Dorcopsis luctuosa (D'Albertis, 1874)

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Macropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 630-735 : 694

4.

Grey Forest Wallaby

Dorcopsis luctuosa

French: Wallaby gris / German: Graues Buschkanguru / Spanish: Ualabi de bosque gris

Other common names: Eastern Forest Wallaby, Grey Dorcopsis

Taxonomy. Halmaturus luctuosus D’Albertis, 1874 ,

“S. E. of New Guinea [= Papua New Guinea].”

Formerly included in “D. veterum” (= D. mueller), but separated as a distinct species in 1989. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

D.l.luctuosaD’Albertis,1874—lowlandsofEPapuaNewGuinea.

D. l. phyllis Groves & Flannery, 1989 — Fly River and Merauke districts, Western Province, Papua New Guinea.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 72:1-97 cm (males) and 25-2 cm (females), tail 38-38:8 cm (males) and 31 cm (one female); weight 6-:7-11.6 kg (males) and 3-6 kg (one female). Fur short and thin. Dark gray dorsally, grading to paler ventrally, often orange around lower abdomen. Head dark, although throat pale. Limbs same color as body, but paws and feet darker. Hair parts in a distinct “V” on back, near shoulders. Tail well furred, with short naked tip, sometimes pale. D. L. phyllis is smaller, has darker pelage, shorter ears, tail and feet, and shows less sexual dimorphism. Diploid chromosome number of D. l. luctuosa is 22.

Habitat. Primary and secondary lowland rainforest, gallery forest, and nearby disturbed areas such as abandoned gardens; below 400 m elevation.

Food and Feeding. Poorly known. Likely a browser, and has been reported as eating leaves,fruits, and flowers. In captivity observed to pick up food items by using incisors, transfer these items to paws, and then insert them into side of mouth to be processed by large, sectorial premolars.

Breeding. Females produce a single young, this followed by a post-partum estrus and embryonic diapause. Appear to breed continuously. Young remains in pouch for approximately six months and permanently vacates pouch up to two weeks later; may, however, continue to suckle for longer period. Females reach reproductive maturity at 15 months and males some months later.

Activity patterns. Crepuscular, though may become nocturnal where heavily hunted. During heat of day rests in a squatting position, with tail held forward between legs.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Poorly known. Animals in captivity are sociable and show little intraspecific aggression. They form loose groups, and allogroom while sitting in close proximity to one another.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. This species is threatened by habitat loss (clearing for agriculture and logging), as well as by hunting. It is a favored subsistence food item among local people, and is regularly hunted and sold in town markets. As a consequence,it has declined or become locally extinct in some areas. It has been maintained and successfully bred in zoos throughout the world; some captive populations, however, have recently died out, probably as a result of inbreeding. Additional research on taxonomy, distribution, abundance, general ecology, and impact of potential threats is required.

Bibliography. Bourke (1989), Flannery (1995a), Groves & Flannery (1989), Hayman (1989), Hume (1999a), Leary, Wright, Singdan et al. (2008), Menzies (1989, 1991).

Figures

On following pages: 4. Grey Forest Wallaby (Dorcopsis luctuosa); 5. Brown Forest Wallaby (Dorcopsis muelleri); 6. Macleay’s Forest Wallaby (Dorcopsulus macleayi); 7. Small Forest Wallaby (Dorcopsulus vanheurni); 8. Bridled Nail-tailed Wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata); 9. Northern Nail-tailed Wallaby (Onychogalea unguifera).

Subspecies and Distribution. D.l.luctuosaD’Albertis,1874—lowlandsofEPapuaNewGuinea. D. l. phyllis Groves & Flannery, 1989 — Fly River and Merauke districts, Western Province, Papua New Guinea.