List of peramelemorphs

Peramelemorphia is an order of Australian marsupial mammals. Members of this order are called peramelemorphs and include bandicoots and bilbies. They are found in Australia and New Guinea, generally in forests, shrublands, grasslands, and savannas, though some species are found in inland wetlands and deserts. They range in size from the Arfak pygmy bandicoot, at 14 cm (6 in) plus a 11 cm (4 in) tail, to the giant bandicoot, at 56 cm (22 in) plus a 34 cm (13 in) tail. Peramelemorphs primarily eat insects and fruit, as well as other invertebrates and small vertebrates. Most peramelemorphs do not have population estimates, but the ones that do range from 1,000 to 100,000 mature individuals. The giant bandicoot, David's echymipera, and Seram bandicoot are endangered. The desert bandicoot, lesser bilby, and pig-footed bandicoot were driven to extinction in the mid-1900s.

brown bandicoot
Eastern barred bandicoot (Perameles gunni)
brown bilby
Greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis)

The nineteen extant species of Peramelemorphia are divided into two families: Peramelidae, containing eighteen species divided between three genera in the subfamily Echymiperinae, two genera in the subfamily Peramelinae, and a single genus in the subfamily Peroryctinae; and Thylacomyidae, containing one extant species in a single genus. Additionally, Peramelemorphia includes the extinct family Chaeropodidae, containing a single species. Dozens of extinct, prehistoric Peramelemorphia species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.[1]

Conventions

IUCN Red List categories
Conservation status
 EX Extinct (3 species)
 EW Extinct in the wild (0 species)
 CR Critically Endangered (0 species)
 EN Endangered (3 species)
 VU Vulnerable (6 species)
 NT Near threatened (0 species)
 LC Least concern (9 species)
Other categories
 DD Data deficient (1 species)
 NE Not evaluated (0 species)

Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the peramelemorph's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted. All extinct species or subspecies listed alongside extant species went extinct after 1500 CE, and are indicated by a dagger symbol "†".

Classification

Peramelemorphia[2]  

The order Peramelemorphia consists of nineteen extant species in two extant families, Peramelidae and Thylacomyidae. Peramelidae is divided into three subfamilies: Echymiperinae, containing ten species in three genera; Peramelinae, containing six species in two genera; and Peroryctinae, containing a single species. Thylacomyidae consists of one extant species. Additionally, Peramelemorphia includes the extinct family Chaeropodidae, containing a single species. Three species have been driven to extinction in recent times, all in the mid-1900s: the desert bandicoot in Peramelinae, the lesser bilby in Thylacomyidae, and the pig-footed bandicoot in Chaeropodidae. Many of these species are further subdivided into subspecies. This does not include hybrid species or extinct prehistoric species.

Family Chaeropodidae

  • Genus Chaeropus† (pig-footed bandicoots): one species (one extinct)

Family Peramelidae

Family Thylacomyidae

  • Genus Macrotis (bilbies): two species (one extinct)

Peramelemorphs

The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.[3]

Chaeropodidae

Genus ChaeropusOgilby, 1838 – one species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Pig-footed bandicoot

C. ecaudatus[a]
(Ogilby, 1838)
Central and western Australia
Size: 23–26 cm (9–10 in) long, plus 10–14 cm (4–6 in) tail[4]

Habitat: Forest, savanna, shrubland, and grassland[5]

Diet: Believed to be omnivorous[4]
 EX 


0 [5]

Peramelidae

Subfamily Echymiperinae

Genus EchymiperaLesson, 1842 – five species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Clara's echymipera


E. clara
Stein, 1932
Northern New Guinea
Size: 20–50 cm (8–20 in) long, plus 5–13 cm (2–5 in) tail[6]

Habitat: Forest[7]

Diet: Omnivorous, primarily fruit[6]
 LC 


Unknown [7]

Common echymipera


E. kalubu
(J. B. Fischer, 1829)

Four subspecies
  • E. k. cockerelli
  • E. k. kalubu
  • E. k. oriomo
  • E. k. philipi
New Guinea
Size: 22–38 cm (9–15 in) long, plus 8 cm (3 in) tail[8]

Habitat: Inland wetlands and forest[9]

Diet: Invertebrates and fruit[8]
 LC 


Unknown [9]

David's echymipera


E. davidi
Flannery, 1990
Kiriwina island east of New Guinea
Size: 20–50 cm (8–20 in) long, plus 5–13 cm (2–5 in) tail[6]

Habitat: Forest[10]

Diet: Omnivorous[6]
 EN 


Unknown [10]

Long-nosed echymipera


E. rufescens
(Peters, Doria, 1875)

Two subspecies
  • E. r. australis
  • E. r. rufescens
New Guinea and northeastern Australia
Size: 20–50 cm (8–20 in) long, plus 5–13 cm (2–5 in) tail[11]

Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and grassland[12]

Diet: Fruit, seeds, invertebrates, fungi, and plants[11]
 LC 


Unknown [12]

Menzies' echymipera


E. echinista
Menzies, 1990
Southern New Guinea
Size: 20–50 cm (8–20 in) long, plus 5–13 cm (2–5 in) tail[6]

Habitat: Savanna and forest[13]

Diet: Omnivorous[6]
 DD 


Unknown [13]

Genus MicroperoryctesStein, 1932 – four species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Arfak pygmy bandicoot


M. aplini
Helgen, Flannery, 2004
Western New Guinea
Size: 14–16 cm (6 in) long, plus 11–12 cm (4–5 in) tail[14]

Habitat: Forest[15]

Diet: Insects as well as fruit[16]
 VU 


Unknown [15]

Mouse bandicoot


M. murina
Stein, 1932
Western New Guinea
Size: 15–18 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 10–11 cm (4 in) tail[17]

