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Northern Hopping Mouse

Notomys aquilo

French: Notomys septentrional / German: Nordliche Australienhipfmaus / Spanish: Ratén saltador septentrional

Taxonomy. Notomys aquilo Thomas, 1921,

“Cape York, N. Queensland,” Australia.

There have been no records from the type locality since the initial collection (prior to 1867), and it ispossible that this location was erroneously attributed. Proposed species N. carpentarius, from Groote Eylandot,is a synonym of aquilo . Monotypic.

Distribution. All recent (post-2000) confirmed records are from Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory, Australia.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 85-115 mm,tail 150-173 mm, ear 15-21 mm, hindfoot 33-40 mm; weight 28-44 g. Females typically slightly heavier and with larger headbody length than males. Body form typical of hopping mice, with very long hindfeet, long brush-tipped tail, large ears, and large eyes. The Northern Hopping Mouse has body gray-brown above, white below; both sexes with a glandular area on throat.

Ey Sg

Habitat. Mostly deep sandy soils with a range of vegetation types, including eucalypt open forest, shrublands, heathlands, and tussock grasslands.

Food and Feeding. The Northern Hopping Mouse is likely to feed mainly on seeds. In captivity, it also takes a range of fruits and other plant material and, rarely, invertebrates.

Breeding. Breeding reported throughout year, but with a peak ofjuveniles in the population in middle of dryseason (June-July). Litter size 2-5, usually three.

Activity patterns. The Northern Hopping Mouseis terrestrial and nocturnal, sheltering during day in elaborate burrow systems. Burrow entrance is often closed or inconspicuous, but typically a small mound of sand taken when burrowing (spoil heap) is located on the surface near original entrance to burrow system.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Home ranges of nine radio-tracked individuals were reported to range from 0-4 ha to 24 ha (mean 4-6 ha). Individuals use multiple burrows, and many may occur in one burrow system. There are no estimates of density, but this species was considered locally very abundant in mid-20" century in at least parts of its range;this is no longer the case.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List and listed as vulnerable under Australian legislation. Distribution and population size undergoing continuing decline, probably owing to predation by feral cats, possibly exacerbated by extensive fire. Large areas of Groote Eylandt are subject to extensive strip-mining. Range has diminished in Groote Eylandt in recent decades. Formerly occurred also in mainland Arnhem Land, extending south to near mouth of the Roper River, Northern Territory.

Bibliography. Diete et al. (2014, 2016), Dixon & Huxley (1985), Jackson & Groves (2015), Johnson (1959, 1964), Ride (1970), Van Dyck & Strahan (2008), Ward (2014), Woinarski, Burbidge & Harrison (2014), Woinarski, Gambold et al. (1999).