Bioacoustics of Popplepsalta notialis

Distribution and Ecology ( Figure 11 ). Pauropsalta notialis occupies an essentially warm temperate distribution, beginning in central Queensland from Blackall, Carnarvon National Park and north of Clermont, and extending south through the Brigalow Belt and into New South Wales along the western slopes, the Great Dividing Range and also coastal areas south from near Ballina to Gerringong on the south coast, with isolated populations in Canberra ( Australian Capital Territory ) and north-west of Melbourne in Victoria , respectively. Around south-east Queensland , this species is widespread around the upper Dawson River and Burnett River catchments, including Theodore, Taroom, Monto, Eidsvold and Gayndah, further south to around Roma, St George, Goondiwindi, Miles, Chinchilla, Oakey, Millmerran and Toowoomba, and east of the ranges around Yarraman, Cooyar, Blackbutt, Woodford, Coominya, Mt Nebo, Samford, Gatton, Grantham, Redbank Plains, Kholo, Mt Marrow, Peak Crossing, Boonah and Rathdowney, largely shunning the metropolitan area of Brisbane and all coastal areas north of Ballina. It is a widespread species in Greater Sydney and the only species in the Pauropsalta annulata species group that occurs in the suburbs within Sydney, Gosford and Newcastle . Adults occur predominantly on the upper branches and within foliage of eucalypts and also Brigalow ( Acacia harpophylla ) in inland Queensland . Subspecies and hybrids . Pauropsalta notialis contains geographic variation in morphology and calling song that is captured under the descriptions of two new (mostly allopatric) subspecies and their hybrids, below. The hybridisation between these subspecies has apparently occurred extensively in areas where the subspecies have been predicted to overlap ( Popple and Walter, 2010 ). In contrast, other members of the P. annulata species complex consistently display independent calling songs across their geographical distributions, including sites where they occur in sympatry (see Popple et al. , 2008 ; Popple, 2009 ). The case of P. notialis stands as an exception, which justifies the subspecific status of the two new taxa described under this epithet.