in accordance with the approved recovery-plan method and current animal-welfare requirements.
  • Obtain approval for the trapping method, bait, trap checks, weather limits and handling before fieldwork starts.
  • Record trap locations, trap nights, weather, habitat, captures, non-captures, trap interference and any evidence of predation.

Survey methodology: 3. Hair and non-invasive detection

Hair sampling devices are suitable for the Hastings River mouse and can provide species records without capturing the animal. Hair samples must be analysed by an appropriately qualified specialist.

Use non-invasive methods to supplement, not replace, targeted trapping where the species may be present at low density.

Hair identification in the guideline: The Hastings River mouse is listed as identifiable from a hair sample

Hair device deployment described in the guideline: Several consecutive days

  • Deploy baited hair tubes or hair funnels for several consecutive days, following the device and hygiene requirements in the survey guideline.
  • Label every insert with the device location, deployment and retrieval dates, bait, habitat and project reference.
  • Collect predator scats, owl casts and remains where they can be searched safely and legally, and submit material for suitable analysis.
  • Use remote cameras at shelter-rich sites as a supplementary method, particularly where trapping is unsuitable or where repeated monitoring is required.
  • Search for tracks, nests, burrows, scats and other signs during the daytime habitat inspection, but do not treat an absence of signs as evidence that the species is absent.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use a stratified design that represents all suitable habitat and replicates sampling between habitat types where the project area is larger than 5 hectares.
  • Use the species recovery-plan survey method for the final trapping design, because the supplied guideline states that Hastings River mouse surveys must conform to that plan.
  • Survey during suitable weather and avoid conditions that expose trapped animals to heat, cold, heavy rain or flooding.
  • Record negative results as well as detections, including the area searched, transect length, search hours, trap nights, hair-device nights, camera nights, weather and habitat condition.
  • Report confirmed records and any mortality, injury or unauthorised disturbance to the relevant NSW or Queensland wildlife authority and submit occurrence data to the relevant state wildlife database or Atlas of Living Australia pathway.
  • Retain photographs, field sheets, trap and device coordinates, specimen or hair-chain-of-custody details and identification records with the project environmental records.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Treat any suitable habitat within the species' patchy NSW and Queensland range as potentially occupied until survey evidence and the relevant approval process support another conclusion. The species is listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act and in NSW and Queensland in the supplied project information.

Retain open forest and woodland with dense ground cover, creek lines, seepage zones, gullies, rocky shelter and fallen logs. These features support shelter, movement and feeding.

Avoid clearing connected habitat patches and retain links between occupied or potentially occupied sites. Populations have little gene flow and the distribution is not continuous.

Keep disturbance outside retained habitat wherever practicable, including access tracks, stockpiles, drainage works, laydown areas and compound fencing.

Reported home range: Generally 0.5 to 4 hectares

Important shelter features: Rocky outcrops, fallen logs, rock piles, tree butt hollows and dense ground cover

  • Redesign the footprint to avoid known records, dense ground cover, rocky outcrops, rock piles, fallen logs and tree butt hollows.
  • Retain a continuous vegetation connection between habitat patches and avoid creating isolated retained islands.
  • Do not remove coarse woody debris or use retained habitat for spoil, machinery parking, lighting or night works.
  • Control cattle, rabbits, foxes, feral cats, weeds and other pressures that reduce ground cover or shelter.

Before habitat disturbance: Check approvals and plan the works

Confirm whether the action is likely to have a significant impact on the nationally listed species and obtain advice on an EPBC Act referral before works begin. State approvals and wildlife handling permits must also be checked for the relevant jurisdiction.

Prepare a species-specific fauna management plan when suitable habitat, a record or an unresolved survey risk occurs within or near the work area.

  • Obtain written environmental approval for the final footprint, clearing limits, survey design, trapping, handling, relocation and rehabilitation measures.
  • Schedule clearing outside the August to March breeding period where practicable, while recognising that individuals, nests and shelter sites may still be present outside that period.
  • Stage clearing so that retained habitat remains connected and animals have nearby cover while each work area is inspected and cleared.
  • Include stop-work criteria, contact details for the fauna spotter catcher, wildlife authority, veterinarian and wildlife carer in the site plan.

Before habitat disturbance: Prepare the site

Complete the pre-clearance survey and mark all habitat features and retained vegetation before machinery enters the work area.

