Myoictis
Myoictis or striped dasyure is a genus of marsupials in the order Dasyuromorphia. It is found in New Guinea.
| Myoictis[1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Myoictis wallacii | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Dasyuromorphia |
| Family: | Dasyuridae |
| Subfamily: | Dasyurinae |
| Tribe: | Dasyurini |
| Genus: | Myoictis Gray, 1858 |
| Type species | |
| Myoictis wallacii Gray, 1858 | |
| Species | |
There are four species:
- Woolley's three-striped dasyure, Myoictis leucura
- Three-striped dasyure, Myoictis melas
- Wallace's dasyure, Myoictis wallacii
- Tate's three-striped dasyure, Myoictis wavicus
The taxonomy for the species was difficult for most biologist to understand. Woolley proposed the names the four different species by recognizing the animal by the morphological differences. While also using genetic testing, scientist have found that Myoictis melas and Myoictis wallacei contain a sequence divergence of 12.85%.
Each of the four species were found to have significant physical differences between them. Myoictis wavicus averages roughly 122 grams, Myoictis wallacei averages roughly 230 grams, Myoictis leucura averages roughly 220 grams, and Myoictis melas averages roughly 220 grams. The proportions of head and limb size were also found to be smaller with the smaller mass.
Myoictis leucura, or Woolley's Three-striped Dasyure was recently described being genetically and morphologically distinct from the other members of the genus Myoictis. It is more similar to the M. wavicus.
Between 1894 and 1895, Myoictis leucura was found in Papua New Guinea, the southern side of the Central Cordillera. It normally lives in elevations between 650 meters and 1600 meters. The species inhabits mostly lowland and montane forest. Peter Dwyer has found the species to be active during the daytime and being mostly terrestrial.
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. 26. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
Woolley, P. 2008. Myoictis leucura. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T136449A4293240. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T136449A4293240.en.
Woolley, P. 2005. Revision of the Three-striped dasyures, genus myoictis (marsupialia: dasyuridae), of New Guinea, with description of a new species.
Donnellan, S., Krajewski, C., Westerman, M., Woolley, P., Young, J., 2006. Molecular Relationships of New Guinean three-striped dasyures, (Myoictis, Marsupialia: Dasyuridae)