4.5.2.2 Bertya pedicellata – potential to occur Species description
Bertya pedicellata is an extensively branched monoecious shrub, growing up to 6 m tall (DETSI 2025). The young shoots, leaves and flowers are thinly viscid. Young branchlets are rugose, terete and covered with dense white hairs, becoming gradually glabrous with age. The leaves are petiolate, spirally alternate or opposite, and horizontally spread. The lamina is linear-elliptic, linear obovate or sometimes linear, with a a green, sparsely hairy adaxial surface, which becomes glabrous with age. The abaxial surface is white and densely hairy (DETSI 2025). The inflorescences occur as a single flower or umbelliform with 2 flowers. The male flowers are sessile, with five (rarely 4 or 6) sepals lobes which are yellow-green coloured. The female flowers are pedicellate, with a stem which is 1.5 to 3 mm long when in flower and up to 4 mm long when in fruit. Female flowers have five sepal lobes which are light green in colour. The capsular fruit is narrowly ellipsoid or narrowly ovoid, glabrous or with scattered stellate hairs, usually contains one-seed. The seeds are obloid or obloid-ellipsoid, light brown and mottled with dark brown and black, with a fleshy creamy-white caruncle (DETSI 2025). B. pedicellata is characterized by the more or less sessile stellate hairs on the branchlets, the opposite as well as alternate arrangement of its leaves, the mostly linear-elliptic or linear-obovate leaf lamina which are glabrescent and smooth on the upper surface, and its long-stemmed female flowers (DETSI 2025). Species ecology Little is known about the reproductive biology of Bertya pedicellata . Flowers have been recorded from March to November and fruits from August to November (DETSI 2025). Species distribution and habitat Bertya pedicellata is confined to central and south-east Queensland, from near Aramac eastwards to Rockhampton and south to near Biggenden with an isolated record from the Warwick district. The species has been recorded in Peak Range National Park and Allies Creek State Forest (DETSI 2025). Bertya pedicellata has been recorded as growing on rocky hillsides in eucalypt forest or woodland, Acacia woodland or shrubland and open heathland or vine thicket communities. Soils are recorded mostly as skeletal to shallow sandy, sandy clay or clay loams overlaying rhyolite, trachyte or sandstone substrates. Associated species include Corymbia trachyphloia, Dodonaea filifolia, Acacia catenulata, A. curvinervia, A. shirleyi, A. rhodoxylon, A. sparsiflora, E. crebra, Acacia harpophylla and E. decorticans (DETSI 2025). Population survey Bertya pedicillata was not confirmed within the project area during field surveys. Within the project area, suitable habitat for the species, presented as low woodland to open forests dominated by of Corymbia citriodora, Corymbia trachyphloia, Syncarpia glomulifera and/or Acacia spp, on steep slopes and hill crests with shallow, well drained, sandy loam soils derived from sandstone or basalt volcanic rocks. Within the project area this suitable habitat has been verified within both remnant and HVR vegetation. In total, approximately 29.50 ha of suitable habitat for B. pedicellata was confirmed with the project area. While not confirmed within the project area, B. pedicellata is known to persist within the Mount Morgan area. Two recent historical records, from 2017, are located approximately 1.48 km northeast of the Project area. DNRMMRRD RE mapping shows the two historical records occurring within areas of the same REs (11.10.6 and 11.11.4) that were confirmed within the Project area. Given the close proximity of the historical records, the confirmed suitable habitat within the project area and the potential vegetation similarity between the habitat of adjacent historical records and the project area, B. pedicellata is considered potential to occur. 4.5.2.3 Short-beaked echidna – confirmed present The short-beaked echidna ( Tachyglossus aculeatus ) is not listed under the EPBC Act and is special least concern under the NC Act. The short-beaked echidna is widely distributed throughout Australia, occurring in a broad range of habitats, wherever there is suitable availability of ant or termite prey (Augee, 1998). The species has specialist nursery
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