Mystical broad-footed pouch mouse
| Mystical broad-footed pouch mouse | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Antechinus mysticus | ||||||||||||
| Baker , Mutton & Van Dyck , 2012 |
The mystical broad- footed pouch ( Antechinus mysticus ) occurs in Australia in a fragmented and disjointed area in coastal eastern Queensland between Mackay in the north and the border with New South Wales in the south. The range includes the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast , the Many Peaks Range and the Blackdown-Tableland , Bulburin , D'Aguilar and Eungella national parks .
features
The males of the mystical broad-footed pouch mouse have a head-trunk length of 9.3 to 11.7 cm, a 8.7 to 11.7 cm long tail and weigh 32.5 to 55 g. Females remain significantly smaller with head and torso lengths of about 8.1 to 11.4 cm, tail lengths of 7.9 to 9.6 cm and a weight of 18 to 33.6 g. The head is gray, the body gray-yellowish. The Stuart broad-foot bag mouse ( Antechinus stuartii ) and the subtropical broad-foot bag mouse ( Antechinus subtropicus ), on the other hand, are colored brown. From the yellow-footed pouch mouse ( Antechinus flavipes ), the mystical broad -foot pouch mouse can be distinguished by its lighter feet, the lighter tail and smaller molars .
Habitat and way of life
The nocturnal mystical broad-footed pouch lives in moist areas near rivers and cool rainforests at altitudes of 100 to 1000 meters. In the higher regions it is the only broad-footed pouch mouse. From the lower-lying regions it is likely to be displaced by the larger yellow-footed pouch mouse, which is adapted to dry biotopes, and the forest-dwelling subtropical broad-footed pouch mouse. So far the diet of the species has not been studied. Like other broad-footed pouches, it will feed primarily on insects.
Reproduction
Like all broad-foot bag mice, the mystical broad-foot bag mouse has only one reproductive phase per year. This takes place synchronously with all animals from the end of July to mid-August (Australian winter). All males die immediately after the mating season. They are then 10.5 to 11 months old. The young are born from late August to mid-September after a gestation period of about 30 days. Some females can still reproduce in the following year. It is not known whether some will manage to reach a third reproductive phase.
Systematics
The mystical broad -footed pouch mouse was only described in 2012 by Steve Van Dyck, a former curator of mammals and birds at the Queensland Museum , and two other Australian zoologists, after it was discovered that the broad-footed pouch mouse found in central Queensland was distinctly different from the yellow-footed pouch mouse differs. Van Dyck caught the holotype , a fully grown male, in his kitchen cupboard in the suburbs of Brisbane . The specific epithet mysticus was given because Van Dyck had seen specimens of the species over and over again in the 35 years before his catch, but could not identify them. The mystical broad-footed pouch mouse is possibly the sister species of the silver-colored broad- footed pouch mouse ( Antechinus argentus ). To date, no subspecies of the mystical broad-footed pouch have been described, but populations from the mid-east of Queensland and the south-east can be clearly distinguished from one another, both morphologically and genetically.
Danger
Since the mystical broad-footed pouch mouse was only described in 2012, no information can yet be given about a possible hazard. Their range is fragmented and other small marsupials in the range suffer from the stalking of introduced red foxes and domestic cats.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Andrew Baker: Family Dasyuridae (Carnivorous Marsupials). Pages 316-317 in Don E. Wilson , Russell A. Mittermeier : Handbook of the Mammals of the World - Volume 5. Monotremes and Marsupials. Lynx Editions, 2015, ISBN 978-84-96553-99-6
- ↑ a b c Baker, AM; Mutton, TY; Dyck, S. van 2012: A new dasyurid marsupial from eastern Queensland, Australia: the buff-footed Antechinus, Antechinus mysticus sp. nov. (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae). Zootaxa, (3515): 1-37.