| Paucident planigale [1] | |
|---|---|
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| Paucident planigale | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Dasyuromorphia |
| Family: | Dasyuridae |
| Genus: | Planigale |
| Species: | P. gilesi |
| Binomial name | |
| Planigale gilesi Aitken, 1972 | |
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| Paucident planigale range | |
The paucident planigale (Planigale gilesi), also known as Giles' planigale, is a very small species of carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae .
The paucident planigale was not formally described until 1972, when it was named Planigale gilesi in honour of the explorer Ernest Giles, who explored Australia's deserts, including this species' habitat. [3] It is one of five members of the genus Planigale .
The paucident (from Latin pauci 'few', dentēs 'teeth') planigale differs from other planigales having only two premolars in each tooth row (all other planigales have three). The paucident planigale is recognised by its flattened triangular head and small rounded ears, is mid-grey to cinnamon in colour with a whitish underside. The paucident planigale weighs 6-15 grams, its body is 60mm-80mm long and its tail is 55-70mm long. [4] It feeds on many small creatures, including beetles, locusts, spiders or other arthropods, and even occasionally feeds on small lizards or mammals. The paucident planigale kills small prey with quick bites. Although it is believed that fewer than twenty percent of individuals survive for more than two years, captive animals have reached five years of age. [5]
Paucident planigale breeding season is from July to mid-January, with most litters being born in September. Breeding season correlates with the spring and summer seasons, similar to other arid zone dasyurids when resources are at an increased supply.
The pouch of the female paucident planigale is flat and covered in dense, off white hairs approximately 5mm in length. There are 12 teats within the pouch which are smooth and cream in colour. The teats are slightly raised from the abdominal wall, 0.5mm in length, directed laterally. The pouch opening is 3.5mm long and 2mm wide. A thin skin fold covers the teats and is held firmly against the abdomen. The sub-adult, female paucident planigale experiences changes during its first breeding season when sexual maturity is reached at 5 months old. Hair is shed from the pouch exposing skin and the pouch rapidly develops musculature. Pouch development is completed before the birth of the first young, however, without pregnancy during the first oestrus, the development of the pouch is gradual and is slowly completed later in the breeding season.
For male paucident planigale spermatogenesis begins at sexual maturity at around 6.5 months old. Females make a soft “clucking” sound one night prior to oestrus, as the males court the females 24 hours prior to oestrus. Females respond to courting by fighting and vocalisation. Mating lasts between 2.5 – 4 hours and more than one male may mate with a female during that period. Fighting over oestrus females is common amongst males.
Female paucident planigale spend 3 days in oestrus and the oestrus cycle is 21 days. Gestation lasts for 15.5 days and the average litter size is 6. The young remain in the female’s pouch attached to the teats for 37 days, although lactation lasts 75 days. [6]
The paucident planigale is found in arid inland areas from Lake Eyre, South Australia, to Moree, New South Wales, and from Mildura, Victoria, to the southwestern Northern Territory. [5] It is often found in areas with cracked clay soils, including floodplains and interdune areas among sandhills, the cracks providing shelter from adverse weather conditions. [3]
Paucident planigale is predominantly nocturnal and enters a state of torpor in unfavourable conditions to reduce energy expenditure in times of inactivity. The paucident planigale exhibits basking or sunning (behavior) as an energy-conserving strategy. The paucident planigale is the smallest mammal to display basking behavior in the wild in order to reduce energy requirements, particularly in winter. Basking assists with survival in harsh and unpredictable environments with limited food availability. [7] The paucident planigale forages through low lying vegetation, soil crevices, and leaf litter for invertebrates and small vertebrates. [5]
The paucident planigale is hunted by introduced predators such as foxes and feral cats. Poisoning by cane toads is also a risk. Loss of habitat by frequent burning, reducing ground cover, disturbances to vegetation surrounding water bodies, and habitat degradation are all threatening factors for paucident planigale. [8]
The paucident planigale has been listed as threatened under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 in the state of Victoria, although it is not considered threatened nationally. In Victoria, the paucident planigale has restricted distribution and is limited to a narrow zone of floodplain along the Murray River. [4]
The Dasyuridae are a family of marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, including 71 extant species divided into 17 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 and the extinct thylacine. They are found in a wide range of habitats, including grassland, underground, forests, and mountains, and some species are arboreal or semiaquatic. The Dasyuridae are often called the 'marsupial carnivores', as most members of the family are insectivores.
The long-tailed planigale, also known as Ingram's planigale or the northern planigale, is the smallest of all marsupials, and one of the smallest of all mammals. It is rarely seen but is a quite common inhabitant of the blacksoil plains, clay-soiled woodlands, and seasonally flooded grasslands of Australia's Top End.
