| Fawn Antechinus[1] | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Dasyuromorphia |
| Family: | Dasyuridae |
| Genus: | Antechinus |
| Species: | A. bellus |
| Binomial name | |
| Antechinus bellus (Thomas, 1904) |
|
| Distribution of the Fawn Antechinus | |
The Fawn Antechinus (Antechinus bellus) is a species of small carnivorous marsupial found in northern Australia. It is the only antechinus to be found in the Northern Territory and has a patchy, restricted range.
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The Fawn Antechinus was first described in 1904 by the renowned biologist Oldfield Thomas, who gave it the species name bellus, meaning beautiful.[3] It has never been confused with other species.
The Fawn Antechinus is a member of the family Dasyuridae and of the genus Antechinus (meaning "hedgehog-equivalent"), which has nine other members.
The Fawn Antechinus is unique among antechinuses, being considerably paler than many of its relatives. It is a light grey colour and is distinguished from the only other similar species in the area where it lives (the Sandstone Dibbler and the Red-cheeked Dunnart) by its larger size and paler colouring. It is insectivorous and, like many of its relatives, all of the males die after the breeding season .[4]
The Fawn Antechinus has a breeding season during August. Young are born in September-October in litters of up to ten, and are usually weaned by January.[4]
The Fawn Antechinus is found in the Top End of the Northern Territory, where it is fairly common.[3] It inhabits tall, fairly open forest in the tropics.