Sandstone Dibbler
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| Sandstone Dibbler[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Pseudantechinus bilarni (Johnson, 1954) |
The Sandstone Dibbler (Pseudantechinus bilarni), also known as the Sandstone Pseudantechinus, the Sandstone Antechinus, the Sandstone False Antechinus, Harney's Antechinus and the Northern Dibbler, is a species of small carnivorous marsupial, which has a patchy distribution in Australia's Northern Territory.
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[edit] Taxonomy
The Sandstone Dibbler was discovered in 1948 when it was collected on the American-Australian expedition to Arnhem Land.[3] It was described in 1954, when it was given the species name bilarni, which reflects the Aboriginal pronunciation of Bill Harney, an Australian writer and naturalist who accompanied the expedition.[3]
The Sandstone Dibbler has at times been assigned to the genus Antechinus, and was long believed to be a member of the genus Parantechinus, which now includes only the Southern Dibbler. Only recently has the species been moved to Pseudantechinus, where it is one of six species.
[edit] Description
It is an insectivorous species that, like many other dasyurids, so exhausts itself in the breeding season that most of the males die, although unlike some other species, about 25% of both sexes survive to a second year.[4]
The Sandstone Dibbler is partly diurnal and differs from the other members of its genus in its very long, narrow muzzle and its more greyish colour. The breeding season is May-July.[4]
[edit] Habitat
The Sandstone Dibbler is found in rocky areas around the Top End and the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory. It also inhabits coastal rock platforms on Marchinbar Island.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 27. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ Australasian Marsupial & Monotreme Specialist Group (1996). Pseudantechinus bilarni. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
- ^ a b Woolley, P.A. & Begg, R.J. (1995), “Northern Dibbler”, in Strahan, Ronald, The Mammals of Australia, Reed Books, pp. 74-75
- ^ a b c Menkhorst, Peter (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press, 60.
