Bronze quoll
The bronze quoll (Dasyurus spartacus) is a species of quoll found only in the Trans-Fly savanna and grasslands of New Guinea and West Papua.[2]
| Bronze quoll[1] | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Dasyuromorphia |
| Family: | Dasyuridae |
| Genus: | Dasyurus |
| Species: | D. spartacus |
| Binomial name | |
| Dasyurus spartacus Van Dyck, 1987 | |
 | |
| Bronze quoll range | |
History
It was discovered in the early 1970s when five specimens were collected, but only described in 1987 when Dr. Stephen Van Dyck of the Queensland Museum examined them and recognised their distinctness.[3] As of February 2013 there are twelve public museum specimens, 8 from traps and 4 from local hunters.[2] It is the largest surviving marsupial carnivore of New Guinea, after the thylacine's extirpation from New Guinea thousands of years ago.
Taxonomy
Very little is known of it; it was previously thought to be an outlying population of the western quoll (Dasyurus geoffroii).[4]
Status
As of February 2013, there was an estimated population of less than 10,000 and was listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. A nocturnal predator, it inhabits savanna woodlands. It is threatened by introduced predators like domesticated and feral dogs, and feral cats. It has been observed in Wasur National Park and Tonda Wildlife Management Area.[2]
References
- Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 25. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
- Leary, T.; Seri, L.; Flannery, T.; Wright, D.; Hamilton, S.; Helgen, K.; Singadan, R.; Menzies, J.; Allison, A.; James, R.; et al. (2008). "Dasyurus spartacus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2008.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Shuker, Karl (1993). The Lost Ark: New and Rediscovered Animals of the 20th Century. HarperCollins Publishers. p. 91. ISBN 0-00-219943-2.
- Firestone, Karen. "Population genetics of New Guinean quolls". University of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 2006-09-18. Retrieved 2007-02-02.