Monjon

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Monjon [1]
Petrogale burbidgei 227072157.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Macropodidae
Genus: Petrogale
Species:
P. burbidgei
Binomial name
Petrogale burbidgei
Kitchener & Sanson, 1978. [3]
Monjon area.png
Monjon range

The monjon (Petrogale burbidgei) is the smallest species of rock-wallaby ( Petrogale ) in the family Macropodidae, found in northwestern Australia. They are restricted to a small area of the Kimberley in the state of Western Australia, and on nearby islands within the Bonaparte Archipelago. Common names also include Burbidge's rock-wallaby[ citation needed ] and Burbidge's rock-weasel. [4]

Contents

Taxonomy

The monjon is a small species of macropod (terrestrial kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, etc) placed in the genus Petrogale (the rock-wallabies). The first published description of the species was in 1978, based on specimens collected and reviewed by D. J. Kitchener and G. Sanson. The type specimen is a female that weighed 1,400 g (49 oz), shot by Kitchener in a sandstone crevice on an evening in November 1976 at the Mitchell Plateau, near to a site named Crystal Creek. That animal was carrying a hairless joey (baby) in its pouch at the time that it was killed, which weighed around 50 g (1.8 oz). Other specimens were obtained at the Mitchell Plateau, as well as from Boongaree, Katers and Bigge Islands (of the Bonaparte Archipelago) and within Prince Regent National Park. The specific epithet was named for Andrew A. Burbidge, who was credited with prompting surveys of mammals of the Kimberley region. [3]

Burbidge, later, wrote a paper on the selection of the vernacular for the species. One author of the first description, Kitchener, published the suggested vernacular as warabi, a term he was informed was the animal's name in the Wunumbal language, and this was subsequently adopted by the Australian Mammal Society and used by the editor Ronald Strahan for the mammalian volume of the National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife (1983). In later consultations with the local people, several synonyms were identified for Burbidge; while those familiar with the animals could readily identify the separate taxa, these names refer to both Petrogale concinna and to this species. This re-examination was instigated by the learnt information that warabi referred to a matter unrelated to the animal. [5] From these synonyms, the name 'monjon' was proposed and accepted to replace the earlier vernacular. [5] [6]

Description

The smallest species of the genus, the length of their head and body combined is 300 to 350 millimetres (12 to 14 in) and they weigh a relatively light 950 to 1,400 grams (34 to 49 oz). The hindfoot is 80 to 92 mm (3.1 to 3.6 in). The tail is 265 to 390 mm (10.4 to 15.4 in), a tawny colour with back flecking, and distinguished by dark brown tufted hair that begins two thirds along its length. The ears are 30 to 33 mm (1.2 to 1.3 in) from base to tip, very short for the genus; the eyes are large and black. The upper side of the pelage is an olive-buff colour, deep in tone and marbled in appearance. The fore part of the head is a deeper reddish brown, becoming paler at the cheek, a similar colour is found across the upper limb. The ventral side, up to the chin, is pale to whitish and may have a yellowish tone at the belly. [6]

The behaviour of P. burbidgei is shy. They are mostly active during the night and able to relocate with quick and adept movements. [6]

Distribution and habitat

The distribution range is restricted to high rainfall locations, with 1,200 to 1,400 mm (47 to 55 in) of precipitation annually, at the coast and islands of the Kimberley region. The population occurs commonly at the few known locations, including the islands Bigge, Boongaree and Katers, where the first specimens were obtained in the 1970s. [6] They are associated with habitat occurring on Wunaamin Miliwundi sandstone formations; the vegetation is open woodland of eucalypts and Owenia vernicosa . [3] [6]

The species is present in the Charnley River–Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. [7]

Ecology

The species retires to caves or other cavities amongst the sandstone. The diet is primarily composed of grasses and ferns. The breeding period is assumed to be year-round, with most births occurring during the northern wet season. [6] Petrogale burbidgei is listed as near threatened, partly because of the small size of its known range. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallaby</span> Macropods of Australia and New Guinea

A wallaby is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and sometimes the same genus, but kangaroos are specifically categorised into the four largest species of the family. The term "wallaby" is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or a wallaroo that has not been designated otherwise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macropodidae</span> Family of marsupial mammals

Macropodidae is a family of marsupials that includes kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, wallaroos, pademelons, quokkas, and several other groups. These genera are allied to the suborder Macropodiformes, containing other macropods, and are native to the Australian continent, New Guinea and nearby islands.

