The Pilbara ningaui (''Ningaui timealeyi''), sometimes known as Ealey's ningaui, is a tiny species of

marsupial Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a po ...

carnivore found in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Taxonomy

The species was described by Mike Archer in 1975, distinguishing the new taxon from other dasyurids by nominating it as the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of a new genus. Archer provided a description for a second species of '' Ningaui'', the more widely distributed ''

Ningaui ridei The Wongai ningaui (''Ningaui ridei'') is a tiny carnivorous marsupial native to the arid open grasslands of inland Australia. Their diet is mainly small insects, and occasionally larger prey such as spiders, grasshopperss and cockroaches, whic ...

''. The

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

is a specimen obtained escaping a fire in spinifex country, a collection made by A. Snell in 1963 at Mount Robinson in the northwest of Australia. Other material examined included a specimen collected in 1957 by E. H. M. Ealey of

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

, then working as a field officer for the

CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentar ...

, his informal name, 'Tim' Ealey. is the eponym of the specific epithet.

Description

The Pilbara ningaui is a very small species of marsupial, in length. The fur is spiky and dishevelled in appearance, the upper parts are a mix of ginger and brown hairs, or grey-brown, with a rufous colouration across the flanks, ears and face. The eyes are close-set and the muzzle is long and pointed. The tail is long and they weigh from . The females possess six teats, fewer than others of the genus. This makes the Pilbara ningaui among of the smallest of all marsupials, surpassed only by the

planigale The genus ''Planigale'' are small carnivorous marsupials found in Australia and New Guinea. It is the only genus in the tribe Planigalini of the subfamily Sminthopsinae. There are five species: * Paucident planigale, ''Planigale gilesi'' * Lon ...

s. It is partly arboreal, and differs from others of the genus in its smaller size and rufous-tinted face.

Distribution and habitat

The species is found in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

and Gascoyne regions of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, extending into the

Little Sandy Desert The Little Sandy Desert (LSD) is a desert region in the state of Western Australia, lying to the east of the Pilbara and north of the Gascoyne regions. It is part of the Western Desert cultural region, and was declared an interim Australian ...

. ''Ningaui timealeyi'' is recorded as locally common in some locations, such as the

Hamersley Range The Hamersley Range is a mountainous region of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The range was named on 12 June 1861 by explorer Francis Thomas Gregory after Edward Hamersley (senior), Edward Hamersley, a prominent promoter of his explo ...

, but is not frequently occur outside of these areas.

Behaviour

A partly arboreal species that forages in the dense undergrowth. Breeding is dependent on the extent of seasonal rain in the region, beginning in September and rearing of young continuing as late as March. The size of each litter may be four to six young.

References

External links

Image at ADWImage of the type specimen's skull
{{Taxonbar, from=Q194748 Dasyuromorphs Mammals of Western Australia Marsupials of Australia Mammals described in 1975