Southern mulgara | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
Order: | Dasyuromorphia |
Family: | Dasyuridae |
Genus: | Dasycercus |
Species: | D. archeri |
Binomial name | |
Dasycercus archeri Newman-Martin & Travouillon, 2023 | |
The southern mulgara (Dasycercus archeri) is a newly described, potentially extinct, species of mulgara. [1] The species is named after Australian palaeontologist Michael Archer, [1] who contributed to many Australian palaeontological and mammalian discoveries.
The species is very similar to the crest-tailed mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda), but differs in the morphology of its dentition. [1] Externally, the Southern mulgara has a crested tail and 8 nipples, [1] which had been previously used to differentiate the crest-tailed mulgara (D. cristicauda) and the brush-tailed mulgara (D. blythi). [2]
Based on subfossil remains and preserved museum specimens, it is believed that the Southern mulgara occurred commonly throughout the Nullarbor Plain, and Great Victoria Desert, through to the caves of the northern Swan coastal Plain. [1]
The Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely populated desert ecoregion and interim Australian bioregion in Western Australia and South Australia.
Collier Range National Park is a national park in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 878 km (546 mi) northeast of Perth.
The dusky hopping mouse, is a small rodent endemic to Australia, inhabiting desert regions characterised by sand dunes. Populations have experienced significant declines since the arrival of Europeans, and continue to be subject to threatening processes. It is currently listed as a threatened species.
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 kowari, also known by its Diyari name kariri, is a small carnivorous marsupial native to the gibber deserts of central Australia. It is the sole member of the genus Dasyuroides.
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.
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 tribe Dasyurini includes several genera of small carnivorous marsupials native to Australia: quolls, kowari, mulgara, kaluta, dibblers, neophascogales, pseudantechinuses, and the Tasmanian devil.
The crest-tailed mulgara, is a small to medium-sized Australian carnivorous marsupial and a member of the family Dasyuridae which includes quolls, dunnarts, the numbat, Tasmanian devil and extinct thylacine. The crest-tailed mulgara is among a group of native predatory mammals or mesopredators endemic to arid Australia.
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.
Patricia Woolley is Australian zoologist recognised for her work with marsupials, specifically the dasyurid family. Pseudantechinus woolleyae is named for her.
Queen Victoria Spring Nature Reserve is a protected area managed by the Department of Parks and Wildlife and is located approximately 200 km (124 mi) east of Kalgoorlie in the Great Victoria Desert in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.
The northern mulgara is a newly described, and potentially extinct, species of mulgara. The species is named after Dr. Patricia Woolley who previously worked on the genus Dasycercus, and has worked extensively with Australian dasyurids.
The little mulgara is a newly described species of mulgara. The species is named posthumously after Basil Marlow the Australian mammalogist and former curator of mammals at the Australian Museum.