Range extensions and habitat use of Forrest's mouse (Leggadina forresti) in New South Wales

Abstract

Rodent populations are dynamic, and fluctuate with environmental conditions and threatening processes, so their numbers and distributions are not spatially static. Many arid and semi-arid areas also remain poorly surveyed, limiting our understanding of species’ distributions. Fauna surveys in the western division of New South Wales recorded new localities for a previously undetected species – Forrest’s mouse (Leggadina forresti) – in Culgoa and Ledknapper National Parks, equating to an easterly range extension of 430 km. Forrest’s mouse appears to persist in riverine plains, and this habitat may serve as important residual intact habitat within the rangelands of NSW. As a native and vulnerable rodent species that occurs at low density, has low trapping success and occurs in an area that is poorly sampled outside of the reserve system, it should be the target of future survey and conservation efforts within the region.