Genome-Wide SNPs Detect Hybridisation of Marsupial Gliders (Petaurus breviceps breviceps × Petaurus norfolcensis) in the Wild

Petaurus breviceps and Petaurus norfolcensis have produced hybrids in captivity, however there are no reported cases of Petaurus hybridisation in the wild. This study uses morphological data, mitochondrial DNA, and nuclear genome-wide SNP markers to confirm P. breviceps breviceps × P. norfolcensis hybridisation within their natural range on the central coast of New South Wales, Australia. Morphological data identified a potential hybrid that was confirmed with next-generation sequencing technology and 10,111 genome-wide SNPs. Both STRUCTURE and NewHybrid analyses identified the hybrid as a P. norfolcensis backcross, which suggests an initial F1 hybrid was fertile. The mitochondrial DNA matched that of a P. b. breviceps, indicating that a P. b. breviceps female initially mated with a P. norfolcensis male to produce a fertile female offspring. Our study is an important example of how genome-wide SNPs can be used to identify hybrids where the distribution of congeners overlaps. Hybridisation between congeners is likely to become more frequent as climate changes and habitats fragment, resulting in increased interactions and competition for resources and mates.

KAJIAN AWAL POTENSI OPOSUM LAYANG (Petaurus breviceps) SEBAGAI RESERVOIR BAKTERI ZOONOTIK DAN RESISTENSI ANTIMIKROBA

Oposum layang atau sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) merupakan salah satu satwa endemik Indonesia. Permintaan akan satwa eksotis ini sebagai hewan peliharaan terus meningkat namun informasi terkait potensi zoonosis yang ditimbulkannya masih sangat terbatas. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeteksi dan mengidentifikasi bakteri patogen yang dibawa oleh oposum layang melalui pendekatan culture-dependant method dan untuk mengetahui pola resistensi antibiotiknya. Sampel yang digunakan adalah feses oposum layang (n=21) yang dikoleksi dari fasilitas riset satwa liar di Pusat Penelitian Biologi LIPI, Bogor. Berdasarkan uji presumptif Salmonella pada medium Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate (XLD) agar, sebanyak 6 sampel (29%) dinyatakan positif, sedangkan uji presumtif untuk Listeria pada Listeria isolation transwab dinyatakan positif untuk semua sampel (100%). Secara total, sebanyak 43 isolat telah berhasil dikoleksi dan dikarakterisasi fenotipiknya terhadap antibiotik dan sembilan isolat (21%) diantaranya menunjukkan adanya resistensi terhadap satu jenis antibiotik atau lebih. Sementara itu, tiga isolat potensial patogen telah diidentifikasi menggunakan gen 16S rRNA yaitu Shigella sonnei (X15), Klebsiella pneumoniae (X21) dan Bacillus flexus (H8). Penelitian lanjutan untuk mengidentifikasi bakteri yang dikoleksi dan mengkonfirmasi patogenisitasnya masih perlu dilakukan namun berdasarkan hasil dari kajian awal ini, kami menguatkan hipotesis bahwa oposum layang berpotensi sebagai reservoir dari bakteri zoonosis sekaligus reservoir dari resistensi antimikroba.

Insulated nest boxes provide thermal refuges for wildlife in urban bushland during summer heatwaves

In urban bushland, the installation of nest boxes is widely used to compensate for the loss of natural tree hollows. However, current nest box designs may not provide thermal refuges for wildlife during summer heatwaves, particularly if internal temperatures exceed the upper critical temperatures of wildlife. We investigated whether the addition of roofing insulation to nest boxes deployed for sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) and squirrel gliders (Petaurus norfolcensis) in urban bushland would reduce internal nest box temperatures during summer heatwaves. We measured temperatures of 44 insulated and 47 uninsulated nest boxes during one of the hottest summers on record (2018–2019) in the Lake Macquarie region of NSW, Australia, a period during which several prolonged heatwaves occurred. Over the 90-day study, maximum temperatures were, on average, 3.1°C lower in insulated boxes than in uninsulated boxes. The addition of insulation significantly lowered nest box temperatures regardless of aspect (north or south facing) or day of measurement. Temperatures exceeded the upper critical temperature (35.1°C) of gliders more frequently in uninsulated nest boxes (28% of days) than in insulated nest boxes (8% days). Although the addition of insulation to nest boxes lowered their internal temperatures, during heatwaves spanning 23 days, nest box temperatures exceeded the upper critical temperatures of gliders on 58% and 23% of days in uninsulated and insulated nest boxes respectively. These findings underscore the importance of retaining natural hollows in urban bushland to provide thermally suitable refuges for wildlife during extreme heat events.

The diet of a Sooty Owl from Yarrangobilly Caves, NSW

ABSTRACT A total of 783 dietary items from a Sooty Owl Tyto tenebricosa tenebricosa with suspected partial xanthochromism (yellow plumage colouration) was identified from Yarrangobilly Caves, NSW. Observations of the owl at the cave and collection of feathers suggest that prey items accumulated between 2011 and 2018. A total of 12 mammal species was detected in the diet, with the Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes, Agile Antechinus Antechinus agilis, Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps and Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus dominating. The diet also included three threatened species, the Eastern Pygmy Possum Cercartetus nanus, Smoky Mouse Pseudomys fumeus and Broad-toothed Rat Mastacomys fuscus. The diversity of prey identified in the diet contrasts markedly with that found in studies of subfossil deposits from the area, supporting evidence of extensive mammal declines since European settlement.

Integrative taxonomic investigation of Petaurus breviceps (Marsupialia: Petauridae) reveals three distinct species

The Australian sugar glider, Petaurus breviceps s.l., is widely distributed across eastern and northern Australia. Examination of historical and contemporary collections of Petaurus specimens and phylogenetic analyses have revealed considerable taxonomic diversity within the genus. We aimed to utilize an integrative taxonomic approach, combining genetic and morphological evidence, to resolve the taxonomy of Australian gliders currently recognized as Petaurus breviceps. Herein, we confirm the existence of three distinct species: P. breviceps, P. notatus comb. nov. and P. ariel comb. nov.. Petaurus breviceps and P. notatus are each represented by major mtDNA lineages in P. breviceps, while P. ariel forms a sister-lineage to P. norfolcensis and P. gracilis. Subtle morphological differences distinguish P. breviceps from the closely related P. notatus, while the morphological distinctions between P. ariel and its genetically similar sister-taxa, P. norfolcensis and P. gracilis, are more obvious. Given the purported broad geographic distribution of the taxon, P. breviceps s.l. was not listed as threatened, but dividing this taxon into three species has important conservation implications for all taxa in the group, particularly given the lamentable record for mammal extinctions in Australia. Concerted and targeted conservation efforts are necessary to preserve these distinct, newly described species.