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Fauna and Flora of the Tamar Wetlands reserve
Fauna
Wetlands are rich in vertebrates and invertebrates. Some are totally aquatic and remain in the
water for their entire lives, others have life cycles which take them from being fully aquatic to
being air borne or able to live within both water and air. Yet others are totally terrestrial but
rely on aquatic organisms for their food.
Invertebrates
Dip netting is the best way to discover which macro-invertebrates are abundant in the water,
but testing should be done at different times of the day, season and year to build-up a full
picture of the invertebrates which inhabit wetlands.
Many different kinds of macro-invertebrates have been recorded in the Tamar Island
Wetlands, including:
Damsel Flies
Dragon Flies
Mayflies
Stoneflies
Water Beetles
Water Boatman
Water Mites
Water Pennies
Water Striders
Fish
Four species of fish have been positively identified in the Tamar Island Wetlands, three native
and one introduced. It is believed that a second native galaxiid may be present but positive
identification has not yet been confirmed.
Common Name
Scientific Name
Status
Common Jollytail
Freshwater Eel
Freshwater flathead
Galaxias maculatus
Anguilla australis
Pseudaphritis urvillii
Common
Common
Common
Mosquito Fish
Gambusia holbrooki
Introduced
Gambusia holbrooki
A North American species, G. holbrooki has become well established in most mainland states
and territories. Its presence was first reported in Tasmania in 1993, having been released into
a farm dam. Attempts to eradicate the pest from the dam were unsuccessful and in 2001 it
was recorded in the Tamar Estuary within the Tamar Island Wetlands reserve. Since then G.
holbrooki has been recorded at other sites across the State.
G. holbrooki is a voracious predator of fish and frog ova, larvae and juveniles, it also predates
on aquatic invertebrates. The main source of spread is believed to be continued release from
captive environments into the wild; water movement within streams and rivers, especially
during flood times; and through adherence to birds’ feet and mammal fur when feeding in
Tamar Island Wetland Centre – Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania
mudflats. G. holbrooki represents a significant threat to native galaxiid populations with
adults also being susceptible to predation. In some environments, for example the Tamar
Wetlands reserve, the species has the potential to severely impact on Tasmania’s native
threatened species, eg. Litoria raniformis, the green and gold frog.
Amphibians
Five species of Tasmania’s frogs can be found in the Tamar Island Wetlands:
Common Name
Scientific Name
Status
Brown Tree Frog
Common Froglet
Eastern Banjo Frog
Green and Gold Frog
Striped Marsh Frog
Litoria ewingii
Crinia signifera
Limnodynastes dumerilii
Litoria raniformis
Limnodynastes peroni
Common
Common
Common
Vulnerable
Rare
Reptiles
Only the Copperhead Snake (Austrelaps superbus) has been identified at Tamar Island
Wetlands. Copperheads are commonly found around wetlands where they feed on other
vertebrate species including frogs, lizards and rodents.
Three species of skink have been identified at the wetlands and these include one endemic
species and one threatened species.
Common Name
Scientific Name
Status
Glossy Grass Skink
Metallic Skink
Tasmanian Tree Skink
Pseudemoia rawlinsoni
Niveoscincus metallicus
Niveoscincus pretiosus
Rare
Common
Common
Mammals
Seven mammals have been recorded at the wetlands, three of which are introduced species
and one is on the threatened species list.
Common Name
Scientific Name
Status
Eastern Quoll
Platypus
Short-beaked Echidna
Swamp Rat
Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Pademelon
Dasyurus viverrinus
Ornithorhynchus anatinus
Tachyglossus aculeatus
Rattus lutreolus
Sarcophilus harrisii
Thylogale billardierii
Common
Common
Common
Common
Common
Common
Black Rat
Cat
House Mouse
Rabbit
Rattus rattus
Felis cattus
Mus musculus
Oryctolagus cuniculus
Introduced
Introduced
Introduced
Introduced
Birds
Birds are by far the most abundant vertebrate species found at the Tamar Island Wetlands.
Some are resident and stay all year round; others are migratory and visit only during the
Tamar Island Wetland Centre – Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania
warmer summer months; whilst others are occasional visitors, making the journey south when
drought conditions on the mainland become too severe.
Birds of all sizes, shapes and behaviour can be found at the Wetlands, from pelicans to wrens
and raptors to waders. For a full list of the birds which have been recorded at the wetlands,
please contact the Tamar Island Wetlands Centre.
