Red-tailed phascogale

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Red-tailed phascogale [1]
Phascogale calura close.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Dasyuromorphia
Family: Dasyuridae
Genus: Phascogale
Species:
P. calura
Binomial name
Phascogale calura
Gould, 1844
Red-tailed Wambenger area.png
Red-tailed phascogale range

The red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura), 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.

Contents

It is closely related to the brush-tailed phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa), but is smaller and browner.

Taxonomy

The red-tailed phascogale or Phascogale calura is one of three members of the phascogale genus, the others being the brush-tailed phascogale (P. tapoatafa) and the Northern brush-tailed phascogale (P. pirata). The species was described in 1844 by ornithologist John Gould. Its scientific name means "beautiful-tailed pouched-weasel". [3]

Alternative names for the species include red-tailed wambenger, kenngoor (the latter in the Nyoongar language), [4] and red-tailed mousesack. [5]

Description

Red-tailed phascogale showing characteristic tail. Phascogale calura (cropped).jpg
Red-tailed phascogale showing characteristic tail.

The red-tailed phascogale is smaller and browner than its close relative the brush-tailed phascogale. [6] It is around 10 cm (3.9 in) long and weighs about 60 g (2.1 oz). [7]

As in the brush-tailed phascogale, male red-tailed phascogales die following their first mating as a result of stress-related diseases. [6] Males rarely live past 11.5 months, although females can live to three years old. In captivity males and females can survive up to five years. [8] [9]

The animal can leap up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in). [7]

An arboreal and carnivorous species, the red-tailed phascogale has a varied diet, and can feed on insects and spiders, but also small birds and small mammals, notably the house mouse (Mus musculus), which has become ubiquitous in the landscape since its introduction by Europeans. [10] [11]

The red-tailed phascogale does not drink, as its water is metabolised through its food. [3]

Distribution and habitat

The red-tailed phascogale was once found across the whole of mainland Australia, [7] and formerly widespread throughout central and western Australia but is now restricted to the southern Western Australian wheatbelt. [12]

It is found in dense and tall climax vegetation, and appears to prefer those containing the Wandoo ( Eucalyptus wandoo ) and the rock sheoak (Allocasuarina huegeliana), as it has developed a resistance to the fluoroacetate the plants produce that is lethal to livestock. [3] Most native animals have a resistance to this fluoracetate, but introduced species, like the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), do not, so it has been suggested that the red-tailed phascogale's survival in these areas could be attributed to this chemical. [3]

Conservation status

The animal is classified as near threatened by the IUCN Red List and vulnerable under the Australian EPBC Act . [4]

As of August 2022, the species' status under the various state and territory legislation is as follows:

Conservation measures

The species was reintroduced to the Wadderin Sanctuary in the central wheatbelt of Western Australia in 2009. [13]

Recent conservation efforts in Central Australia have paid off, and 30 were released at the remote Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary, near Lake Mackay, Northern Territory in June 2020 after a captive breeding program at the Alice Springs Desert Park. They were bred from a small group taken from the wild in Western Australia, after their delicate breeding cycle was carefully managed. The animals were microchipped before release, and will be tracked for their whole lives. [14]

In a surprise to scientists, a red-tailed phascogale was observed in August 2022 at the Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary, a sanctuary run by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy 50 km (31 mi) north-east of Perth, in the Avon Valley. The species had not been seen near this location for several decades, with the closest known population around 100 km (62 mi) away to the south-east. [7]

Model species

The species is used as a model species in research. [15] Studies have been conducted on behavioural thermoregulation and have indicated they bask to reduce their energy demands. [16] Captive nutrition trials found red-tailed phascogales consume up to 39% of their body mass in food per day and their daily maintenance energy requirements are approximately 954 kJ kg0.75day−1. [17] Like many other mammals their food intake during lactation changes to meet the increasing demands of the young. [18]

