Brown Antechinus

Brown Antechinus[1]
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Dasyuromorphia
Family: Dasyuridae
Genus: Antechinus
Species: A. stuartii
Binomial name
Antechinus stuartii
Macleay, 1841
Brown Antechinus range

The Brown Antechinus (Antechinus stuartii), also known as Stuart's Antechinus and Macleay's Marsupial Mouse, is a species of small carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae.

Contents

Taxonomy

The Brown Antechinus was only the third in its genus to be described and as such has, until recently, included species such as the Agile Antechinus (Antechinus agilis), the Subtropical Antechinus (Antechinus subtropicus) and the Tropical Antechinus (Antechinus adustus).[3] It has also been included itself with the Yellow-footed Antechinus as the subspecies burrelli.[4] It was described in 1841 by the entomologist William Sharp Macleay, who named the species in honour of his friend and fellow naturalist James Stuart who had discovered the animal at Spring Cove (North Head) in 1837 while working as surgeon in charge of the Quarantine Station.[5]

Size

The body length is 9.5 to 11 cm. The tail length is 10 to 12 cm.

Behavior

The Brown Antechinus is mostly nocturnal and is arboreal, and females build large communal nests shared by many individuals. Like all antechinuses, male Brown Antechinuses die after their first breeding season (which lasts two weeks) as a result of stress and exhaustion.[3] Female Brown Antechinuses do not possess a pouch; the young must attach themselves to the teats (of which there are usually eight). Its diet includes beetles, spiders, amphipods and cockroaches, although it is an opportunistic feeder.[4] The litter size is 6 to 7 young.

Distribution and habitat

The Brown Antechinus is found east of the Great Dividing Range in Australia, from southeastern Queensland to around Kioloa, New South Wales.[4] It is mostly found in forested habitats.[4]

References

  1. ^ Groves, C. (2005). Wilson, D. E., & Reeder, D. M, eds. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 30. OCLC 62265494. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3. 
  2. ^ Burnett, S. & Dickman, C. (2008). Antechinus stuartii. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 10 October 2008.
  3. ^ a b Menkhorst, Peter (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press. p. 56. ISBN 0-19-550870-X. 
  4. ^ a b c d Braithwaite, R. W. (1995). "Brown Antechinus". In Strahan, Ronald. The Mammals of Australia. Reed Books. pp. 94–97. ISBN 0-7301-0484-2 
  5. ^ Manly Quarantine Station (2007). "Manly Council Review". QS Conservation Plan 2000. http://www.manlyquarantine.com/Conservation_Plan_2000-7.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-21. 

External links