| Dasyurinae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tiger quoll | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Dasyuromorphia |
| Family: | Dasyuridae |
| Subfamily: | Dasyurinae Goldfuss, 1820 |
| Tribes & Genera | |
Dasyurini - 10 genera | |
The subfamily Dasyurinae includes several genera of small carnivorous marsupials native to Australia: quolls, kowari, mulgara, kaluta, dibblers, phascogales, pseudantechinuses, and the Tasmanian devil. The subfamily is defined largely on biochemical criteria.
In biological classification, a subfamily is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoological names with "-inae".
Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to these species is that most of the young are carried in a pouch. Well-known marsupials include kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, possums, opossums, wombats, and Tasmanian devils. Some lesser-known marsupials are the dunnarts, potoroos and cuscuses.
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
Order Dasyuromorphia
- Family Thylacinidae
- Family Dasyuridae: (carnivorous marsupials)
- Subfamily Dasyurinae:
- †Wakamatha tasselii Archer & Rich, 1979; Mioc. Aust.
- † Dasylurinja kokuminola Archer, 1982; Miocene
- †Ankotarinja tirarensis Archer, 1976; Late Oligcene to Early Miocene
- † Keeuna woodburnei Archer, 1976; Late Oligcene to Early Miocene
- Tribe Dasyurini
- Mulgaras = Dasycercus spp.
- Little red kaluta = Dasykaluta rosamondae
- Kowari = Dasyuroides byrnei
- †Dasyuroides achilpatna Archer, 1982
- Quolls = Dasyurus spp.
- Some dasyures = Myoictis and Neophascogale spp.
- Dibbler = Parantechinus apicalis
- Marsupial shrews = Phascolosorex spp.
- False antechinuses = Pseudantechinus spp. (includes sandstone dibbler)
- Tasmanian devil = Sarcophilus harrisii
The three species in the genus Phascolosorex, also known as marsupial shrews, are members of the order Dasyuromorphia.
The genus Pseudantechinus are members of the order Dasyuromorphia. They are often called false antechinuses, although this genus includes the sandstone dibbler, which was previously assigned to a different genus.
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It was once native to mainland Australia and is now found in the wild only on the island state of Tasmania, including tiny east-coast Maria Island where there is a conservation project with disease-free animals.
- Tribe Phascogalini
- Antechinuses = Antechinus spp.
- Other dasyures = Micromurexia , Murexechinus , Murexia , Paramurexia , Phascomurexia spp.
- Phascogales = Phascogale spp.
Antechinus // ('ant-echinus') is a genus of small dasyurid marsupial indigenous to mainland Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. They resemble mice with the bristly fur of shrews. The majority of Antechinus species occur in Australia and only two species have been described in New Guinea. They are sometimes also called broad-footed marsupial mice, pouched mice, route rat and/or antechinus shrews. However, these common names are considered either regional or archaic and the modern common name for the animals is antechinus.
The phascogales, also known as wambengers, are carnivorous Australian marsupials of the family Dasyuridae. There are three species: the brush-tailed phascogale, the red-tailed phascogale, and the northern brush-tailed phascogale. As with a number of dasyurid species, the males live for only one year, dying after a period of frenzied mating. The term Phascogale was coined in 1824 by Coenraad Jacob Temminck in reference to the brush-tailed phascogale, and means "pouched weasel". All three species are listed as either Near Threatened or Vulnerable by the IUCN.
Quolls are carnivorous marsupials native to mainland Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania. They are primarily nocturnal and spend most of the day in a den. Of the six species of quoll, four are found in Australia and two in New Guinea. Another two species are known from fossil remains in Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits in Queensland. Genetic evidence indicates that quolls evolved around 15 million years ago in the Miocene, and that the ancestors of the six species had all diverged by around four million years ago. The six species vary in weight and size, from 300 g (11 oz) to 7 kg (15 lb). They have brown or black fur and pink noses. They are largely solitary, but come together for a few social interactions such as mating which occurs during the winter season. A female gives birth to up to 18 pups, of which only six survive.
Myoictis or striped dasyure is a genus of marsupials in the order Dasyuromorphia. It is found in New Guinea.
Dibbler is the common name for Parantechinus apicalis, an endangered species of marsupial. It is an inhabitant of the southwest mainland of Western Australia and some offshore islands. It is a member of the order Dasyuromorphia, and the only member of the genus, Parantechinus. The dibbler is a small, nocturnal carnivore with speckled fur that is white around the eyes.
- Subfamily Sminthopsinae: dunnarts, kultarr, planigales, and ningauas
Mulgaras are the two species in the genus Dasycercus. They are marsupial carnivores, closely related to the Tasmanian devil and the quolls, that live in deserts and spinifex grasslands of arid Australia. They are nocturnal, but occasionally "sunbathe" in the entrance of the burrow in which they dwell. Their kidneys are highly developed to excrete extremely concentrated urine to preserve water, as the animals rarely drink. They feed mostly on insects, but also eat reptiles and small mammals. They are seasonal breeders breed from June–September. The pouch comprises two lateral folds of skin.
The little red kaluta, also known as the little red antechinus, russet antechinus, spinifex antechinus or simply kaluta, is a carnivorous nocturnal marsupial. It lives in the dry areas of Western Australia. Individuals are 9–11 cm (3.5–4.5 in) long and weigh 20–40 g (0.71–1.41 oz). They live for about three years in captivity.
The kowari, also known as the brush-tailed marsupial rat, Kayer rat, Byrne's crest-tailed marsupial rat, bushy-tailed marsupial rat and kawiri, is a small carnivorous marsupial native to the dry grasslands and deserts of central Australia. It is monotypical in its genus.
- Subfamily Dasyurinae:
- Family Myrmecobiidae
The thylacine ( THY-lə-seen, or THY-lə-syne, also ;, now extinct, is one of the largest known carnivorous marsupials, evolving about 4 million years ago. The last known live animal was captured in 1933 in Tasmania. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger because of its striped lower back, or the Tasmanian wolf because of its canid-like characteristics. It was native to Tasmania, New Guinea, and the Australian mainland.
The Dasyuridae are a family of marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, including 75 living species divided into 21 genera. Many are small and mouse-like or shrew-like, giving some of them the name marsupial mice or marsupial shrews, but the group also includes the cat-sized quolls, as well as the Tasmanian devil. They are found in a wide range of habitats, including grassland, forests, and mountains, and some species are arboreal or semiaquatic.
The tribe Dasyurini includes several genera of small carnivorous marsupials native to Australia: quolls, kowari, mulgara, kaluta, dibblers, neophascogales, pseudantechinuses, and the Tasmanian devil.
