Echymipera echinista, Menzies, 1990

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Peramelidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 362-398 : 395

11.

Menzies’s Echymipera

Echymipera echinista

French: Bandicoot de Menzies / German: Menzies-Stachelnasenbeutler / Spanish: Bandicut espinoso de Menzies

Other common names: Fly River Bandicoot, Fly River Echymipera

Taxonomy. Echymipera echinista Menzies, 1990 ,

Wipim , near lamega (08° 51° S, 142° 58’ E), Western (Fly River) Province, Papua New Guinea.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Papua New Guinea: one specimen known from middle Strickland River area, another from lower Fly River; a third, unconfirmed, record from Mt Menawa (Sandaun Province), in North Coastal Ranges.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 32:8-36 cm, tail 9-7 cm; weight 1 kg. Head-body measurements refer to two females, and tail length and body weight to a single individual; no males have been captured. Distinguished from other members of genus by its coat, which is exceptionally spiny and almost completely lacking in softer, non-spinous hairs. Snoutis very narrow and elongate, with dark lines running posteriorly through eyes, and ears are rounded and prominent.

Habitat. The very limited information suggests that this peramelid may be restricted to gallery forest in the Fly-Strickland drainage system. The two known specimens were collected at altitudes of, respectively, 40 m and 80 m; if third record is verified, elevational range would extend to foothill forest at up to 1000 m.

Food and Feeding. No definite details known, although its long snout and triangular molars have been taken to suggest an insectivorous diet.

Breeding. There is no specific information available for this species.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no specific information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The population trend is not known. Very little is known about this distinctive and enigmatic echymipera species. If it is to be conserved, a keyfirst step will be to gain a better understanding of where it occurs and whatfactors affect its population size. The low-elevation gallery forests of Fly—Strickland river system would be a logical place in which to target initial investigations, as they have yielded the only confirmed records of the species, but they have not been extensively surveyed. Potential threats, such as predation by feral dogs, should also be documented as part of field surveys. With more understanding of the true status of this echymipera, including its possible occurrence in protected areas, planning forits conservation needs—if any—would have a sound foundation.

Bibliography. Flannery (1995a), Leary, Wright, Hamilton, Singadan, Menzies, Bonaccorso, Helgen, Seri, Aplin et al. (2008), Menzies (1990, 2011).

Figures

9. Clara’s Echymipera (Echymupera clara), 10. David’s Echymipera (Echymipera davidi), 11. Menzies’s Echymipera (Echymipera echinista), 12. Common Echymipera (Echymipera kalubu), 13. Long-nosed Echymipera (Echymipera rufescens), 14. Striped Bandicoot (Microperoryctes longicauda), 15. Mouse Bandicoot (Microperoryctes murina), 16. Arfak Pygmy Bandicoot (Microperoryctes aplin), 17. Papuan Bandicoot (Microperoryctes papuensis), 18. Seram Bandicoot (Rhynchomeles prattorum)

Distribution. Papua New Guinea: one specimen known from middle Strickland River area, another from lower Fly River; a third, unconfirmed, record from Mt Menawa (Sandaun Province), in North Coastal Ranges.