Microsatellite variation and population structure in a declining Australian Hylid Litoria aurea.

The green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) was once a common Australian Hylid. Today, many populations are small and fragmented as a result of dramatic declines in distribution and abundance. We undertook a large-scale assessment of genetic structure and diversity in L.

Gestational length in the koala, Phascolarctos cinereus.

We report a possible case of extended gestation in the koala, Phascolarctos cinereus. Birth of a pouch young was first observed 127 days after the removal of the male from a multi-female colony at Taronga Zoo. No other males were present at that time or had access to the facility.

Genetic diversity and gene flow among southeastern Queensland koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus).

Habitat fragmentation and destruction associated with the rapid urban and rural development of southeast Queensland presents an immediate threat to the survival of koala populations within this region. A sensitive method combining heteroduplex analysis (HDA) with temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) was optimized to detect within-species variation in a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control-region fragment, approximately 670 bp in length, from the koala. Eight different haplotypes were characterized in koalas, of which four were novel.

Phylogeographical population structure of tiger quolls Dasyurus maculatus (Dasyuridae: Marsupialia), an endangered carnivorous marsupial.

Tiger quolls, Dasyurus maculatus, are the largest carnivorous marsupials still extant on the mainland of Australia, and occupy an important ecological niche as top predators and scavengers. Two allopatric subspecies are recognized, D.m.