Stenotaphrum secundatum, Buffalo Grass 'Sir James'

Spontaneous mutation: discovered in February 2001 as a superior plant growing among “Common” buffalo grass growing on the breeder’s property at Saltash in the Hunter Valley (NSW). The selected material has smaller (finer) leaves and showed better growth and colour than the parent variety with minimal inputs (water, fertiliser) under stressful climatic conditions. Subsequently, it also showed better leaf colour retention than the parent variety during winter. A vegetative plug taken from the original plant has now undergone four subsequent vegetative divisions to expand the original material for performance trials in NSW and Queensland without showing any discernible off types. Main selection criteria: winter colour retention, small leaves, low fertiliser requirement. Propagation: vegetative. Breeder: Brent Redman, Maitland North, NSW. PBR Certificate Number 2715, Application Number 2002/283, granted 18 March 2005.

Critically endangered Pristis microdon (Elasmobranchii), as a host for the Indian parasitic copepod, Caligus furcisetifer Redkar, Rangnekar et Murti, 1949 (Siphonostomatoida): New records from northern Australia.

This paper presents the first records of the parasitic copepod Caligus furcisetifer Redkar, Rangnekar et Murti, 1949 beyond Indian waters, specifically, on the body surface and head of the critically endangered largetooth sawfish (commonly referred to as the freshwater sawfish in Australia), Pristis microdon Latham, 1794 (Elasmobranchii, Pristidae), in brackish tidal waters of the Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia and the Leichhardt River in the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Queensland. This represents a geographic range extension of similar to 8000 km for this parasite. Further, it is only the second member of the genus Caligus to be found on an elasmobranch host in Western Australia and it is the first time this species has been reported from the Southern Hemisphere. Male biased dispersal of P microdon may be the vector in which the parasite has dispersed from India across to northern Australia, or vice versa. A decline in populations of the critically endangered P microdon (and possibly other pristid species) in these regions may lead to a concomitant decline in their parasite fauna.