Most notably the red-tailed phascogale has been used to study the marsupial immune system, development of their immune tissues, [19] and expression of and localisation of key immune cells. [20] They have an active complement system, [21] like other marsupials, [22] and the expression levels of complement components vary in developing young. [23] The serum of red-tailed phascogales has been shown to have antimicrobial properties against some bacterial species. [24] Reference genes have been evaluated in pouch young and adults. [25]

Red-tailed phascogales also express T-cell receptors and co-receptors, [26] major histocompatibility complex, [27] and interleukin-6 and its receptor. [28]

Given their semelparous reproductive strategy they have been investigated in terms of their immunosenescense in captivity [29] and immune response. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsupial</span> Infraclass of mammals in the clade Metatheria

Marsupials are a diverse group of mammals belonging to the infraclass Marsupialia. They are primarily found in Australasia, Wallacea, and the Americas. One of the defining features of marsupials is their unique reproductive strategy, where the young are born in a relatively undeveloped state and then nurtured within a pouch.

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

The numbat, also known as the noombat or walpurti, is an insectivorous marsupial. It is diurnal and its diet consists almost exclusively of termites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dasyuridae</span> Family of marsupials

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quoll</span> Genus of marsupial mammals

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.

<i>Phascogale</i> Genus of marsupials

The phascogales, also known as wambengers or mousesacks, 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 name wambenger comes from the Nyungar language. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brush-tailed phascogale</span> Species of mammal

The brush-tailed phascogale, also known by its Australian native name tuan, the common wambenger, the black-tailed mousesack or the black-tailed phascogale, is a rat-sized arboreal carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae, characterized by a tuft of black silky hairs on the terminal portion of its tail. Males of this species do not live past the age of one, as they die after reproducing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridled nail-tail wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The bridled nail-tail wallaby, also known as the bridled nail-tailed wallaby, bridled nailtail wallaby, bridled wallaby, merrin, and flashjack, is a vulnerable species of macropod. It is a small wallaby found in three isolated areas in Queensland, Australia, and whose population is declining. In early 2019 the total population of the species was estimated to be fewer than 500 mature individuals in the wild and 2285 in captivity.

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

The common ringtail possum is an Australian marsupial.

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

The common wombat, also known as the coarse-haired wombat or bare-nosed wombat, is a marsupial, one of three extant species of wombats and the only one in the genus Vombatus. The common wombat grows to an average of 98 cm (39 in) long and a weight of 26 kg (57 lb).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pouch (marsupial)</span> Anatomical structure of marsupials

The pouch is a distinguishing feature of female marsupials, monotremes ; the name marsupial is derived from the Latin marsupium, meaning "pouch". This is due to the occurrence of epipubic bones, a pair of bones projecting forward from the pelvis. Marsupials give birth to a live but relatively undeveloped foetus called a joey. When the joey is born it crawls from inside the mother to the pouch. The pouch is a fold of skin with a single opening that covers the teats. Inside the pouch, the blind offspring attaches itself to one of the mother's teats and remains attached for as long as it takes to grow and develop to a juvenile stage.

Gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) is a component of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) which works in the immune system to protect the body from invasion in the gut.

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

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.

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phascogalini</span> Tribe of marsupials

The Phascogalini are a tribe in the family Dasyuridae, comprising seven genera of small marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stripe-faced dunnart</span> Species of marsupial

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray short-tailed opossum</span> Species of marsupial

The gray short-tailed opossum is a small South American member of the family Didelphidae. Unlike most other marsupials, the gray short-tailed opossum does not have a true pouch. The scientific name Monodelphis is derived from Greek and means "single womb" and the Latin word domestica which means "domestic". It was the first marsupial to have its genome sequenced. The gray short-tailed opossum is used as a research model in science, and is also frequently found in the exotic pet trade. It is also known as the Brazilian opossum, rainforest opossum and in a research setting the laboratory opossum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fat-tailed false antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The fat-tailed false antechinus, also called the fat-tailed pseudantechinus and red-eared antechinus, is a member of the order Dasyuromorphia. It is an inhabitant of western and central Australia. Its species name, macdonnellensis, refers to the MacDonnell Ranges near Alice Springs, where it was first discovered.