Use exclusion fencing where it can prevent machinery, people, cattle or materials from entering retained habitat without blocking required animal movement.

  • Mark clearing limits, retained trees, logs, rocks, dense ground-cover patches, creek lines, gullies and known or potential shelter sites with durable signs and high-visibility tape.
  • Brief all operators on the species' appearance: a rounded nose, prominent dark-ringed eyes, white feet and a bicoloured tail.
  • Provide a clean, secure holding container, gloves and other approved equipment for an authorised handler, but do not handle animals unless trained and authorised.
  • Inspect the work area at the start of each clearing day and after overnight weather, flooding, fire or changes to the clearing footprint.

During habitat disturbance: Daily clearing controls

Clearing must proceed under direct environmental control in small, inspected work areas. The fauna spotter catcher should work ahead of machinery and retain the authority to stop work when an animal, shelter feature or unexpected habitat risk is found.

Set out and recheck the approved clearing boundary each day. Keep machinery, spoil and traffic out of retained habitat.

Clear progressively from the disturbed edge towards retained habitat only where the approved fauna management plan supports that direction and the spotter catcher confirms that animals can move into safe retained cover.

Avoid night clearing because the species is nocturnal and may be active on the ground. If night work cannot be avoided, obtain approval for the lighting and fauna controls and inspect the area before work.

  • Conduct a pre-start fauna inspection of ground cover, logs, rocks, hollows, burrows, drainage lines and machinery exclusion zones.
  • Keep the spotter catcher within sight of the active clearing face and machinery operator.
  • Use low speed and stop machinery immediately when the spotter catcher gives the stop signal.
  • Do not burn, mulch, bury or move habitat features until the spotter catcher has inspected them and the approved method allows the action.
  • Check trenches, pits, pipes and excavations at least daily and before backfilling, and provide escape ramps or covers where appropriate.

During habitat disturbance: Handle habitat features carefully

Treat fallen logs, rock piles, rocky outcrops, dense ground cover and tree butt hollows as potential shelter. The species may also nest in crevices and fallen logs.

Retain habitat features in place wherever possible. If an approved action requires movement, inspect the feature first and move it only under the fauna spotter catcher's direction.

  • Lower hollow-bearing or butt-hollow trees in a controlled manner where removal is approved, and inspect the tree, cavities and surrounding ground before cutting or moving it.
  • Lift rocks and logs slowly, inspect underneath, and place retained features in nearby connected habitat with similar cover and moisture conditions.
  • Do not destroy an occupied nest or shelter site. Stop work and obtain direction from the authorised ecologist or wildlife authority.
  • Protect creek lines, seepage zones, gullies and moist ground from sediment, fuel, concrete washout and altered drainage.

During habitat disturbance: Respond to an animal or stop-work event

Stop work immediately if a Hastings River mouse is seen, trapped, injured, found in a machine or discovered in a shelter feature within the clearing area.

Only an appropriately trained and authorised person may capture, handle, identify or relocate the animal. Minimise handling, noise, heat and exposure.

Place an injured animal in a secure, quiet container and arrange prompt assessment by a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer. Do not release an injured animal without professional direction.

  • Record the location, time, condition, behaviour, habitat feature, photographs and people present at every detection.
  • Keep machinery and people back while the authorised handler assesses whether the animal can move into nearby retained habitat without capture.
  • If relocation is approved, release the animal into nearby connected, suitable retained habitat with dense cover and shelter, using the approved wildlife handling protocol.
  • Do not relocate an animal across roads, cleared barriers, unsuitable habitat or outside the approved local area.
  • Stop work for any unassessed record, mortality, injury, occupied nest or shelter, damage to retained habitat, breach of the clearing boundary or failure of exclusion fencing.
  • Notify the project ecologist and relevant wildlife authority of a confirmed record, injury, death or unauthorised impact.

After habitat disturbance: Inspect and maintain the site

Post-clearing controls should confirm that no animal remains in the disturbed area, protect retained habitat and test whether the project has altered the features used by the species.

Complete a final post-clearance inspection of the work area, machinery, stockpiles, trenches, drains and remaining shelter features before the area is handed back to construction or operations.

Keep exclusion fencing, erosion controls and access restrictions in place until the retained habitat is stable and the environmental officer approves their removal.