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

The yellow-footed rock-wallaby, formerly known as the ring-tailed rock-wallaby, is a member of the macropod family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-flanked rock-wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The black-flanked rock-wallaby, also known as the black-footed rock-wallaby or warru, is a species of wallaby, one of several rock-wallabies in the genus Petrogale. A shy, nocturnal herbivore, its two main subspecies are found in mostly isolated populations across western and southern Western Australia (WA), the Northern Territory and parts of South Australia (SA). With some subspecies showing a decline in populations in recent years, the whole species is classed as an endangered species under the Commonwealth EPBC Act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock-wallaby</span> Genus of marsupials

The rock-wallabies are the wallabies of the genus Petrogale.

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

The scaly-tailed possum is found in northwestern Australia, where it is restricted to the Kimberley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western brush wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The western brush wallaby, also known as the black-gloved wallaby, is a species of wallaby found in the southwestern coastal region of Western Australia. The wallaby's main threat is predation by the introduced red fox. The IUCN lists the western brush wallaby as Least Concern, as it remains fairly widespread and the population is believed to be stable or increasing, as a result of red fox control programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short-eared rock-wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The short-eared rock-wallaby is a species of rock-wallaby found in northern Australia, in the northernmost parts of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is much larger than its three closest relatives, the eastern short-eared rock-wallaby, the nabarlek and the monjon.

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

The nabarlek is a small species of macropod found in northern Australia. They are a shy and nocturnal animal that resides in rocky hollows and forages in the surrounding area. Their diet is grasses, sedges, and ferns found in and around their scrub covered refuges. They are distinguished by a reddish tinge to the mostly grey fur and a distinct stripe at the cheek. They move with great speed and agility when observed, with a forward leaning posture and a bushy tail that arches over the back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rothschild's rock-wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

Rothschild's rock-wallaby – sometimes known as the Roebourne rock-wallaby, is a species of macropod found in Western Australia, in the Pilbara district and the Dampier Archipelago. It is not currently considered to be threatened, but is at risk from the red fox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allied rock-wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The allied rock-wallaby or Weasel rock-wallaby is a species of rock-wallaby found in northeastern Queensland, Australia. It forms part of the P. lateralis/penicillata species complex and is very similar to six other species of rock-wallaby found in this area; these include the Cape York rock-wallaby (P. coenensis), the unadorned rock-wallaby (P. inornata), the Herbert's rock-wallaby (P. herberti), the Godman's rock-wallaby (P. godmani), the Mareeba rock-wallaby (P. mareeba) and the Mount Claro rock-wallaby (P. sharmani).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mareeba rock-wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The Mareeba rock-wallaby is a rare species of rock-wallaby found around Mareeba in northeastern Queensland, Australia.

The yellow-lipped cave bat is a vesper bat that only occurs in the Kimberley region of northwest Australia. The bat was first captured at Tunnel Creek in 1958 and a description published nearly twenty years later. Aside from observations of their physical characteristics, a preference for caves, and hunting insects over streams, little is known of the species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimberley rock rat</span> Species of rodent

The Kimberley rock rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Australia, specifically in the northern tropical part of the Northern Territory and adjacent Kimberley region of Western Australia, in high-altitude closed forest.

Bigge Island is an island off the coast of the Kimberley region in Western Australia, within the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimberley tropical savanna</span> Terrestrial ecoregion in Western Australia

The Kimberley tropical savanna is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in northwestern Australia, covering portions of Western Australia and the Northern Territory south of the Timor Sea.

Katers Island is an uninhabited island located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern short-eared rock-wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The eastern short-eared rock-wallaby or Wilkins' rock-wallaby is a species of rock-wallaby found in the northernmost parts of the Northern Territory of Australia, and is common in the Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks. It was thought to be a subpopulation of the short-eared rock-wallaby Petrogale brachyotis found in the Kimberley, but recent genetic and morphological studies have shown it to be distinct. Wilkins' rock-wallaby is smaller, has more distinct grey/brown markings on its head and sides, and more colourful limbs than the western species.

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. 67. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. 1 2 Burbidge, A.A.; Woinarski, J. (2016). "Petrogale burbidgei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T16744A21955902. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T16744A21955902.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Kitchener, D.J.; Sanson, G. (1978). "Petrogale burbidgei (Marsupialia, Macropodidae), a new rock wallaby from Kimberley, Western Australia". Records of the Western Australian Museum. 6 (2): 269–285.
  4. Strahan, Ronald, Mammals of Australia (1995) p. 368
  5. 1 2 Burbidge, Andrew A.; Fuller, Phillip J. (1990). "On the vernacular name of Petrogale burbidgei". Records of the Western Australian Museum. 14 (4): 645–646.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Menkhorst, P.W.; Knight, F. (2011). A field guide to the mammals of Australia (3rd ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press. p. 130. ISBN   9780195573954.
  7. "Charnley River – Artesian Range: ACE". Australian Wildlife Conservancy . Retrieved 2 January 2021.