Liver fluke infection in northwestern Tasmania

In 1979, liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica was reported in home-bred cattle, grazing coastal country at Mt Cameron West. Subsequent investigations confirmed the presence of the obligate intermediate host snail, Austropeplea tomentosa, in the draining water system and the presence of liver fluke in the herbivorous macropod, Thylogale billardierii. The infection, the first recorded in northwestern Tasmania, further supports observations that marsupials may act as reservoirs of liver fluke

A survey for the presence of the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in Tasmania

A survey confirmed the presence of the amphibian chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in a number of frog habitats dose to major cities and towns across Tasmania.The detection of chytrid infection in some remote wetlands at high altitude locations on the Tasmanian Central Plateau is of particular concern. The likely presence of chytrid infections was assessed by examining tadpoles for signs of depigmentation, thinning and asymmetry in their keratinized jaw sheaths using a hand lens. Assessing the jaw shearhs of up to 60 tadpoles combined with rhe application of rhe Taqman chytrid PCR test was a useful means of detecting the presence of chytridiomycosis at each frog habita

A re-examination of Dithyridium cynocephali Ransom 1905, a metacestode parasite from the thylacine Thylacinus cynocephalus

Re-examination of Dithyridium cynocephali Ransom 1905, a metacestode parasite from the thylacine Thylacinus cynocephalus, has revealed it to be morphologically indistinguishable from metacestodes of the tapeworm Anoplotaenia dasyuri found in the eastern quoll Dasyurus viverrinus and the spotted-tailed quoll D. maculatus, in Bennett's wallaby Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus and in the Tasmanian pademelon Thylogale billardierii. The Tasmanian devil Sarcophilus harrisii is the predominant definitive host for A. dasyuri, but the two quoll species can also serve as definitive hosts. It is considered likely that quolls may act as intermediate hosts through the occasional consumption of Tasmanian devil faeces containing infective A. dasyuri eggs. The thylacine may have become infected with A. dasyuri in a similar manner, by engaging in coprophagy in the wild or in captivity

A pygmy right whale Caperea marginata (Grey, 1846) stranded at Stanley, Tasmania

A pregnant female pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata (Gray, 1846) which stranded at West Beach, Stanley was examined within 24 hours of stranding. No significant pathological condition was detected in the carcase thus eliminating disease as the likely cause of stranding. However, the area is a notorious "whale trap", and it is therefore assumed that geographical and hydrological conditions accounted for the stranding. A number of interesting anatomical features are noted

Cetacean strandings in Tasmania from February 1978 to May 1983

This paper presents a summary of 46 recent whale strandings involving 13 species and 497 animals, as well as six strandings not included in the previous summary by Guiler (1978). Two new species are added to the 22 previously recorded for Tasmania. Details of rescue operations, including an evaluation of current procedures, are given. Causes of the stranding phenomenon are discussed with particular reference to events in Tasmania. Results of pathological examinations are given, together with analyses of heavy metal and pesticide residue in tissues