Brown antechinus

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Brown antechinus [1]
Brown Antechinus.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Dasyuromorphia
Family: Dasyuridae
Genus: Antechinus
Species:
A. stuartii
Binomial name
Antechinus stuartii
Macleay, 1841
Brown Antechinus area.png
Brown antechinus range

The brown antechinus (Antechinus stuartii), also known as Stuart's antechinus and Macleay's marsupial mouse, is a species of small carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. The males die after their first breeding season, and the species holds the world record for being the world's smallest semelparous mammal. [3]

Contents

Description

Antechinus stuartii is mostly light brown above, including the upper surfaces of its feet, and a lighter brown below and on its tail. Its body length is 93–130 mm (3.7–5.1 in) and its tail 92–120 mm (3.6–4.7 in), and it weighs 16–44 g (0.56–1.55 oz). Unlike in other members of Antechinus , no pale-coloured eye ring occurs. Antechinus agilis is similar in appearance and difficult to distinguish except by its distribution. [4]

Taxonomy

The brown antechinus was only the third in its genus to be described and as such, until recently, has included species such as the agile antechinus (Antechinus agilis), the subtropical antechinus (Antechinus subtropicus), and the tropical antechinus (Antechinus adustus). [4] :56 It has also been included itself with the yellow-footed antechinus as the subspecies A. flavipes burrelli. [5] It was described in 1841 by the entomologist William Sharp Macleay, who named the species in honour of his friend and fellow naturalist James Stuart, who had discovered the animal at Spring Cove (North Head) in 1837 while working as surgeon in charge of the Quarantine Station. [6]

Behavior

The brown antechinus is mostly nocturnal and is arboreal, and females build large communal nests shared by many individuals. Like all antechinuses, the males die after their first breeding season (which lasts two weeks) as a result of stress and exhaustion. [4] The current accepted hypothesis to why this happens is that sperm competition drives increased male investment in reproduction. [7] Female brown antechinuses do not possess a pouch; the young must attach themselves to the teats (of which there are usually eight). The litter size is six or seven young.

Its diet includes beetles, spiders, amphipods, and cockroaches, although it is an opportunistic feeder. [5] Following a fire it will remain in its home range and undergo torpor, thus reducing its foraging requirements and reducing the risk from predators. [8]

Distribution and habitat

The brown antechinus is found east of the Great Dividing Range in Australia, from southeastern Queensland to around Kioloa, New South Wales. [5] It is mostly found in forested habitats, [5] with dense lower ground cover and low fire frequency. [9]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little red kaluta</span> Species of marsupial

The little red kaluta is a small, reddish-brown, shrew-like mammal native to dry grasslands of northwest Australia. It is active at night, feeding on insects and other small animals. The kaluta is a marsupial and is the only member of its genus, Dasykaluta. Individuals are around 10 cm (3.9 in) long and weigh from 20 to 40 g. They live for about four years in captivity. Other common names include little red antechinus, russet antechinus and spinifex antechinus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-footed antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The yellow-footed antechinus, also known as the mardo, is a shrew-like marsupial found in Australia. One notable feature of the species is its sexual behavior. The male yellow-footed antechinus engages in such frenzied mating that its immune system becomes compromised, resulting in stress related death before it is one year old.

<i>Antechinus</i> Genus of marsupials

Antechinus is a genus of small dasyurid marsupial endemic to Australia. They resemble mice with the bristly fur of shrews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phascogalini</span> Tribe of marsupials

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slender-tailed dunnart</span> Species of marsupial

The slender-tailed dunnart, also known as the common dunnart in Australia, is a dasyurid marsupial. It has an average body length of 7 to 12 centimeters (2.8–4.7 in) with a tail length of 5.5 to 13 centimetres (2.2–5.1 in). It weighs 25–40.8 grams for males and 16.5–25.4 grams for females.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stripe-faced dunnart</span> Species of marsupial