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

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.

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

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.

Wadderin Sanctuary is a nature conservation project within the Shire of Narembeen in the eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia. It is about 290 kilometres (180 mi) east of Perth and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of the town of Narembeen. Wadderin is surrounded by a fox- and cat-proof fence that was completed in early 2008. This has allowed the reintroduction of fauna that is uncommon or locally extinct in the wheatbelt, and includes species that are considered threatened at the national level.

References

  1. ↑ Groves CP (2005). Wilson DE, Reeder DM (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 31–32. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. ↑ Burbidge AA, Woinarski J (2019). "Phascogale calura". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T16888A21944219. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T16888A21944219.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bradley AJ (1995). "Red-tailed Phascogale". In Strahan R (ed.). The Mammals of Australia. Reed Books. pp. 102–103. ISBN   978-0-7301-0484-1.
  4. 1 2 "Phascogale calura — Red-tailed Phascogale, Red-tailed Wambenger, Kenngoor". Species Profile and Threats Database . Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australian Government. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  5. ↑ "Red-Tailed Phascogale - Appearance, Diet, Habitat". The Animal Facts. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  6. 1 2 Menkhorst P, Knight F (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press. p. 50. ISBN   978-0-19-550870-3.
  7. 1 2 3 4 McManus S (24 August 2022). "Red-tailed phascogale spotted in WA's Paruna Sanctuary to the surprise of scientists". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  8. ↑ Bradley AJ, Foster WL, Taggart DA (2008). "Red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura).". In Van Dyck S, Strahan R (eds.). The Mammals of Australia. Sydney: Reed New Holland. pp. 101–102. ISBN   978-1-877069-25-3.
  9. ↑ Stannard HJ, Borthwick CR, Ong O, Old JM (2013). "Longevity and breeding in the red-tailed phascogale Phascogale calura". Australian Mammalogy. 35 (2): 217–219. doi:10.1071/AM12042.
  10. ↑ Kitchener, D.J., 1981. Breeding, diet and habitat preference of Phascogale calura (Gould, 1844)(Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) in the southern wheatbelt, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, 9, pp.173-186.
  11. ↑ Stannard, H.J., Caton, W. and Old, J.M., 2010. The diet of red‐tailed phascogales in a trial translocation at Alice Springs Desert Park, Northern Territory, Australia. Journal of Zoology, 280(4), pp.326-331. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2009.00658.x
  12. ↑ Short J, Hide A (2012). "Distribution and status of the red-tailed phascogale Phascogale calura". Australian Mammalogy. 34: 88–99. doi:10.1071/AM11017.
  13. ↑ Short J, Hide A (2014). "Successful reintroduction of the brushtail possum to Wadderin Sanctuary in the eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia". Australian Mammalogy. 36 (2): 229–241. doi:10.1071/AM14005.
  14. ↑ Beavan K (23 June 2020). "Red-tailed phascogales return to Central Australian landscape for the first time in decades". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  15. ↑ Old JM, Ong OT, Stannard HJ (February 2021). "Red-tailed phascogales: A review of their biology and importance as model marsupial species". Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part A, Ecological and Integrative Physiology. 335 (2): 217–227. Bibcode:2021JEZA..335..217O. doi:10.1002/jez.2438. PMID   33382214. S2CID   229930762.
