Myoictis melas ( Müller, 1840 )

Woolley, P. A., 2005, Revision of the Three-striped Dasyures, Genus Myoictis (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae), of New Guinea, With Description of a New Species, Records of the Australian Museum 57 (3), pp. 321-340 : 333-334

Myoictis melas ( Müller, 1840)

Type material. Holotype: RMNH 25750 a. Mounted skin and front portion of skull of adult male. Melanistic specimen. Collected in 1828 by S. Müller at Lobo, Triton Bay , 03°45'S 134°05'E.

Lectotype designation. Synonym: Phascogale thorbeckiana Schlegel, 1866 . Syntypes RMNH 25749c (mounted skin and skull of adult male), RMNH 25749d (skin of adult female) collected in 1865 by H.A. Bernstein on Salawati Island, 01°05'S 130°53'E. I herein designate the more complete specimen RMNH 25749c as the LECTOTYPE, and RMNH 25749d as the PARALECTOTYPE, of Phascogale thorbeckiana Schlegel. Tate (1947) listed four “cotypes” for Phascogale thorbeckiana and attributes all four to Bernstein; the extra two specimens were collected by D.S. Hoedt on Salawati Island in 1867 and are not registered as types.

Phascogale bruijnii Peters, 1875 . Holotype MCG 590 (skin and partial skull of adult male) collected in 1874 by A.A. Bruijn, at Andai, Arfak Mountains, 00°51'S 134°01'E. Tate (1947) listed MCG 3904 as a cotype of Phascogale bruijnii ; however, as noted by van der Feen (1962), MCG 3904 was

not collected until after the description of bruijnii and could not have been used for the description.

Phascogale melas senex Stein, 1932 . Holotype ZM 44226. Skin and skull of adult male collected in 1931 by G. Stein at Kunupi, Weyland Range, 03°52'S 135°31'E.

Phascogale melas bürgersi Stein, 1932 . Holotype ZM 20355. Skin and skull of adult, sex unknown, collected in 1913 by J. Bürgers at Meanderberg, April River , 04°00'S 141°45'E.

Distribution. Widely distributed in the north of mainland New Guinea and on Salawati, Waigeo and Japen Islands. Altitude records range from 3–1800 m.

Diagnosis. Myoictis melas differs from other species of Myoictis in having a well haired, tapering tail with a dorsal crest.

Description. Coat colour is variable. A small number of specimens are melanistic. The majority are brightly coloured with either whitish or reddish hairs between the black dorsal stripes, and they have bright reddish patches on the nape and behind the ears. Body dimensions can be found in Table 2. The first interdigital and thenar footpads may be either fused or not fused. The posterior palatal foramina are small and P 3 is absent. Females have six nipples.