Dasyurus albopunctatus, Schlegel, 1880

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 : 301

19.

New Guinea Quoll

Dasyurus albopunctatus

French: Quoll de Nouvelle-Guinée / German: Neuguinea-Beutelmarder / Spanish: Dasiuro de Nueva Guinea

Other common names: New Guinean Quoll

Taxonomy. Dasyurus albopunctatus Schlegel, 1880 ,

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

Morphological analyses have indicated similarities in quolls in New Guinea, D. spartacus and D. albopunctatus , particularly in the appearance of premolar teeth. Genetic analyses (mtDNA and nDNA) have indicated New Guinea quolls are distinct, positioning them with limited supportassister to a clade containing D. geoffroii and D. spartacus . Monotypic.

Distribution. New Guinea, widespread but patchily distributed except from SW lowlands, also on Yapen I. It has been reported in the Bird’s Head (= Vogelkop) Peninsula, but it is uncertain if the species definitely occurs there.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 22:8-35 cm (males) and 24.1-27.5 cm (females), tail 21.2-29 cm (males) and 22.1-28 cm (females); weight 580-710 g (males) and 520 g (females). There is sexual dimorphism for size. The New Guinea Quoll could only be confused with the Bronze Quoll ( D. spartacus ) among New Guinean mammals. The New Guinea Quoll is smaller in size than the Bronze Quoll, has a largerfirst toe, and has a less hairy tail. The New Guinea Quollis the second largest carnivorous marsupial on New Guinea, but it is dwarfed in size by some Australian quolls.

Habitat. Moist and disturbed forests from sea level up to elevations of 3600 m. Despite the wide elevational range, the New Guinea Quoll tend to be less common below 1000 m.

Food and Feeding. The New Guinea Quoll is respected by most New Guineans as a fierce predator. Indeed, Telefol hunters tell of it attacking prey up to and larger than itself. Evidently, it is not afraid to approach human habitation, as on Mount Dayman where it was trapped in the Fourth Archbold Expedition camp, lured by scent of rat bodies. Mianmin hunters report that it will enter villages to catch rats.

Breeding. Little is known about the reproductive biology of New Guinea Quolls. In one study, one trapped female was a sexually immature adult, based on size and pouch condition. Pouch area had small lateral folds;six very small nipples were evident. The individual was monitored for 13-5 months in captivity and did not enter estrus. After death and dissection, the reproductive tract was found to be very small, and ovaries were not macroscopically recognizable. Study of museum specimens indicates that the New Guinea Quoll breeds throughout the year. Lactating females, some with young in the pouch, have been collected in all months of the year, except February, October, and December. Females carrying young include one in January (head length of young, 19 mm), one in April (head length, 17-5 mm), one in May (head length, 18 mm), and one in June (head length, 11-5 mm); varied size of the young indicated a spread of birth dates. One study reported that the New Guinea Quoll gave birth to 4-6 neonates that spent c.2 months in the pouch.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information for this species, but the New Guinea Quoll is possibly partly diurnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Very little is known about social behaviors of New Guinea Quolls. Young may spend c.2 months in the den before dispersing, and life span is perhaps c.2 years. Mianmin hunters report that the call of the New Guinea Quoll is like that of a small dog.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. The New Guinea Quoll is widespread and locally abundant, but population declines have been recorded at a number of localities. Increasing human populations, hunting with domestic dogs, and encroaching anthropogenic land use, particularly potential loss of its lowland habitats to oil palms, may negatively affect New Guinea Quolls. The Rofaifo people of Mount Erimbari have noted that numbers of New Guinea Quolls have declined since the introduction of the domestic cat. Others report that sightings of this once common species have declined at localities such as Zenag over the past 40 years as cats have become established there. Cane toads (Rhinella marina) may also pose a threat, as they do for the Northern Quoll ( D. hallucatus ) of northern Australia.

Bibliography. Firestone (2000), Flannery (1995a), Flores et al. (2006), Menzies (1991), Woolley (1994, 2001), Woolley, Leary, Seri, Flannery, Wright, Hamilton, Helgen, Singadan, Menzies, Allison & James (2008).

Figures

19. New Guinea Quoll (Dasyurus albopunctatus), 20. Western Quoll (Dasyurus geoffroui), 21. Northern Quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus), 22. Spotted-tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), 23. Bronze Quoll (Dasyurus spartacus), 24. Eastern Quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus), 25. Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harris)

Distribution. New Guinea, widespread but patchily distributed except from SW lowlands, also on Yapen I. It has been reported in the Bird’s Head (= Vogelkop) Peninsula, but it is uncertain if the species definitely occurs there.