  16. ↑ Stannard HJ, Fabian M, Old JM (October 2015). "To bask or not to bask: Behavioural thermoregulation in two species of dasyurid, Phascogale calura and Antechinomys laniger". Journal of Thermal Biology. 53: 66–71. doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2015.08.012. PMID   26590457.
  17. ↑ Stannard, H.J. and Old, J.M., 2012. Digestibility of feeding regimes of the red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura) and the kultarr (Antechinomys laniger) in captivity. Australian Journal of Zoology, 59(4), pp.257-263. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ZO11069
  18. ↑ Stannard HJ, Old JM (November 2015). "Changes to food intake and nutrition of female red-tailed phascogales (Phascogale calura) during late lactation". Physiology & Behavior. 151: 398–403. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.08.012. PMID   26260432. S2CID   6485078.
  19. ↑ Borthwick CR, Old JM (February 2016). "Histological Development of the Immune Tissues of a Marsupial, the Red-Tailed Phascogale (Phascogale calura)". Anatomical Record. 299 (2): 207–219. doi: 10.1002/ar.23297 . PMID   26599205. S2CID   26070813.
  20. ↑ Borthwick CR, Young LJ, Old JM (November 2019). "An Examination of the Development and Localization of Key Immune Cells in Developing Pouch Young of the Red-Tailed Phascogale (Phascogale calura)". Anatomical Record. 302 (11): 1985–2002. doi: 10.1002/ar.24176 . PMID   31120185.
  21. ↑ Ong O, Young L, Old J (2016). "Preliminary genomic survey and sequence analysis of the complement system in non-eutherian mammals". Australian Mammalogy. 38: 80–90. doi:10.1071/AM15036.
  22. ↑ Ong O, Young L, Old J (2015). "Detection of an active complement system in red-tailed phascogales (Phascogale calura)". Comparative Clinical Pathology. 24 (6): 1527–1534. doi:10.1007/s00580-015-2111-2. S2CID   29065218.
  23. ↑ Ong OT, Young LJ, Old JM (December 2016). "Sequences and expression of pathway-specific complement components in developing red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura)". Developmental and Comparative Immunology. 65: 314–320. doi:10.1016/j.dci.2016.08.003. PMID   27514577.
  24. ↑ Ong OT, Green-Barber JM, Kanuri A, Young LJ, Old JM (April 2017). "Antimicrobial activity of red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura) serum". Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. 51: 41–48. doi:10.1016/j.cimid.2017.03.001. PMID   28504094.
  25. ↑ Ong OT, Young LJ, Old JM (6 September 2016). "Evaluation of reference genes for gene expression in red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura) liver, lung, small intestine and spleen". PeerJ. 4: e2552. doi: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.2422v1 . PMC   5068414 . PMID   27761339.
  26. ↑ Borthwick CR, Young LJ, Old JM (September 2018). "Molecular identification and gene expression profiles of the T cell receptors and co-receptors in developing red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura) pouch young". Molecular Immunology. 101: 268–275. doi:10.1016/j.molimm.2018.07.005. PMID   30029061. S2CID   51706551.
  27. ↑ Hermsen E, Young L, Old J (2016). "MHC Class II in the red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura)". Australian Mammalogy. 39: 28–32. doi:10.1071/AM16002.
  28. ↑ Borthwick CR, Young LJ, McAllan BM, Old JM (December 2016). "Identification of the mRNA encoding interleukin-6 and its receptor, interleukin-6 receptor α, in five marsupial species". Developmental and Comparative Immunology. 65: 211–217. doi:10.1016/j.dci.2016.07.008. PMID   27431929.
  29. ↑ Letendre C, Sawyer E, Young LJ, Old JM (2018). "Immunosenescence in a captive semelparous marsupial, the red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura)". BMC Zoology. 3: 10. doi: 10.1186/s40850-018-0036-3 .
  30. ↑ Letendre C, Young LJ, Old JM (October 2018). "Limitations in the isolation and stimulation of splenic mononuclear cells in a dasyurid marsupial, Phascogale calura". BMC Research Notes. 11 (1): 712. doi: 10.1186/s13104-018-3824-5 . PMC   6180634 . PMID   30305168.
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