snail climbing a mountain in western australia,
this mountain suffered a pretty big fire last year so it’s good to see invertebrates. This mountain and others nearby each have several species of invertebrates endemic to single peaks. Theres at least 3 velvet worm species, each on a single peak. 5 or more trapdoor spiders, 2 or more pelican spiders. I met a guy 2 years ago wandering the bush in hot summer like a lunatic (though so was i..) he was studing moths because supposedly the moths in the stirling ranges are relictual and related to some of the moths found on the opposite side of the continent on kangaroo island. these mountains are pretty special and have the sort of endemism and diversity you’d expect from a island, they are refugia for many species that were stranded in thier isolated microclimates after the temperate gondwanan rainforest that covered WA retreated to fragements in the bottom soutwest
