Discovering Marsupials Snout, and Enlarged Front Legs

Discovered by Mark Harvey, Western Australian Museum

ustralia, New Guinea and some They delved deeper into nearby islands are home to the the status of the quenda, which Avast majority of living marsupials, is endemic to south-western a group of mammals that separated from Australia. It has usually been other mammals in the Mesozoic, about considered as a subspecies 160 million years ago. Elsewhere, marsupials known as Isoodon obesulus are only known from the Americas, although fusciventer, with the other fossils have been found in Asia and Europe. subspecies found in south- Many Australian marsupials have become eastern Australia. However, iconic and are much-loved symbols of Kenny and Matthew raised our nation. Sadly, many are imperilled by it to a full species, finding land clearing and threats from introduced consistent differences in predators. the shape of some of the One of the most distinctive (and teeth and some previously perhaps cute) marsupial groups comprises published molecular data. the bandicoots and bilbies which This species is now known as are classified in their own order, the Isoodon fusciventer. Peramelemorphia. They have long ears and They then turned their Discovering marsupials snout, and enlarged front legs. There are attention to the other only about 22 living species of bandicoots genus, Perameles. Previous and they are only found in the Australo- classifications recognised only Papuan region. Their size and relatively a few modern species, including the long- Above A western barred bandicoot. placid nature has made them vulnerable nosed bandicoot (P. nasuta) from eastern Photo – Jiri Lochman to land-clearing and introduced predators Australia, the eastern barred bandicoot such as feral cats and foxes, and many (P. gunnii) from south-eastern Australia, the species now have a greatly restricted range. western barred bandicoot (P. bougainville) These exciting discoveries help paint Even worse, several others are now extinct. from WA, and the extinct desert bandicoot a more detailed picture of the wonderful Much work is being done to conserve (P. eremiana) from central Australia. Their diversity of Australia’s native mammal fauna bilbies and bandicoots, through programs study found that the taxonomic situation prior to European settlement. But, more such as Western Shield, but a robust species- is more complex than this classification poignantly, they highlight what we have lost. level taxonomic framework is required to depicts. The south-western populations of We already knew that several species of bolster efforts. the western barred bandicoot were found Perameles became extinct during the 19th A recent scientific publication by to be quite distinct from other populations, and early 20th century, and the addition of Dr Kenny Travouillon from the Western which they recognised as a distinct species. Perameles papillon and Perameles myosuros Australian Museum and Dr Matthew This species was last recorded in 1907 and to this list is even sadder. The only species Phillips from the Queensland University of is only known from old museum specimens of the Perameles bougainville group that Technology in the journal Zootaxa examined and sub-fossil material. Following the survived the onslaught of introduced the taxonomy of bandicoots and bilbies by international rules for classifying species, predators such as foxes and cats, land comparing features and using DNA data. the oldest name, Perameles myosuros, has clearing and altered fire regimes, was the They examined a wide array of species, been applied to this species. western barred bandicoot on two Western including all modern species and several They then found something truly Australian off-shore islands. Attempts to extinct species known only from fossils. remarkable – a species that had not been introduce the western barred bandicoot into They found that the bilbies (Macrotis spp.) previously recognised. Among various feral-free habitats will help establish further and the pig-footed bandicoot (Chaeropus museum collections were several skins and populations. ecaudatus) formed a distinct group, which skulls that did not fit definitions of any of It’s clear that without access to the rich corroborates previous research as members the named species. The rump was adorned resources that are available in museums of two separate families, Thylacomyidae with conspicuous butterfly-shaped stripes and their collections, the new species would and Chaeropodidae, respectively. The four which provided the inspiration for the never have been discovered. While it’s sad to genera of Papuan bandicoots also formed scientific name they selected, Perameles learn of the demise of Perameles papillon, it a distinct group, and this in turn was the papillon. All of the museum specimens is a sobering reminder that we must treasure sister-group to the Australian Isoodon and came from the Nullarbor Plain, and the what we have while it is here, and protect Perameles. species hasn’t been seen alive since 1928. biodiversity for future generations.

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