Pseudantechinus ningbing, Kitchener, 1988

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Dasyuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 232-348 : 296-297

13.

Ningbing Pseudantechinus

Pseudantechinus ningbing

French: Dasyure du Ningbing / German: Ningbing-Fettschwanz-Beutelmaus / Spanish: Falso antequino de Ningbing

Other common names: Ningbing Antechinus, Ningbing False Antechinus

Taxonomy. Pseudantechinus ningbing Kitchener, 1988 ,

Mitchell Plateau , ¢. 220 m, 14° 53’ 40” S, 125° 45° 20” E, Kimberley region, Western Australia, Australia.

This species was first collected by the famous naturalist H. Butler in July 1965 at Parry Creek on Ningbing Station, Kimberley region, Western Australia. In 1988, D. J. Kitchener and N. Caputi described P. woolleyae , also recognizing Pseudantechinus “ ningbing ” as a species, and Kitchener duly formally raised ningbing to a full species in the same year, based on morphology. There are currently six recognized species of dasyurid marsupial “false antechinuses:” bilarni , macdonnellensis , mimulus , ningbing , roryi , and woolleyae , macdonnellensis , and mimulus were initially placed in the genus Antechinus , along with Parantechinus apicalis . Nevertheless, G. H. H. Tate in 1947 erected a new genus ( Pseudantechinus ) for macdonnellensis and mimulus and a monotypic genus, Parantechinus , for apicalis . W. D. L. Ride in 1964 placed all three species back under Antechinus . Later, P. A. Woolley examined penile morphology of Ride’s Antechinus supergroup and maintained that macdonnellensis , bilarni , the then undescribed “ ningbing ,” and apicalis formed a distinct group from other Antechinus . M. Archer dutifully resurrected both of Tate’s genera, consigning macdonnellensis and “ ningbing ” to Pseudantechinus and bilarni and apicalis to Parantechinus . P. R. Baverstock and colleagues in 1982 used allozyme (isozyme) genetic data to confirm Tate’s proposed genera Pseudantechinus and Parantechinus . Subsequent allozyme work suggested that the ningbing was a distinct species. Kitchener’s morphological work corroborated the genetics several years later, and P. ningbing was formally raised to a full species. Direct sequencing of mtDNA and nDNA has been conducted over the last decade and suggests that P. bilarni is very different genetically from Parantechinus ( P. apicalis ) and all other species of Pseudantechinus , P. woolleyae was resolved as sister to all congeners; P. ningbing was resolved assister to a clade containing P. mimulus , P. macdonnellensis , and P. roryi . Monotypic.

Distribution. Australia, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia and NW Northern Territory, also on Augustus and Heywood Is in the Bonaparte Archipelago off the Kimberley coast.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 9-10 cm (males) and 8-9 cm (females), tail 8-9 cm (males) and 7.5-9 cm (females); weight 20-25 g (males) and 15-20 g (females). There is slightly sexual dimorphism for size. Fur of the Ningbing Pseudantechinus is pale grayish-brown above and below; there are chestnut patches behind ears. The Ningbing Pseudantechinus is similar to the Fat-tailed Pseudantechinus ( P. macdonnellensis ), but its tail is longer (relative to head-body length), with long hairs covering its base. Remainder oftail in the Ningbing Pseudantechinusis sparsely haired and has a slightly scaly appearance. Male Ningbing Pseudantechinuses have accessory erectile tissue that does not form an appendage to the penis, and females have four nipples in their pouches. These characteristics differ from those of Rory’s Pseudantechinus (FP. roryz) and the Fat-tailed Pseudantechinus, in which females have six nipples and male accessory erectile tissue forms an appendage to the penis.

Habitat. Rocky habitat in limestone and sandstone outcrops in a variety of vegetation types. At Mitchell Plateau and Prince Regent Nature Reserve, Western Australia, the Ningbing Pseudantechinus was collected in low open eucalypt woodland with Owenia vernicosa ( Meliaceae ), Ficus spp. (Moraceae) , and Acacia spp. (Fabaceae) . These trees grew over a sparse shrub layer above a moderately dense ground cover of spinifex ( Triodia , Poaceae ) hummock grass with “sorghum” grass variously present. At other localities in western Kimberley, most specimens have been captured in riparian situations, typically in low, open woodland over low, open shrubland and moderately dense spinifex hummock grassland on sandstone and limestone. At Ningbing, specimens were collected along limestone ridges and on a sandstone outcrop with low open shrubs over a ground cover of mixed grass, shrubs, and emergent trees.

Food and Feeding. There is no information available for this species.

Breeding. The Ningbing Pseudantechinus has not been bred in captivity; observation of wild-caught and captive individuals from Ningbing Station indicated that breeding occursjust once a year. Mating occursin June, and young are born after a long gestation of 45-52 days from late July to early August. There are only four nipples in the pouch; five of the seven females captured in August were carrying a full complement of pouch young. Crown-rump lengths of these young were 8-13-5 mm in individuallitters; young were 10-30 days of age. Young were independent at 16 weeks of age in November; they were capable of breeding at c.11 months. Male and female Ningbing Pseudantechinuses may survive to breed in a second year. Scrotal width of one laboratory-reared male and a wild-caught male captured in August reached a maximum in April, and spermatorrhoea commenced in both individuals at this time. Duration of spermatorrhoea in the laboratory-reared male was c.5 weeks; the wild-caught male captured in August died in earlyJune after exhibiting spermatorrhoea for c.7 weeks. Duration of spermatorrhoea in two other wild-caught males was unknown but was not less than c.4 weeks in one and c.6 weeks in the other. H. Butler collected three females with tiny pouch young (numbering two, four, and four) at Ningbing on 7 August 1965 and one female with pouch young (numbering four) at Parry Creek (type locality) on 31 August 1965. L. Keller collected two females with pouch young (numbering two and four) on 30 September 1976 near Brooking Springs that had crown-rump lengths of ¢.27 mm; and another lactating female was caught near Cliffs Outcrop in western Kimberley on 16 November 1976.

Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Ningbing Pseudantechinus has a wide distribution and presumably a large overall population. Nevertheless, it appears to be sparse throughoutits distribution. There is no knowledge of decline or major conservation threats, but more research is needed into population status and threats. Altered fire regimes could potentially affect the Ningbing Pseudantechinus, although possibly less so in rockier habitat. The Ningbing Pseudantechinus is known from several protected areas, including several national parks such as Drysdale River, Prince Regent, and Purmululu in Western Australia, and Keep River or Judbarra/Gregory in Northern Territory.

Bibliography. Archer (1982c), Baverstock et al. (1982), Burbidge & Woinarski (2008), Cooper, N.K. et al. (2000), Fisher et al. (2000), Kitchener (1991), Kitchener & Caputi (1988), Krajewski & Westerman (2003), Lloyd et al. (2013), Ride (1964), Tate (1947), Westerman et al. (2007), Woolley (1982, 1988, 2008i).

Figures

On following pages: 29. Black-tailed Antechinus (Antechinus arktos); 30. Fawn Antechinus (Antechinus bellus); 31. Yellow-footed Antechinus (Antechinus flavipes), 32. Atherton Antechinus (Antechinus godmani); 33. Cinnamon Antechinus (Antechinus leo); 34. Swamp Antechinus (Antechinus minimus); 35. Buff-footed Antechinus (Antechinus mysticus); 36. Brown Antechinus (Antechinus stuartil); 37. Subtropical Antechinus (Antechinus subtropicus); 38. Dusky Antechinus (Antechinus swainsonii).

Distribution. Australia, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia and NW Northern Territory, also on Augustus and Heywood Is in the Bonaparte Archipelago off the Kimberley coast.