The use of hair tubes in detecting irruptive arid-zone rodents

Populations of many arid-zone rodents are known to fluctuate dramatically in response to the boom-bust cycles of the dynamic landscapes in which they occur. This constrains their study, particularly efforts to determine the location and functioning of important refuge areas. The nationally vulnerable plains mouse (Pseudomys australis) undergoes dramatic population changes in response to rainfall and associated resource abundance. At low population density during resource shortages, the species can be present yet undetectable by conventional trapping methods. We piloted the use of hair tubes as an alternative to trapping, trialling designs effective in detecting P. australis. Baited 25-mm- or 32-mm-diameterx200-mm-long tubes with double-sided cloth tape in the entrance were effective in collecting P. australis hair. Each of the 21 detections of the species' presence through hair tubes was confirmed using other methods. Hair tubes effectively detected the species, including during times when Elliott trapping yielded low capture rates and observational techniques failed to detect them. Hair tubes may present a time- and cost-efficient tool for determining the presence of P. australis and other cryptic small mammals in remote arid landscapes.