discuss some of the aims, techniques and common mistakes of monitoring, and how the data can be used 
to better manage our native orchids. 
Tasmanian marine molluscs website 
- Simon Grove 
Colleagues, I have recently started a website for Tasmanian marine molluscs. If you go to 
http://www.molluscsoftasmania.net you'll find about 3700 pages of information on Tasmania's marine 
molluscs. 
I'd appreciate any feedback you have on these pages - taxonomic, ecological, ease-of-use, aesthetic, 
whatever. The site is not yet displaying images correctly, but this technical problem should be sorted out 
in a few weeks. Because the web-pages are all derived from a set of templates, which compile part of 
their content from fields of a database that I maintain, it's possible to make global design changes with 
not very much programming effort. 
Note that Tasmanian land and freshwater molluscs could also readily be included in these pages if, a little 
bit down the track, any experts out there have the inclination to prepare the associated data. 
Mystery Creek Cave - new animal? 
Cave dwelling symphylan, a new “mystery" invertebrate from Ida 
Bay (Photo: Gavin Brett) 
This cave “beastie” recently found by Gavin Brett and Alan Jackson 
is a symphylan discovered during exploration of the new upper 
reaches of Mystery Creek Cave at Ida Bay. Sometimes referred to as 
“false centipedes”, these species are generally classified to the Order 
Symphyla. This particular specimen represents the first record for 
this cave at Ida Bay and may possibly be a “new” species. The cave¬ 
dwelling species are quite small animals and are not commonly seen 
by most cavers, but when observed are often mistaken to be 
millipedes (with long antennae). The symphylans are one of the numerous groups of many-legged 
organisms with elongated bodies such as millipedes, centipedes and onychophorans (velvet worms) that 
are generally lumped into the category of “Multipedes”. For further detail of their natural history, 
ecology, morphology and classification, check out Bob Mesibov’s website titled: “ Tasmanian 
Multipedes ” (see reference below). 
There are a number of records for collections and/ or observations of these symphylans, particularly from 
caves in southern Tasmania. These cave species have all been determined as belonging to the Family 
Scutigerellidae. Although not formally detennined to genus and/ or species level, symphylans have been 
previously recorded from caves on the southern and northern side of Marble Hill. Most of the previous 
records are from Exit Cave and other associated caves that form part of this southern draining 
subterranean hydrological system at Ida Bay; however, symphylans have also been recorded from 
northern draining caves near the South Lune Road. 
The “new” specimen from Mystery Creek Cave is likely to be similar to another locally known cave 
species: Hanseniella magna described from its Type Locality in the entrance chamber of King George V 
Cave at Hastings, but also recorded from the nearby Wolf Hole. When originally described in 1996 by 
Ulf Scheller, this particular troglobitic species from Hastings, which is up to 12 mm head-to-tail and 15- 
20 mm when you include antennae, was rated as being one of the largest known symphylans, hence the 
derivation of its species name as “magna”. It is estimated that this new cave dwelling specimen from Ida 
Bay is also about “15 to 20 mm long” according to Gavin Brett, who photographed the specimen in 
- Arthur Clarke, Oct 2008 
Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club BULLETIN 332 Oct 2008 p3 