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fat-tailed false antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The fat-tailed false antechinus, also called the fat-tailed pseudantechinus and red-eared antechinus, is a member of the order Dasyuromorphia. It is an inhabitant of western and central Australia. Its species name, macdonnellensis, refers to the MacDonnell Ranges near Alice Springs, where it was first discovered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandria false antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The Alexandria false antechinus, also known as the Carpentarian false antechinus or Carpentarian pseudantechinus, is a small carnivorous marsupial, found only in a number of small, isolated localities in northern Australia. It is the smallest and rarest of the false antechinuses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woolley's false antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

Woolley's false antechinus, also known as Woolley's pseudantechinus, is a species of small carnivorous marsupial belonging to the family Dasyuridae. It is found in the Australian state of Western Australia, primarily in the Pilbara, Ashburton and Murchison regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropical antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The tropical antechinus, also known as the rusty antechinus, is a species of small marsupial carnivore, particularly closely related to the brown antechinus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subtropical antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The subtropical antechinus is a species of small carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agile antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The agile antechinus is a species of small carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It is found in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fawn antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The fawn antechinus is a species of small carnivorous marsupial found in northern Australia. It is the only Antechinus to be found in the Northern Territory and has a patchy, restricted range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atherton antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The Atherton antechinus, also known as Godman's antechinus, is a species of small carnivorous, insectivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is one of the rarest members of its genus, and differs from other antechinuses in its more rufous body colour and small eyes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinnamon antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The cinnamon antechinus, also known as the Iron Ranges antechinus and the Cape York antechinus, is a species of small carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It is the only mammal endemic to Cape York Peninsula, being confined to semideciduous forest around the McIlraith and Iron Ranges. Along with the Atherton antechinus, it is the rarest in its genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dusky antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The dusky antechinus, also known as Swainson's antechinus or the dusky marsupial mouse, is a species of small marsupial carnivore, a member of the family Dasyuridae. It is found in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brush-tailed mulgara</span> Species of marsupial

The brush-tailed mulgara, previously the mulgara Dasycercus cristicauda is a medium sized carnivorous Australian marsupial species weighing approximately 100 g (3.5 oz). The brush-tailed mulgara is sexually dimorphic with males being much larger than females. Their body length is 12 to 17 cm, and tail length is 6–10 cm (2.4–3.9 in). They store fat in their tail which at times can be over 16 mm (0.63 in) wide at the base.

Semelparity and iteroparity are two contrasting reproductive strategies available to living organisms. A species is considered semelparous if it is characterized by a single reproductive episode before death, and iteroparous if it is characterized by multiple reproductive cycles over the course of its lifetime. Iteroparity can be further divided into continuous iteroparity and seasonal iteroparity Some botanists use the parallel terms monocarpy and polycarpy.

References

  1. Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 30. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. Burnett, S.; Dickman, C. (2016). "Antechinus stuartii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T40526A21946655. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T40526A21946655.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  3. Records, Guinness World (2013). Animal Life: GWR 2013. Guinness World Records.
  4. 1 2 3 Menkhorst, Peter; Knight, Frank (2001). A field guide to the mammals of Australia (1st ed.). Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press. pp. 56–57. ISBN   019550870X.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Braithwaite, R. W. (1995). "Brown Antechinus". In Strahan, Ronald (ed.). The Mammals of Australia. Reed Books. pp. 94–97. ISBN   0-7301-0484-2.
  6. Manly Quarantine Station (2007). "Manly Council Review". QS Conservation Plan 2000. Archived from the original on 2008-07-20. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
  7. Fisher, Diana O.; Dickman, Christopher R.; Jones, Menna E.; Blomberg, Simon P. (2013-10-29). "Sperm competition drives the evolution of suicidal reproduction in mammals". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 110 (44): 17910–17914. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1310691110 . ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   3816400 . PMID   24101455.
  8. Stawski, Clare; Körtner, Gerhard; Nowack, Julia; Geiser, Fritz (1 June 2015). "The importance of mammalian torpor for survival in a post-fire landscape". Biology Letters. 11 (6): 20150134. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2015.0134 . PMC   4528463 .
  9. Mowat, E.J.; Webb J.K.; Crowther M.S. (2015). "Fire-mediated niche-separation between two sympatric small mammal species". Austral Ecology. 40: 50–59. doi:10.1111/aec.12166. hdl: 10453/31056 .