The common planigale, also known as the pygmy planigale or the coastal planigale, is one of many small marsupial carnivores known as "marsupial mice" found in Australia. There they fill a similar niche to the insectivores of other parts of the world.
The mountain pygmy possum ; also simply known as the burramys, is a small, mouse-sized nocturnal marsupial of Australia found in dense alpine rock screes and boulder fields, mainly southern Victoria and around Mount Kosciuszko in Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales at elevations from 1,300 to 2,230 metres. At almost 14 cm (5.5 in), its prehensile tail is longer than its 11 cm (4.3 in) combined head and body length. Its diet consists of insects, fleshy fruits, nuts, nectar and seeds. Its body is covered in a thick coat of fine grey fur except for its stomach, which is cream coloured; its tail is hairless. On the underside of the female's body is a pouch containing four teats. This possum is the only extant species in the genus Burramys. It is also the only Australian mammal restricted to alpine habitat.
Quolls are carnivorous marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea. 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 30 pups, but the number that can be raised to adulthood is limited by the number of teats (6–7). They have a life span of 1–5 years.
Antechinus is a genus of small dasyurid marsupial endemic to Australia. They resemble mice with the bristly fur of shrews.
The eastern quoll is a medium-sized carnivorous marsupial (dasyurid), and one of six extant species of quolls. Endemic to Australia, they occur on the island state of Tasmania, but were considered extinct on the mainland after 1963. The species has been reintroduced to fox-proof fenced sanctuaries Victoria in 2003 and to the Australian Capital Territory in 2016.
The kultarr is a small insectivorous nocturnal marsupial inhabiting the arid interior of Australia. Preferred habitat includes stony deserts, shrubland, woodland, grassland and open plains. The kultarr has a range of adaptations to help cope with Australia's harsh arid environment including torpor similar to hibernation that helps conserve energy. The species has declined across its former range since European settlement due to changes in land management practices and introduced predators.
The fat-tailed dunnart is a species of mouse-like marsupial of the Dasyuridae, the family that includes the little red kaluta, quolls, and the Tasmanian devil.
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.
The striped-faced dunnart is a small, Australian, nocturnal, "marsupial mouse," part of the family Dasyuridae. The species' distribution occurs throughout much of inland central and northern Australia, occupying a range of arid and semi-arid habitats.
The Julia Creek dunnart is a marsupial with a buffy brown upperside and white underside. This dunnart has a body length of 100–135 mm with a tail of 60–105 mm to make a total length of 160–240 mm. Its weight is between 40 and 70 g. The length of the hind foot is 22–24 mm. The species has a dark brown triangle colour from above and below the eye with the point at the nose, and another dark stripe on top of the skull. A healthy dunnart has a carrot-shaped tail filled with fat stores.
The red-tailed phascogale, also known as the red-tailed wambenger, red-tailed mousesack or kenngoor, is a small carnivorous marsupial found in inland areas of south-western Western Australia, and has been reintroduced in sanctuaries in WA and the Northern Territory. It is listed as near threatened by the IUCN Red List, vulnerable under the federal EPBC Act, and its status varies between extinct and conservation-dependent under respective legislation in other states and territories of Australia.
The brown antechinus, 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.
The southern ningaui is a tiny marsupial carnivore belonging to the Dasyuridae family. Similar in appearance to Ningaui ridei, found throughout central Australia, this species occurs in spinifex on semi-arid sandplains across the southern coast of the continent. The fur is a tawny or greyish olive colour, light grey below, and distinguished by shades of cinnamon. The southern ningaui prefers smaller prey, including insects and spiders, but capable of killing and consuming larger animals such as cockroaches and skinks. Their narrow muzzle is used with quick and fierce bites about the head to despatch their meal. The species was first described in 1983, and placed within the genus Ningaui.
The narrow-nosed planigale is a species of very small marsupial carnivore of the family Dasyuridae.
The genus Planigale are small carnivorous marsupials found in Australia and New Guinea. It is the only genus in the tribe Planigalini of the subfamily Sminthopsinae. The genus has long been known to contain several cryptic species. Of the five Planigale species currently recognized, two are known species complexes.
The western pygmy possum, also known as the southwestern pygmy possum or the mundarda, is a small marsupial found in Australia. Genetic studies indicate its closest relative is probably the eastern pygmy possum, from which its ancestors diverged around eight million years ago.
The long-footed potoroo is a small marsupial found in southeastern Australia, restricted to an area around the coastal border between New South Wales and Victoria. It was first recorded in 1967 when an adult male was caught in a dog trap in the forest southwest of Bonang, Victoria. It is classified as vulnerable.
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.
