Sarcophilus harrisii Boitard 1841

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Dasyuromorphia, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 1, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 22-37 : 28

Sarcophilus harrisii Boitard 1841

Sarcophilus harrisii Boitard 1841 , Le Jardin des Plantes: 290.

Type Locality: Tasmania.

Vernacular Names: Tasmanian Devil.

Subspecies: :

Subspecies Sarcophilus harrisii subsp. harrisii Boitard 1841

Subspecies Sarcophilus harrisii subsp. dixonae Werdelin 1987

Distribution: Australia: Tasmania; known as a subfossil in S Victoria (Mt. Hamilton and Lake Corangamite).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc). Common.

Discussion: Groves (1993) called this species S. laniarius Owen, 1838 , which was based on Pleistocene specimens from Wellington Caves, New South Wales. Werdelin (1987:9) argued that the Pleistocene and recent Sarcophilus were only subspecifically distinct, and as Owen’s name antedates Boitard’s (a replacement name for Didelphis ursina Harris, 1808 [preoccupied by Didelphis ursina Shaw, 1800 ]) by three years, laniarius must take precedence. Inspection of Werdelin (1987, Tables 1 and 2) shows, however, that recent and fossil ranges do not overlap in many variables, so they may be retained as different species. The Victorian subfossil dixonae remains as a subspecies of S. harrisii ; though it is distinctive its measurements overlap with those of the living Tasmanian form.