Planigalinae

Planigalinae
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Dasyuromorphia
Family:	Dasyuridae
Subfamily:	Planigalinae ; Archer, 1982

Last updated November 03, 2024

The former subfamily Planigalinae contained the planigales and the ningauis: very small marsupial carnivores native to Australia which are, like the quolls, antechinuses, dibblers, Tasmanian devil, and many others, part of the biological order Dasyuromorphia: the carnivorous marsupials.^[1]^[2] The subfamily is now contained in the Sminthopsinae subfamily, and the two genera are split between two different tribes; the planigales are by themselves in their own tribe, while the ningaui are lumped with the dunnarts and the Kultarr.

There are 8 species in 2 genera. All members of the subfamily are very small, ranging from the paucident planigale at just over 10 grams to the smallest marsupial of all, the 4.3 gram long-tailed planigale. Most are about 8 grams, or about half the size of an average mouse.

Of the 8 species, two are from the tropical northern part of the continent, the other five from the arid or semi-arid centre. Four of the five planigales have been known for many years— John Gould described the common planigale in 1851—but the paucident planigale and all three ningauis were unknown to science until the 1970s and 1980s.

All 8 species are nocturnal carnivores which hunt a range of small creatures, typically insects, larvae, insect eggs, small lizards and the young of small mammals. Although tiny, they are very bold, at least some of the species regularly take prey larger than themselves. Even the widespread common planigale, which can be found in the outer suburbs of Brisbane is poorly known. Until the improvements in biochemical analysis methods towards the end of the 20th century, very little was known about the relationships between the smaller carnivorous marsupials: it is only in recent years that it has been possible to discover that the Planigalinae are a distinct group within the Dasyuromorphia.

Family Dasyuridae

Subfamily Dasyurinae: quolls, kowari, mulgara, kaluta, dibblers, pseudantechinuses, and the Tasmanian devil
Subfamily Phascogalinae: phascogales and antechinuses
Subfamily Sminthopsinae: dunnarts and the kultarr
Subfamily Planigalinae:
- Genus Planigale
  - Giles' planigale (Planigale gilesi)
  - Long-tailed planigale (Planigale ingrami)
  - Common planigale (Planigale maculata)
  - New Guinean planigale (Planigale novaeguineae)
  - Narrow-nosed planigale (Planigale tenuirostris)
- Genus Ningaui
  - Wongai ningaui (Ninguai ridei)
  - Pilbara ningaui (Ninguai timealeyi)
  - Southern ningaui (Ninguai yvonneae)

Related Research Articles

Dasyuromorphia is an order comprising most of the Australian carnivorous marsupials, including quolls, dunnarts, the numbat, the Tasmanian devil, and the extinct thylacine. In Australia, the exceptions include the omnivorous bandicoots and the marsupial moles. Numerous South American species of marsupials are also carnivorous, as were some extinct members of the order Diprotodontia, including extinct kangaroos and thylacoleonids, and some members of the partially extinct clade Metatheria and all members of the extinct superorder Sparassodonta.

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. 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 tiger quoll, also known as the spotted-tailed quoll, spotted quoll, spotted-tailed dasyure, or tiger cat, is a carnivorous marsupial of the quoll genus Dasyurus native to Australia. With males and females weighing around 3.5 and 1.8 kg, respectively, it is the world's second-largest extant carnivorous marsupial, behind the Tasmanian devil. Two subspecies are recognised; the nominate is found in wet forests of southeastern Australia and Tasmania, and a northern subspecies, D. m. gracilis, is found in a small area of northern Queensland and is endangered.

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.

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

Mulgaras are the six small rat-sized 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 and breed from June to September. The pouch comprises two lateral folds of skin.

The Wongai ningaui is a tiny carnivorous marsupial native to the arid open grasslands of inland Australia. Their diet is mainly small insects, and occasionally larger prey such as spiders, grasshoppers and cockroaches, which they forage for at the ground and in clumps of spinifex. They have long and untidy fur, grey or gingery brown with longer black hairs, small ears, a narrow muzzle, and possess a partially prehensile tail and feet that allow them to climb. The population occurs sparsely across a wide area and common in favourable habitat, especially in years of good rainfall. Ningaui ridei was first described in 1975, one of two species of a new genus discovered amongst the poorly known mammals of the western regions of Australia.

The tribe Dasyurini includes several genera of small carnivorous marsupials native to Australia: quolls, kowari, mulgara, kaluta, dibblers, neophascogales, pseudantechinuses, and the Tasmanian devil.

The subfamily Sminthopsinae includes several genera of small, carnivorous marsupials native to Australia: kultarrs, ningauis, dunnarts, and planigales.

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 New Guinean quoll, also known as the New Guinea quoll or New Guinea native cat, is a carnivorous marsupial mammal native to New Guinea. It is the second-largest surviving marsupial carnivore of New Guinea. It is known as suatg in the Kalam language of Papua New Guinea.

The Pilbara ningaui, sometimes known as Ealey's ningaui, is a tiny species of marsupial carnivore found in Australia.

Ningaui is a genus of small species of the marsupial dasyurid family. Along with the planigales, they are among the smallest marsupials.

The paucident planigale, also known as Giles' planigale, is a very small species of carnivorous marsupial 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.

References

↑ Jackson, Stephen; Groves, Colin (2015-06-16). Taxonomy of Australian Mammals. Csiro Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-4863-0014-3.
↑ Cáceres, Nilton C.; Dickman, Christopher R. (2023-06-30). American and Australasian Marsupials: An Evolutionary, Biogeographical, and Ecological Approach. Springer Nature. p. 179. ISBN 978-3-031-08419-5.

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[1] Jackson, Stephen; Groves, Colin (2015-06-16). Taxonomy of Australian Mammals. Csiro Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-4863-0014-3.

[2] Cáceres, Nilton C.; Dickman, Christopher R. (2023-06-30). American and Australasian Marsupials: An Evolutionary, Biogeographical, and Ecological Approach. Springer Nature. p. 179. ISBN 978-3-031-08419-5.

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