Habitat: Forest[18]

Diet: Insects as well as fruit[16]
 VU 


Unknown [18]

Papuan bandicoot


M. papuensis
(Laurie, 1952)
Eastern New Guinea
Size: 17–20 cm (7–8 in) long, plus 13–16 cm (5–6 in) tail[17]

Habitat: Forest[19]

Diet: Insects as well as fruit[16]
 LC 


Unknown [19]

Striped bandicoot

M. longicauda
(Peters, Doria, 1876)

Three subspecies
  • M. l. dorsalis
  • M. l. longicauda
  • M. l. ornatus
New Guinea
Size: 23–31 cm (9–12 in) long, plus 14–26 cm (6–10 in) tail[17]

Habitat: Forest and grassland[20]

Diet: Insects as well as fruit[16]
 LC 


Unknown [20]

Genus RhynchomelesThomas, 1920 – one species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Seram bandicoot


R. prattorum
Thomas, 1920
Seram Island west of New Guinea
Size: 24–33 cm (9–13 in) long, plus 10–13 cm (4–5 in) tail[21]

Habitat: Forest[22]

Diet: Unknown[21]
 EN 


Unknown [22]

Subfamily Peramelinae

Genus IsoodonDesmarest, 1817 – three species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Golden bandicoot

I. auratus
(Ramsay, 1887)

Three subspecies
  • I. a. arnhemensis
  • I. a. auratus
  • I. a. barrowensis
Northwestern Australia
Size: 19–30 cm (7–12 in) long, plus 8–13 cm (3–5 in) tail[23]

Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, and grassland[24]

Diet: Insects and arachnids, as well as turtle eggs, small reptiles, and plant material[25]
 VU 


30,000 [24]

Northern brown bandicoot

I. macrourus
(Gould, 1842)

Two subspecies
  • I. m. macrourus
  • I. m. moresbyensis
Northern and eastern Australia and southern New Guinea (former in black)
Size: 30–47 cm (12–19 in) long, plus 8–22 cm (3–9 in) tail[26]

Habitat: Forest, savanna, shrubland, and grassland[27]

Diet: Insects, as well as lizards, birds, plant matter, and fungi[26]
 LC 


Unknown [27]

Southern brown bandicoot

I. obesulus
(Shaw, 1797)

Two subspecies
  • I. o. nauticus
  • I. o. obesulus
Southwestern and southeastern Australia
Size: 28–36 cm (11–14 in) long, plus 9–14 cm (4–6 in) tail[28]

Habitat: Forest, shrubland, grassland, and inland wetlands[29]

Diet: Plants, fungi, and invertebrates[30]
 LC 


10,000–100,000 [29]

Genus PeramelesGeoffroy, 1803 – four species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Desert bandicoot

P. eremiana
Spencer, 1897
Central AustraliaSize: 20–43 cm (8–17 in) long, plus 7–17 cm (3–7 in) tail[31]

Habitat: Shrubland, grassland, and desert[32]

Diet: Believed to be insects, as well as worms, snails, mice, lizards, and plants[31]
 EX 


0 [32]

Eastern barred bandicoot

P. gunnii
Gray, 1838
Southern Australia
Size: 20–43 cm (8–17 in) long, plus 7–17 cm (3–7 in) tail[31]

Habitat: Grassland[33]

Diet: Insects and arachnids, as well as small vertebrates and plants[34]
 VU 


10,000–100,000 [33]

Long-nosed bandicoot

P. nasuta
Geoffroy, 1804
Eastern Australia
Size: 20–43 cm (8–17 in) long, plus 7–17 cm (3–7 in) tail[31]

Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and grassland[35]

Diet: Insects, arachnids, small vertebrates, plant roots, and fungi[36]
 LC 


Unknown [35]

Western barred bandicoot

P. bougainville
Quoy, Gaimard, 1824
Scattered western and central Australia
Size: 20–43 cm (8–17 in) long, plus 7–17 cm (3–7 in) tail[31]

Habitat: Shrubland and grassland[37]

Diet: Invertebrates, plants, roots, herbs, seeds, berries, and fungi, as well as small vertebrates[38]
 VU 


1,000–5,000 [37]

Subfamily Peroryctinae

Genus PeroryctesThomas, 1906 – two species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Giant bandicoot


P. broadbenti
(Ramsay, 1879)
Eastern New Guinea
Size: 39–56 cm (15–22 in) long, plus 11–34 cm (4–13 in) tail[39]

Habitat: Forest[40]

Diet: Believed to be omnivorous[40]
 EN 


Unknown [40]

Raffray's bandicoot

P. raffrayana
(Milne-Edwards, 1878)

Two subspecies
  • P. r. raffrayana
  • P. r. rothschildi
New Guinea
Size: 17–39 cm (7–15 in) long, plus 11–23 cm (4–9 in) tail[39]

Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and grassland[41]

Diet: Insects, as well as other invertebrates, small vertebrates, and plants[42]
 LC 


Unknown [41]

Thylacomyidae

Genus MacrotisReid, 1837 – two species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Greater bilby

M. lagotis
Reid, 1837
Western and central Australia
Size: 29–55 cm (11–22 in) long, plus 20–29 cm (8–11 in) tail[43]

Habitat: Savanna and grassland[44]

Diet: Seeds, bulbs, invertebrates, fruit, fungi, and lizards, as well as eggs and small mammals[45]
 VU 


9,000 [44]

Lesser bilby

M. leucura
Thomas, 1887
Central Australia
Size: 20–27 cm (8–11 in) long, plus 12–17 cm (5–7 in) tail[43]

Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, and grassland[46]

Diet: Insects, fruit, seeds, and fungi[47]
 EX 


0 [46]

Notes

References

Sources