  • Search newly exposed ground, logs, rocks, tree bases, gullies and drainage structures for animals, nests, carcasses and signs.
  • Remove or modify hazards such as open pits, unsecured pipes, deep drains, loose fencing and stock access points.
  • Repair any damage to retained ground cover, logs, rocks, creek lines or shelter sites caused by construction.
  • Control weeds, rabbits, foxes and feral cats where they threaten retained habitat or recovery.

After habitat disturbance: Monitor and report outcomes

Use the pre-clearance survey as the baseline for monitoring retained habitat and any confirmed population record. Monitoring should be designed around the species' low density and the risk of false absences.

Continue targeted monitoring where the project removed or fragmented suitable habitat, affected a known record, altered fire or drainage, or required animal relocation.

  • Repeat the approved combination of targeted trapping, hair sampling, cameras and habitat assessment at the intervals required by the approval or fauna management plan.
  • Compare trap nights, device nights, camera effort, habitat condition and detections between pre-work and post-work surveys.
  • Report confirmed records, injuries, mortalities, relocations, habitat loss, rehabilitation progress and control failures to the approval holder and relevant wildlife databases.
  • Review the management plan if monitoring detects the species in an active work area, declining ground cover, increased predation or loss of connectivity.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should rebuild the ground cover and shelter structure used by the Hastings River mouse, while restoring connected open forest and woodland habitat. Recovery targets should be stated in the approval or rehabilitation plan and measured against nearby suitable reference habitat.

Re-establish dense, diverse native ground cover with grasses, sedges, rushes, ferns, herbs and mat-rush where these match the local vegetation community.

Use local provenance species suited to the site and retain or reinstate native food plants recorded for the species, including Glycine, Carex, Juncus and Poa where appropriate to the local community.

Reinstate fallen logs, stable rocks and rock piles in connected positions that provide daytime shelter. Do not place features in drainage paths or where they create construction hazards.

Protect creek lines, seepage zones, moist gullies and drainage connections from erosion, sediment, compaction and altered flow.

Reported food items: Native legumes, Glycine, Carex, Juncus and Poa, plus moss, fungi and insects

Reported nest and shelter sites: Rock piles, crevices, tree butt hollows and fallen logs

  • Stabilise soil with native ground cover rather than relying on dense exotic grass or mulch.
  • Retain natural regeneration and avoid broad-scale slashing of recovering understorey.
  • Replace removed shelter features with equivalent natural materials only where approved and ecologically suitable.
  • Consider nest boxes only if an ecologist confirms that natural shelter is unavailable and the design is suitable for this ground-dwelling species; do not use nest boxes as a substitute for retaining logs, rocks and ground cover.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage fire, weeds and predators

Manage fire to retain diverse ground cover and avoid frequent burning of occupied or recovering habitat. The species profile identifies increased time since burning, including more than 10 years in some habitat descriptions, as a habitat characteristic, although other records include sites with shorter burn cycles.

Control lantana, blackberry and other weeds that reduce native ground-cover diversity and abundance.

Control foxes and feral cats where monitoring or the approved recovery plan identifies predation risk.

  • Do not use prescribed fire in rehabilitation areas without an ecological assessment of the Hastings River mouse habitat, nearby refuges and season of use.
  • Retain unburnt refugia and protect them from subsequent fire during recovery.
  • Use weed and predator control methods that do not destroy logs, rocks, nests or dense native ground cover.
  • Manage cattle access and rabbit grazing where trampling or overgrazing threatens rehabilitation success.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitor rehabilitation success

Monitor vegetation structure, shelter availability, connectivity and species use, not only plant survival. The species occurs at low density, so a non-detection does not by itself demonstrate rehabilitation failure.

Use the same survey methods and effort before and after rehabilitation where practicable so results can be compared.

  • Measure native ground-cover density and diversity, weed cover, bare ground, retained and reinstated logs and rocks, erosion, grazing damage and connectivity to nearby habitat.
  • Use targeted trapping, hair devices, cameras and habitat searches in suitable conditions and during the approved monitoring period.
  • Set corrective actions if ground cover remains sparse, shelter is lost, weeds expand, predators increase, fire damages refugia or drainage changes the habitat.
  • Maintain records of planting, feature placement, fire, weed and predator control, survey effort, detections, injuries and mortalities, and submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database.

Sources