To date over 50 bird species have been seen at the Tamar Island Wetlands Conservation Area,
which includes five introduced species. The most commonly seen all-year-round resident
birds at the wetlands include:
Common Name
Scientific Name
Status
Black Swan
Great Egret
Little Grass Bird
Little Pied Cormorant
Pacific Black Duck
Purple Swamp Hen
Superb Fairy Wren
Swamp Harrier
Tasmanian Native Hen
Welcome Swallow
White-bellied Sea Eagle
White-faced Heron
Cygnus atratus
Egretta alba
Megalurus gramineus
Phalacrocorax melanoleucos
Anas superciliosa
Porphyrio porphyrio
Malurus cyaneus
Circus approximans
Gallinula mortierii
Hirundo neoxena
Haliaeetus leucogaster
Ardea novaehollandiae
Common
Common
Common
Common
Common
Common
Common
Common
Common
Common
Vulnerable
Common
To help conserve migratory waterbirds the Australian Government has entered a number of
international agreements. The Japan Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA) and the
China Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA) are two important agreements which
allow for the protected passage of migratory birds between our countries.
The Tamar River Conservation Area occasionally hosts a number of birds listed on these
agreements. Species include:
Common Name
Scientific Name
Agreement
Cattle Egret
Crested Tern
Curlew Sandpiper
Greenshank
Red-necked Stint
Ardeola ibis
Sterna bergii
Calidris ferruginea
Tringa nebularia
Calidris ruficollis
CAMBA
JAMBA
CAMBA
JAMBA/CAMBA
JAMBA/CAMBA
Wetlands Flora
There are three distinctive vegetation zones at Tamar Island Wetlands: two native plant
communities in the low-lying areas; and an area of specifically introduced species on Tamar
Island itself. Amongst the native low-lying vegetation communities invasive species are
encroaching such as blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) and cumbungi (Typha orientalis). These
weeds are being controlled by the Parks and Wildlife Service, with the assistance of the
Tamar Island Wetlands Wildcare CARes Group, to prevent further spread within the
wetlands.
Tamar Island Wetland Centre – Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania
The descriptions below cover only some of the plant species found in the wetlands. For a full
list of species recorded, please contact the Tamar Island Wetlands Centre.
Paperbark swamp forest and scrub
The only native tree remaining in the wetlands is the paperbark (Melaleuca ericifolia) which
forms several areas of scrub and forest providing habitat for frogs, reptiles, birds and
mammals. There is a small patch of remnant forest part-way along the board-walk, near the
bird hide and another remnant and regrowth area at the northern end of the island.
Reed bed and sedgeland
The common rush Phragmites australis is a grass species which grows to about three metres
in height and is dominant in some areas of the wetlands as you walk out along the boardwalk. This area is one of the last native grass wetlands in the Tamar Estuary, with the
introduced rice grass (Spartina anglica) dominating much of the estuary’s foreshore areas.
During the summer the great bindweed (Calystegia sepium) can be seen twining up the stems
of the Phragmites. This plant has large white trumpet flowers and is extremely limited in its
distribution. In Tasmania it is only found in wetlands within the Launceston region and for
this reason it is classified as an endangered plant. Also growing amongst the Phragmites is
the endangered gipsywort (Lycopus australis) and the rare mud dock (Rumex bidens).
There are areas of spike rush (Eleocharis acuta) sedgeland on the mudflats and reeds such as
the rare sea clubrush (Bolboschoenus caldwellii) and the sharp clubrush (Schoenoplectus
pungens) can been seen along the board-walk near the Interpretation Centre and the first
bridge.
Water ribbons (Triglochin procera) are also abundant throughout the wetlands, the tuberous
roots of these plants were once used by Aborigines for food.
Tamar Island
Much of the original vegetation found in the early 1800s was cleared for farming and to
enable works programs connected to the dredging program to be undertaken. There are some
remnant pockets of the paperbark swamps and conservation measures have helped to replant
some of the species which would once have covered the island. These include: canopy trees
such as black peppermint (Eucalyptus amygdalina); and white gum (Eucalyptus viminalis); as
well as understorey species of silver wattle (Acacia dealbata); bull oak (Allocasuarina
littoralis); native cherry (Exocarpos cupressiformis); and prickly box (Bursaria spinosa).
The exotic trees, which were planted in the late 1800s to ‘beautify’ the island for picnickers,
include: English oaks, spruce, radiata pine, cedar and elm. Efforts to re-establish trees and
shrubs on the island have often included the planting of native Australian trees which do not
naturally occur in this area and are therefore considered ‘introduced’. These include the
Tasmanian blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) which is found along the eastern seaboard of the
State and various mainland acacia species.
Tamar Island Wetland Centre – Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania