Phascolosorex doriae (Thomas, 1886)

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 : 299

17.

Red-bellied Phascogale

Phascolosorex doriae

French: Dasyure a ventre rouge / German: Orangebauch-Streifenbeutelmaus / Spanish: Dasiuro de vientre rojo

Other common names: Red-bellied Dasyure, Red-bellied Marsupial Shrew

Taxonomy. Phascogale doriae Thomas, 1886 ,

Arfak Mtns , Mori, Manokwari Div., Vogelkop , Prov. of Papua (= Irian Jaya), New Guinea, Indonesia.

This species (as a member of Phascogale ) was described by O. Thomas in 1886, but the genus did not figure prominently in systematic reviews until G. H. H. Tate in 1947. Earlier, Tate and R. Archbold had treated Phascolosorex as a subgenus of Phascogale , but Tate elevated it to genus within his subfamily Dasyurinae . M. Archer in 1982 and 1984 placed Phascolosorex , along with Neophascogale , into another subfamily, Phascolosoricinae. Early genetic work provided evidence that phascolosoricines were associated with Dasyurinae . More recent genetic analysis has supported this association, suggesting that Phascolosorex (only dorsalis included) and Neophascogale ( lorentzii ) were well-supported sisters. In turn, these two genera were positioned as sister to a clade containing six species of quolls ( Dasyurus ) and the Tasmanian Devil ( Sarcophilus harrisii ). Monotypic.

Distribution. W New Guinea Mts, from Bird’s Head (= Vogelkop) Peninsula to Weyland Range, and the NW slopes of the Central Range.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 15:4-22.6 cm (males) and 15.2-19.5 cm (females), tail 15-4=19-1 cm (males) and 15.2-17 cm (females). No specific data are available for body weight. The Red-bellied Phascogale is larger than its congener, the Narrowstriped Dasyure ( P. dorsalis ), which it otherwise closely resembles. Auditory bullae (inflated ear bones) of the skull are proportionately slightly smaller in the Red-bellied Phascogale than in the Narrow-striped Dasyure.

Habitat. Mature, montane, tropical, and moist forest at elevations of 900-2000 m. The Red-bellied Phascogale is generally found at lower elevations than the Narrow-striped Dasyure. It is not known, however,if they occur sympatrically or are elevationally separated. Given records in Weyland Range, they most likely overlap. The Red-bellied Phascogale may be common in Weyland Range because the Museum fur Naturkunde, Berlin, holds a good series collected from there by G. Stein.

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

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Red-bellied Phascogale may be active during the day.

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 Redbellied Phascogale has a wide distribution, much of which coincides with areas of low human population density. Its current population status is unknown, and it was apparently locally abundant in two localities in the 1930s. Even so, an attempt to collect the Red-bellied Phascogale in the Arfak Mountains in 1992 was unsuccessful, although skeletal remains were found in a raptor pellet. The species may be negatively affected by forest disturbance (shifting agriculture and timber extraction), predation by feral domestic dogs, and local hunting for food.

Bibliography. Archer (1982c, 1984), Baverstock et al. (1982), Flannery (1995a), Helgen (2007a, 2007b), Krajewski et al. (2004), Tate (1947), Tate & Archbold (1937), Thomas (1886), Woolley, Leary, Seri, Wright, Hamilton, Helgen, Singadan, Dickman & Lunde (2008).

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. W New Guinea Mts, from Bird’s Head (= Vogelkop) Peninsula to Weyland Range, and the NW slopes of the Central Range.