Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 87(3), September 2004 
Table 1 
Rainfall registered at Woodstock Station for each month between January 1987 and October 1990 and the mean for 1905 to 1989. Data 
from the Bureau of Meteorology WA. 
Years 
Jan 
Feb 
Mar 
Apr 
May 
Jun 
Jul 
Aug 
Sep 
Oct 
Nov 
Dec 
TOTAL 
1987 
95.2 
78.8 
_ 
_ 
4.8 
_ 
8.5 
_ 
_ 
_ 
_ 
23.0 
210.3 
1988 
61.9 
10.0 
252.2 
8.0 
109.2 
0.8 
- 
49.7 
- 
0.4 
1.9 
72.4 
566.5 
1989 
63.4 
227.0 
0.4 
46.2 
9.0 
117.9 
2.3 
- 
- 
- 
4.0 
11.2 
484.4 
1990 
79.2 
6.6 
- 
- 
- 
3.4 
- 
- 
- 
- 
Mean 1905-89 77.5 
64.7 
59.0 
21.1 
22.5 
25.2 
9.9 
5.8 
1.5 
3.1 
8.3 
36.2 
334.8 
Sampling Sites and Climate 
The regional landforms and vegetation of the 
Abydos/Woodstock area were described in detail by 
Tinley (1991b) and formed the basis of selection of 
sampling sites for the study of small vertebrates (see Fig 
5.1, How el al. 1991). 
Eight major sampling sites, representing the principal 
habitats identified on the sands of the Abydos Plain, 
were selected for intensive pit and cage trapping 
programs and opportunistic collecting. An additional 20 
subsidiary sites were selected to sample the granite tors 
on the Abydos Plain and adjacent rocky escarpments of 
the Gorge Fold Ranges where substrates precluded the 
use of pitfall traps. 
The eight major sampling sites were: 
WS1 Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Melaleuca leucadendra 5-8 
m tall, 35% canopy cover, over Acacia sp. 1-2 m 
tall, c. 5% canopy cover over Cenchrus ciliaris <0.5 
m tall, c. 90% canopy cover. Deep alluvium 
supporting a narrow belt of riverine woodland on 
the edge of Coorong Creek. 21°37 / 01"S, 118 ° 
57T3"E 
WS2 Acacia pyrifolia, 2-3 m tall, 3% canopy cover, Hakea 
suberea, 2-3 m tall, <0.5% canopy cover and Acacia 
sp. 2-3 m tall, <0.5% canopy cover over Triodia spp. 
(2) c. 0.5 m tall, 80% canopy cover. Coarse sandy 
loam with granite bedrock at 30-40 cm and located 
200 m from Coorong Creek. Site was burnt in 
January 1990. 21 ° 36'42"S, 118° 57'20"E 
WS3 Triodia spp. <1 m tall c. 60% canopy cover with 
occasional Acacia spp. as emergents. Red sandy 
loam in an ephemeral drainage line. Site was burnt 
in January 1990. 21 ° 36'35"S, 118° 57'44"E 
WS4 Acacia pyrifolia , 2-4 m tall, c. 5% canopy cover, over 
Acacia ancistrocarpa, 1.5-2 m tall, 50%-70% Triodia 
spp. canopy cover. Occasional ephemerals after 
rain. Red sandy loam soil, >60 cm deep. Site was 
burnt in January 1990. 21° 36'34"S, 118° 58'28"E 
WS5 Triodia secunda and T. longiceps <0.5 m tall, c. 70% 
canopy cover. Soil was white sandy silt over clay. 
21 °36 / 35' / S, 118° 59'16"E 
WS6 Acacia orthocarpa, 3-4 m tall, c. 7% canopy cover, 
and occasional A. pyrifolia, over Triodia lanigera c. 
0.5 m tall, 50% canopy cover. Skeletal red granitic 
sandy soil. 21 ° 36'35"S, 119 0 01T7"E 
WS8 Eucalyptus terminalis, 3-5 m tall, c. 2% canopy 
cover, over oval leaf wattle 1-1.5 m tall, c. 2% 
canopy cover, over Triodia c. 0.5 m tall, c. 40% 
canopy cover. Site includes valley between, and 
the steep slopes of calcrete mesas. Valley soil is 
calcareous clay loam. 21 0 36'25"S, 119° 02'23 // E 
WS10 Acacia sp. 1.5-2.5 m tall, <0.5% canopy cover, Hakea 
sp. 1.5-2.5 m tall, <0.5% canopy cover, over Acacia 
sp. <lm tall, c. 3% canopy cover, over Triodia sp. 
<0.5 m tall c. 60% canopy cover. Deep red loamy 
sand. Extensive surface water after heavy rain. 21 0 
40'15"S, 119° 02'30"E 
Fires were frequently seen around the study area 
during the dry summer months, and numerous small 
areas on the eastern edge of Woodstock Station were 
burnt in January and February 1989. In January 1990, 
lightning strikes started several small fires; three of 
which burnt out sampling sites WS2, WS3 and WS4 and 
parts of the surrounding areas. The remaining major 
sampling sites showed no evidence of having been burnt 
for numerous years. 
Sampling Methods 
At each of the eight major sampling sites, a line of 
fenced pitfall traps that comprised a 50-m long by 30-cm 
high fly screen mesh fence that crossed six pitfall traps 
inserted 600 mm into the substrate was established. 
Pitfall traps were generally made of 175 mm diameter 
PVC pipe 600 mm deep, but at several sites where the 
soil was less than this depth, the piping was replaced by 
400 mm deep conical pits. At each of the eight major 
sampling sites, a line of 15 Elliott Type A traps, baited 
with universal bait, were set 15 m apart and within 50 m 
of the fenced pitfall trapline. Traps were checked twice 
daily, shortly after dawn and again in the late afternoon. 
At most of the 20 subsidiary sampling sites only Elliott 
Type A traps were used but on some rockpiles the larger 
Type B Elliott traps were interspersed with the smaller 
traps. 
Sampling was undertaken between 21-31 March 1988, 
2-9 May 1988, 22-30 September 1988, 9-17 February 1989, 
16-24 April 1989, 16-24 September 1989, 26 February-7 
March 1990, 25 July-2 August 1990 and 24 October-1 
November 1990. Sampling was designed to cover 
summer (February-March) and spring (September- 
October) in each of the three years, with three additional 
sampling periods to examine activity at other times of 
the year. Routine trapping of the 8 major sampling sites 
and the 20 subsidiary sites was undertaken on all surveys 
except for May 1988, when only the fenced pitfall 
traplines were operated, and April 1989, when only 
Elliott traplines, in the subsidiary sampling sites, were 
set. All major sampling sites were also subjected to daily 
routine searching methods and nocturnal head-torching 
to document herpetofauna not prone to capture in the 
86 
